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When Business Takes On Education "Whether the commercialization of higher education has reached the crisis point probably is a matter of definition, but there can be no doubt that it is at least headed there." A new book by former Harvard president Derek Bok argues that the rising influence of commercial interests on campus puts universities on a road lined with compromises... Washington Post 04/24/03
Posted: 04/24/2003 7:49 pm
Prosecuting Iraq Art Thieves - Closing Loopholes A British MP is trying to close a loophole in the law that would make prosecuting those trying to sell stolen Iraqi art possible. "At the moment if somebody tries to sell an artefact that has been stolen and you can prove who it was stolen from they can be prosecuted for handling stolen goods. But if it can't be tracked back to the original owner then they can't be prosecuted. That's the loophole we're trying to plug." BBC 04/25/03
Posted: 04/25/2003 7:21 am
Saving Chicago's Buildings Acknowledging the destruction of hundreds of architecturally important buildings in Chicago over the past decade, Chicago city officials say they'll find new ways to protect the buildings. "Citing the damaging impact of such cases on Chicago's physical appearance and cultural legacy, preservationists praised the city's policy shift but said they were waiting to see the details of whatever programs result." Chicago Tribune 04/25/03
Posted: 04/25/2003 6:54 am
- A Record Of Destruction Chicago Tribune reporters drive 1000 miles on Chicago streets documenting architecturally important buildings that have been torn down. The reporters counted 704 structures that had been demolished... Chicago Tribune 04/25/03
Posted: 04/25/2003 6:51 am
Close Call - Museums Shut While Building For Future A number of big American museums are closed or closing (sometimes for a couple of years) while major additions/renovations are undertaken. "The spate of temporary closings represents a new phase in the building boom that began in the go-go 90's, when institutions found it relatively easy to raise large sums. Some museums are refurbishing old buildings; some are commissioning new ones. Others, like the Corcoran and the Aldrich, are doing both. For directors who shut down their institutions, consequences go beyond the obvious loss of revenue and the danger that the museum's support will erode. The impact is felt most keenly by employees who are laid off, but also extends to scholars who are dependent on easy access to artworks." The New York Times 04/23/03
Posted: 04/24/2003 7:54 pm
Libeskind's Spiral Now Seems Inspired Choice For V&A When it was first proposed, architect Daniel Libeskind's post-modernist "spiral" addition to the Victoria & Albert Museum was derided as symbolizing all that is wrong with contemporary architecture. But now Libeskind's been embraced in New York for the World Trade Center site, his idea for the V&A is seen as inspired. And now the fundraising gets going in a big way... London Evening Standard 04/24/03
Posted: 04/24/2003 6:21 pm
Berliners Stand Mute As Past Is Ripped Down Over the past ten years half of Berlin has been thoroughly transformed. Do Berliners have any feelings for their older buildings? If so, they "never even raised their voices when a precious building was torn down by the wrecking ball to make room for a new one. There also was no outcry, just some rather quiet outrage, when the city senate approved the demolition of Admiralspalast, the last building on Friedrichstrasse - across the street from the train station - which still recalls the 1920s, when this street was home to one of the capital's entertainment districts." What is the point? Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung 04/25/03
Posted: 04/24/2003 6:09 pm
Open Art Bazaar - Trying To Protect Italy's Artifacts There are about 6000 archaeological sites in Italy. And artifacts are stolen every day. Combatting the ever-growing trade in stolen art is a special squad of Italian police. "In more than 30 years of activity, the squad has retrieved about 185,000 works of art and 456,000 archaeological objects. The original force of a few dozen police officers has grown to 300, with branches throughout Italy and liaisons throughout the world. Its database of stolen art, called Leonardo, catalogs more than two million objects." The New York Times 04/23/03
Posted: 04/24/2003 1:51 pm
Stolen Iraqi Art Turning Up Some of the art stolen from Iraq's National Museum is beginning to turn up after appeals in Baghdad. "Officials are using tips from citizens to hunt down stolen items, and trying to prevail on thieves to turn them in voluntarily. Muslim clerics, at the officials' urging, have announced over mosque loudspeakers that anyone with looted items should return them to museum curators, no questions asked. U.S. reconstruction officials said they plan to air similar messages on Iraqi radio stations starting tonight. 'It's already working. I've heard from our friends that a number of objects were collected in mosques in the neighborhood after appeals from the imams of the mosques'." Washington Post 04/24/03
Posted: 04/24/2003 1:45 pm
How Music Was Born In America "The saga of American music in the 19th century is a tale of outsized personalities, showdowns and rampant can-doism. The American myth has much to do with raising yourself by your own bootstraps, and that is what American music did in the 19th century: beginning with mostly amateur fiddlers, fifers and bawling congregations, ending with some of the best orchestras and opera houses anywhere." The Guardian (UK) 04/25/03
Posted: 04/24/2003 7:24 pm
Pachelbel And The Gang - Is This Really The Most Popular Music? Is it really possible that Brits' taste in classical music is as bad as the annual Classic FM hit parade vote would indicate? "Is it really possible, I wonder, that millions of Brits really believe that Howard Shore’s music for 'The Lord of the Rings' is the greatest piece of classical music of all time? And will I have to listen, yet again, to Rachmaninov’s super-saccharine Piano Concerto No 2, in C minor (that’s the music from 'Brief Encounter')?" The Scotsman 04/24/03
Posted: 04/24/2003 7:15 pm
- Previously: Their Favorite Classical Music What music do 250,000 listeners of Classic FM radio in the UK most like? According to a new poll, it helps if the music has been featured in an ad or movie. "Pieces of music made famous by advertisements made up most of the contemporary music featured on the list. The work in first place for the third year running, Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto in C minor, also has a connection to films." Rocketing high on this list was a newcomer - the score to the movie "Lord of the Rings." The Independent (UK) 04/22/03
Beethoven 9 For Sale Beethoven's Ninth Symphony could be the world's most famous piece of music. "Next month, when it is auctioned at Sotheby's, a copyist's manuscript of the work, replete with Beethoven's last scribbled revisions, is expected to fetch more than any manuscript of classical music has done before. If the ninth symphony is the most powerful symbol of absolute music in the classical music canon, it is also the most politicised work of all time." The Economist 04/24/03
Posted: 04/24/2003 4:06 pm
Judge Rules ISPs Must Turn Over Customer Names A US judge has ruled that ISP Verizon must turn over names of cutomers suspected of downloading illegal copies of music to music producers. "The latest rulings mean consumers using dozens of popular Internet file-sharing programs can more easily be identified and tracked by copyright owners. Even for consumers hiding behind hard-to-decipher aliases, that could result in warning letters, civil lawsuits or even criminal prosecution." Wired 04/24/03
Posted: 04/24/2003 3:41 pm
Hear Before You Play - Website Auditions New Music So you're an American orchestra looking for contemporary music to play. But it can be frustrating hunting down and auditioning scores. So the American Music Center has created NewMusicJukeBox. "The site offers access to audio recordings, downloadable music scores, and information on new music artists. Its creators describe it as an online marketplace where producers, performers, orchestra administrators, concert programmers, movie directors, choreographers, students, and audience members can easily hear music 24/7 by American composers." NEA.gov 04/24/03
Posted: 04/24/2003 1:38 pm
Iraqi Artists Fight To Keep Their Buildings "In Iraq — where the fine art is considered some of the best in the Middle East — artists were both coddled and repressed. They were given studios and supplies even as their work was censored and they were forced to paint and sculpture the ubiquitous images of a heroic Mr. Hussein." Now, other Iraqis want their buildings, their studios. "Culture was controlled by the regime. This has caused many of the new political leaders to view cultural organizations as a remnant of the old regime." The New York Times 04/25/03
Posted: 04/25/2003 7:59 am
America's Arts Squeeze Across America, arts organizations are pressing their supporters for more help as budgets bust. "The year 2003 is proving a major challenge for advocates and fundraisers. Even with the greatest hearts and keenest minds pushing the arts-funding message, the going is tough if the money just isn't there." Backstage 04/24/03
Posted: 04/24/2003 8:13 pm
Survey: Seattle Loves Arts A new study reveals that: "Seattleites love their performing arts, with more than two of three residents attending at least one such event every year. And Seattle's support is strong across all almost all demographic groups, including age, sex and economic means. Yet among those who attend arts events in Seattle, only one-quarter make an annual financial donation to even one arts organization. And almost two-thirds of those who frequently attend make no such contribution." Seattle Post-Intelligencer 04/24/03
Posted: 04/24/2003 1:34 pm
Art Grab - Fighting Over Riopelle's Estate "A year after Jean-Paul Riopelle died and plunged Quebec into mourning, the heirs of the man considered Canada's greatest modern artist are locked in a bitter dispute over his substantial estate." National Post (Canada) 04/25/03
Posted: 04/25/2003 7:08 am
RSC In America - Off To A Shaky Start The Kennedy Center begins a five-year relationship with the Royal Shakespeare Company. But the RSC is a troubled company right now, and its first production at the Kennedy Center amply illustrates some of the problems, writes Peter Marks. Washington Post 04/25/03
Posted: 04/25/2003 7:55 am
Who Wants To Be A Producer? Who'd want to be a Broadway theatre producer? It's a business where 80 percent of projects fail, investors lose millions, and, let's face it, producers are rarely liked... But more than 300 aspiring producers have signed up for a three-day course in how to become "that rare breed of theater lovers who seldom get credit or a return on the investment." The New York Times 04/25/03
Posted: 04/24/2003 8:06 pm
Ireland's Dreams For Scottish Theatre Kenny Ireland is leaving Edinburgh's Lyceum Theatre. He's got lots of criticism for local theatre, but he's hoping to come back for bigger things. "He has also turned the Lyceum round from a debt-ridden and under-maintained venue into a successful and rather lovely theatre. He wants to do the same for the whole of Scottish theatre and he wants to create a Scottish national theatre to make it happen. When Ireland took over 10 years ago, the theatre owed £1m to the city and had a £400,000 deficit..." Glasgow Herald 04/25/03
Posted: 04/24/2003 7:28 pm
"Fastest Book" Sells Out The "fastest book in the world" - conceived, written and printed in 12 hours by a group of 40 German writers this week, has immediately sold out of the 1000 copies printed. Expatica 04/24/03
Posted: 04/25/2003 7:16 am
- Previously: Going For The Fastest Book Forty German writers are hoping to set a record for the fastest book by conceiving, writing and printing a book in 12 hours. "After the authors have finished their writing, the contributions will be subbed by editors and then sent to the publishers. Organisers hope to have 1,000 copies printed before the 12 hours is up, and a party is planned to celebrate the record attempt." BBC 04/23/03
SARS Scare To Cancel Toronto BookExpo? The SARS scare in Toronto has the book industry wondering about cancelling two major gatherings - the annual American Library Association Show and BookExpo Canada, the country's biggest bookseller event. Publishers Weekly 04/25/03
Posted: 04/25/2003 7:13 am
Reading Test - A Presidential Aspirant's Minefield One of the bigger tests for an American presidential candidate? Believe it or not it's "What's your favorite book?" This may seem an innocuous query, but it's actually one of the more treacherous a candidate can answer... Washington Monthly 04/03
Posted: 04/24/2003 7:42 pm
Did Harry Potter Save British Tourism? Culture minister, Kim Howells has honoured the Potter books and films for their outstanding contribution to English tourism, recognising the part they have played in boosting the country's image abroad. "Many visitors cite the film as a direct reason for visiting Britain. "We [the British Tourist Authority] went to America just after foot and mouth, and brochures that detailed Harry Potter locations were snapped up - we couldn't print enough. Thousands of people have been inspired by the British actors and venues chosen in the Harry Potter films and the magical descriptions on each page of every book." The Guardian (UK) 04/24/03
Posted: 04/24/2003 6:14 pm
Learning From Reality TV British drama-makers are learning how to make their projects in a different way, borrowing from lessons learned from reality TV. “Not having words, only outlines, you get a different kind of energy taking off. They are tremendously scary projects — with two or three of these films in the cutting room people have told us they are untransmittable. There is a very fine line between working and not working. That is what is so exciting; this kind of danger in the endeavour has given a new kick of life to the drama scene.” The Times (UK) 04/25/03
Posted: 04/24/2003 6:35 pm
Makarova And "Transporting" Russian Dance "Perhaps even more than her fellow Kirov Ballet alumni and Soviet defectors Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov, Natalia Makarova, 62, set the controversial standard for the West's rediscovery of the Russian style as the late 20th century's ballet boom made dancers front-page news." San Francisco Chronicle 04/25/03
Posted: 04/25/2003 7:39 am | 
