Ideas

AJ Blogs: Why Classical Music Should Survive Greg Sandow likes classical music. But he acknowledges that this is not a wholly compelling reason for it to survive as an art form. "I don't think classical music makes us smarter, or makes us better people. I don't think it's 'better' than other kinds of music... I don't think classical music has any special claim to be considered art. In fact -- as it's practiced currently in America -- I think it fails dramatically on one of the most important things that art ought to be about." And yet, there are a few positive aspects of classical music left to cling to, and Greg would love to hear from anyone knows of more. AJ Blogs 07/27/03
Posted: 07/27/2003 11:31 am

Visual Arts

It Doesn't Have To Be British To Be Important Amidst all the brouhaha over the UK Heritage Lottery Fund's decision to spend £11.5 million to keep a 9-inch Raphael painting in the country is a debate over what constitutes "national heritage." To Charles Smith, the Lottery's attempt to keep a foreign work of art in London is a promising sign that Britons are finally beginning to get past the notion that a work of art must be thoroughly British to be important. Still, with budget cuts running rampant in the UK, such programs of national preservation are under threat, and Smith says that the nation would do well to remember the reasons for their creation. The Guardian (UK) 07/26/03
Posted: 07/27/2003 11:13 am

A Painting Worth $20 Mil - Or Five Bucks. We're Really Not Sure. Back in the early 1990s, truck driver Teri Horton purchased a drip painting for $5. Now, she wants to sell it: for $20 million. "This is the estimated value of what one forensic art expert has pronounced a Jackson Pollock. However, the prestigious International Foundation for Art Research does not think it genuine... Ms Horton, who is 70 and lives in Costa Mesa, southern California, thinks it is ugly. She kept it only because it would not fit through the front door of the friend for whom she bought it from a thrift shop." The Age (Melbourne) 07/27/03
Posted: 07/27/2003 10:45 am

Who Painted Goya's Black Paintings? "Venerated as the first modern artist, Francisco Goya produced nothing more abrasively modern than the series of 14 images known as the Black Paintings, which a half-century after his death were cut from the walls of his country house on the outskirts of Madrid." But when art historian Juan Jose Junquera tried to write a history of the set, he discovered a number of holes in the story of their creation, and, upon deeper examination, came to the conclusion that Goya could not actually have painted the works at all. The New York Times Magazine 07/27/03
Posted: 07/27/2003 9:56 am

Pioneering Denver Museum Falls On Hard Times "The private museum that helped transform a gritty Denver street into a cutting-edge spot for art galleries is in a deep financial and management funk. Museo de las Americas, an 11-year-old institution that two years ago had plans for a $10 million expansion, now finds itself running a bare-bones operation... The institution's executive director - who was working for free - resigned in June after less than six months on the job. Twelve of its 15 directors have left in the past year, and past-due bills are piling up. Salaries run about $21,000 per month and expenses run $15,000, but the Museo has only about $60,000 banked." Denver Post 07/25/03
Posted: 07/27/2003 8:22 am

Music

Indie Record Stores Continue To Thrive The music industry is in a horrible slump. Really. Just ask any CEO of a big corporate record label or mega-CD chain. But owners of many of the country's independent record stores continue to thrive, and their proprietors say that the big, impersonal chains have no one to blame but themselves. "Without the resources of the big national chains, independent and mom-and-pop stores might seem ill-suited to weather the tough sales market. But free from the big-business mindset of corporate labels and the chain stores beholden to big releases by bigger stars, independent record stores are increasingly in a position to succeed where so many big companies and chains are failing or faltering, finding unique and creative ways to trump the slump." Chicago Tribune 07/27/03
Posted: 07/27/2003 10:55 am

• The Radio Clear Channel Can't Touch With the corporate megalith that is the music industry closing ranks around the nation's independent radio stations, it has become increasingly difficult to hear an original mix of truly diverse music anywhere in America. So it probably shouldn't come as a surprise that, as companies like Clear Channel continue to gobble up stations faster than Pac-Man eats dots, the raw and edgy world of college radio is becoming increasingly popular with listeners. Denver Post 07/27/03
  Posted: 07/27/2003 10:50 am

Are You On The RIAA's Most-Wanted List? Yeah, yeah, we know. You have a lot of down time at work, and so, for the last couple of years, you've been using your high-speed internet access to download a few hundred of your favorite songs without, technically, paying for them. Now the recording industry says it's hunting down people like you, and you haven't slept in a month wondering if you're headed for a court date. But there's hope: a new web site allows you to plug in your file-sharing username and match it against a list of subpoenas filed by the RIAA. Wired 07/26/03
Posted: 07/27/2003 9:46 am

City Opera Cut Out of Ground Zero Plans "The municipal corporation overseeing the redevelopment of ground zero has determined that there is no place at the site for an opera house, a decision that all but dashes the New York City Opera's hopes of moving there from Lincoln Center." However, there appears to be some confusion as to whether City Opera has been officially informed of this development. City officials swear they contacted the company last week, but NYCO's director insists that, as far as he's concerned, a move to the site is still very much on the table. The New York Times 07/26/03
Posted: 07/27/2003 8:54 am

• Previously: Booking Space At Ground Zero "More than 10 well-known New York arts and cultural institutions are working on plans to be part of the new center that will be built at Ground Zero. The proposals, from institutions ranging from off-Broadway theaters to museums, are in response to the Lower Manhattan Development Corp.'s recent request for formal expressions of interest from cultural groups that wish to be part of the site." Among the groups which have already declared their wishes to relocate to the site are the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, New York City Opera, and the Joyce Theater. Crain's New York Business 07/21/03

Ravinia Rethinking Its Orchestral Partnership To most music lovers in the Midwest, the Ravinia Festival is nearly synonymous with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. But the partnership betwen the two organizations has seen far better days, and since the CSO does not own the festival - a nearly unique situation among major American orchestras - Ravinia is considering serious changes to its schedule which would deemphasize the orchestra's participation. Ticket sales for CSO performances at Ravinia have been off sharply for the last several years, and that has the festival seriously considering a plan which would cut the number of performances the orchestra puts on at Ravinia each summer. Crain's Chicago Business 07/26/03
Posted: 07/27/2003 8:12 am

Arts Issues

History vs. Agriculture "A campaign launched 133 years ago finally resulted yesterday in a demand by archaeologists to end the trashing of 8,000 years of British history, through successive governments permitting and even encouraging farmers to plough archaeologically sensitive land... The scale of the destruction is awesome, and getting worse. There are government-issued ploughing permits for almost 3,000 scheduled ancient monuments, the archaeological sites that are recognised as nationally important." The Guardian (UK) 07/26/03
Posted: 07/27/2003 11:11 am

American Arts Interest Stays Stagnant "A recently released report from the National Endowment for the Arts indicates that the percentage of adults attending at least one jazz, classical music, opera, musical, play or ballet performance or visiting an art museum over the course of a year has stayed stubbornly at around 40 percent over the last 20 years. The total number of arts participants has increased, but so has the total U.S. adult population." Chicago Tribune 07/27/03
Posted: 07/27/2003 10:53 am

Is Australia's Racism Killing The Arts? Australia has swung to the right politically in recent years, and some observers believe that the increased hostility to foreigners and aboriginals is having a terrible effect on the nation's artistic diversity. "The socially-conservative mood, say some arts groups, is also hampering audience willingness to step out of their cultural comfort zones. In turn, this development may be driving commercially safer arts patronage." The Age (Melbourne) 07/28/03
Posted: 07/27/2003 10:33 am

Austin Looks To The Future, Struggles With The Present In Austin, civic leaders are banking on the idea that a dramatic new performing arts center slated to open in 2006 will secure the city's performing arts scene for decades to come. But the PAC has to get built first, and supporters are finding that that's no easy task in the current economy. The hall is expected to cost $110 million, and the city only has $62 million in hand, forcing organizers to move to a phased building plan which will not alleviate the city's performing space crunch anytime soon. Still, the PAC will eventually allow the city's arts groups to perform in a top-notch space at relatively low cost. News 8 Austin 07/25/03
Posted: 07/27/2003 9:31 am

Ohio Slashes Arts Budget By 1/5 Ohio has become the latest state to make severe cuts to the amount spent on the arts in an effort to balance the budget. The Ohio State Arts Board will take a 21% hit in its funding level over the next two years. The cuts don't take effect until next year, but the board is already moving to reduce the amount of some of this year's grants. The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) 07/26/03
Posted: 07/27/2003 8:57 am

• As Ohio Cuts, Cleveland Innovates "Revised legislation introduced at the July 16 Cleveland City Council meeting would require 1.5 percent of the budget for each new municipal construction or improvement project to go for artwork, brightening everything from new firehouses to bridges, parks, utilities and streetscapes." In addition, an upcoming ballot measure could result in a slight sales tax increase with all proceeds going to local arts initiatives. The moves are part of a concerted effort to bolster Cleveland's image through the nurturing of a serious arts scene. The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) 07/26/03
  Posted: 07/27/2003 8:56 am

People

Legendary Critic Schonberg Dies "Harold C. Schonberg, the ubiquitous and authoritative chief music critic of The New York Times from 1960 to 1980, whose reviews and essays influenced and chronicled vast changes in the world of opera and classical music, died yesterday... He was 87 and lived in Manhattan. Writing daily reviews and more contemplative Sunday pieces, Mr. Schonberg set the standard for critical evaluation and journalistic thoroughness. He wrote his reviews in a crisp, often staccato style that gave his evaluations unequivocal clarity and directness, attributes that earned him a Pulitzer Prize for criticism in 1971, the first for a music critic." The New York Times 07/27/03
Posted: 07/27/2003 11:50 am

Carter At 96 "Elliott Carter is a phenomenon. Now halfway through his 96th year, he is as productive a composer as he ever was – maybe even more so... There are no compromises with Carter. His music is tough to get to grips with in terms of all its complexities, wrought of conflicts, contrasts, contradictions and intricate rhythmic conundrums. Not that audience appreciation seems to be a top priority, or even a particular concern." The Telegraph (UK) 07/26/03
Posted: 07/27/2003 11:28 am

The Underdog's Filmmaker "John Schlesinger was once quoted as saying, 'What interests me is not the hero but the coward... not the success, but the failure.' That sense of empathy and melancholy pervaded the director's best films, which will be remembered as compelling portraits, not just of their particular times and places, but of characters at their most vulnerable and damaged." Schlesinger died last week after being removed from life-support machines. Washington Post 07/26/03
Posted: 07/27/2003 9:22 am

Theatre

Broadway's Haunted Theatre Let's face it - theatre people are probably a bit more susceptible to superstition than most. But in the heart of Manhattan's theatre district, the Belasco Theatre has become legendary for being haunted, and the people who work there claim that there's a lot more to this legend than simple ghost stories. Closed doors on a set are magically open when the curtain rises, a reek of cigar smoke permeates a production in which no one smokes, and actor after actor reports seeing strange apparitions with some tie to the theatre's namesake, David Belasco. Melodramatic hogwash? Maybe. But it sure makes for a good theatre story. New York Post 07/26/03
Posted: 07/27/2003 8:43 am

Minnesota Fringe Can Make Or Break A Career For ten days each summer, Minneapolis plays host to the largest Fringe Festival in the U.S. During this year's fest, "783 performances of 162 dance, theater and spoken-word shows will take place at 20 theaters, cafes and art spaces around town." To the festival's devoted spectators, it's a giant party, but to the actors, directors, and writers involved, it's a crucial chance to catch the eye of the city's theatre elite, and thereby ensure employment for the other 355 days of the year. Minneapolis Star Tribune 07/27/03
Posted: 07/27/2003 8:25 am

Publishing

Is Canada's Book Culture Slipping Into Irrelevance? The seemingly forced resignation of Greg Gatenby from Toronto's Harbourfront Literary Festival is unfortunate, says Philip Marchand, since Gatenby was one of the few people left in the publishing world who truly understood the importance of nurturing intellectualism, even to the point of occasional absurd pretentiousness. But his ouster is only the latest sign in the Canadian book industry's 15-year slide towards irrelevance and oblivion. Increasing consolidation of publishing houses and the demise of countless independents has taken its toll, and while there are a few positive signs, the industry is a shadow of its former self. Toronto Star 07/26/03
Posted: 07/27/2003 9:11 am

• Previously: A Backstage Drama Worthy Of A Novel "The dramatic parting of Harbourfront Centre and Greg Gatenby, announced Monday, was preceded by months of wrangling, intrigue and attempted fixes. Gatenby and Harbourfront officials are saying nothing, but based on the testimony of other players, the breakdown of the relationship emerges as a tale full of ultimatums, threats, end runs and cameo appearances by well-known personalities." Toronto Star 07/16/03

You Mean There Are Other Countries Besides America? "Writers, publishers and cultural critics have long lamented the difficulty of interesting American readers in translated literature, and now some say the market for these books is smaller than it has been in generations." Even small university presses which have specialized in the world literature market are cutting back or pulling out of the genre altogether, and literary experts say that such narrowing of the range of available books in the US is nothing short of a crisis. Not only does the dearth of titles in translation mean that there is less for Americans to read, it also has a profound impact on the ability of foreign authors to get their books translated into other languages. The New York Times 07/26/03
Posted: 07/27/2003 8:49 am

When Is A Memoir Not A Memoir? With the increased interest in personal memoirs of ordinary people, the market has become saturated with autobiographies that read like novels, astounding tales of people overcoming terrible childhoods and debilitating diseases to become happy, productive adults. But is anyone fact-checking these tales of personal heroism? A recently released memoir by James Frey has a number of reviewers questioning whether many of the events he describes could have actually occurred. Frey hasn't bothered to defend himself too heavily, either: "I wrote what was true to me and true to the experience," he said recently. "If people want to pick the facts apart, they can." Minneapolis Star Tribune 07/27/03
Posted: 07/27/2003 8:30 am

Media

The New Urban Darling Of Hollywood Shoots Hollywood traditionally shoots its films in L.A., New York, and, when there are budget concerns, Canada. But in recent years, a revitalized and newly sexy Philadelphia has become increasingly popular with filmmakers looking to bring a distinctive look to their sets. "'Philadelphia has a vibe — it doesn't feel like Boston or New York,' says actor/director Kevin Bacon, a Philly native. 'There are a tremendous amount of looks you can get. You have a downtown that feels like an urban center, and you're not gonna find as many diverse working-class neighborhoods elsewhere.'" Los Angeles Times 07/27/03
Posted: 07/27/2003 11:40 am