“It’s not that she’s a woman, though it was certainly high time for the Kennedy Center to be led by one. It’s that she comes from the classical music world.”
Kennedy Center Names Deborah Rutter As Its New President, To Succeed Michael Kaiser
“Rutter, 57, will succeed Michael M. Kaiser, who has led the Kennedy Center since 2001. As president, she will serve as both artistic and administrative director of the Kennedy Center’s theater, dance, chamber music, jazz programming and education initiatives, while overseeing the National Symphony Orchestra and the Washington National Opera.”
The Kennedy Center Honors’ Emotional Night
“This year, the Kennedy Center honored actress Shirley MacLaine, opera singer Martina Arroyo, musician Carlos Santana — who beamed while sitting next to first lady Michelle Obama — and two piano men: Herbie Hancock and Billy Joel. If the honorees had performed together, it would have been a dream collaboration — but as is the 36-year custom, they sat, smiled and watched others pay tribute to lives lived on stages and screens.”
How Do We Make Sure Detroit’s Art Sale Doesn’t Happen Again
“The real goal, in a larger perspective, is how to de-monetize art. It’s too late for Detroit to think about such things—any attempt to keep its art out of the market would be vigorously protested by the city’s creditors—but the Detroit crisis has people thinking about how to avert such things in the future.”
Baryshnikov Still Kicking At 65
“The words “Baryshnikov” and “sucked” don’t naturally fit together comfortably, but in sitting with Baryshnikov for a spell, you get the strong sense that he’s less interested in perfectionism in his artistic endeavors than in mind-expanding adventurism. And these days, he prefers to succeed or fail with collaborators.”
It’s Nearly 2014, And Ballet Still Has A Big Issue With Black Dancers
Detroit, Arts, And A City’s Responsibilities
“The idea of a city having responsibilities to its citizens larger than simply running basic services isn’t popular these days. The implications of this will seem to many socialist, and in Plato’s dialogue they become terrifyingly authoritarian. But the notion that the city has in its care our intellectual and even spiritual (though not necessarily religious) wellbeing is deeply embedded in our contemporary culture of museums, parks, libraries and education–even if people who believe this don’t feel comfortable simply saying it.”