Milwaukee Art Museum Struggles With Low Attendance, Budget Three years after the Milwaukee Art Museum opened its acclaimed splashy new expansion designed by Santiago Calatrava, far fewer people than expected are passing through its doors, and that's creating new financial challenges for the museum. Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel 04/24/04
Posted: 04/26/2004 10:43 pm
- Gordon: Milwaukee's Museum's Man In the Middle Milwaukee Art Museum director David Gordon has a tough job. "What is clear is that the very traits that made Gordon an attractive choice for director have proven to be trouble, too. He is confident and direct by many accounts but magisterial and abrasive by others. He is considered decisive by some but rash by others." Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel 04/24/04
Posted: 04/26/2004 10:37 pm
Louvre: Mona Lisa Is Deteriorating The Louvre said Monday that the Mona Lisa is deteriorating much more quickly than previously thought. "The thin, poplar wood panel on which the artwork is painted has become deformed since conservation experts last evaluated the condition of the painting, the Louvre said. The artwork is inspected every 1-2 years. The Louvre said the condition of the Mona Lisa was causing "some worry" and that a new study has been launched, but one that will allow the painting to remain in the public eye." BBC 04/26/04
Posted: 04/26/2004 6:40 pm
Bowie To Fans: Take My Songs David Bowie isn't concerned about piracy of his music. In fact he's encouraging it and says he'll give a prize for the most creative remix of his work. "The musician's Web site urges fans to mix classic Bowie songs with material from his latest album, "Reality," to create a "mash-up" -- a track that uses vocals from one song superimposed over the backing tracks of another." Dallas Morning News (AP) 04/27/04
Posted: 04/27/2004 6:11 am
Latin Music Languishes "The Billboard Latin Music Conference celebrates its 15th birthday in Miami Beach this week. But instead of the coming-out festiveness typical of a quince, conferencegoers will wrestle with the financial and creative crisis facing an industry that makes Miami-Dade County its home." Miami Herald 04/26/04
Posted: 04/26/2004 10:35 pm
Peabody's Renaissance Baltimore's Peabody Conservatory unveils a $27 million redo of its campus. "It is a good time for Peabody. The endowment has reached $70 million, and an association with Johns Hopkins University has proved beneficial for both institutions. Not bad for a place that came perilously close to bankruptcy a mere 27 years ago. Much of the credit for Peabody's renaissance must be given to Robert Sirota, a composer and conductor who has been the institute's director since 1995 and oversaw the renovation." Washington Post 04/26/04
Posted: 04/26/2004 8:55 pm
Downloading Up (Illegal Down) A new study on music downloading reports that "an estimated 6 million people have stopped downloading copyrighted music from the Internet over fears that they may sued by the recording industry, but the overall number of Americans who download music is rising with the popularity of iTunes, Napster and other legitimate online music services." Washington Post 04/26/04
Posted: 04/26/2004 6:47 pm
Springer Opera Coming To US Jerry Springer - The Opera" is making its US debut in 2005 in San Francisco. "The show has the distinction of being the only one ever to win all four major London awards for best musical." San Francisco Chronicle 04/26/04
Posted: 04/26/2004 6:44 pm
- Springer Opera To Broadway Jerry Springer - The Opera will open on Broadway in October 2005. "The production, which features bad language, tap-dancing Ku Klux Klan members and a man wearing a giant nappy, may be something of a gamble in the US. Despite an increasingly conservative approach to indecency, producer Jon Thoday has vowed the material will not be toned down. Either it will be the most enormous hit or audiences will walk out in horror." BBC 04/26/04
Posted: 04/26/2004 6:34 pm
Busing In The Artists Paducah, Kentucky wants artists. And they'll help you move there if you are one. Paducah's "Artist Relocation Program has exerted the same magnetic pull on others who've dreamed of living, working and, most importantly, owning in a neighborhood of like-minded residents. In 2 1/2 years, nearly 40 people have moved here to transform a beat-up area of homes known as Lower Town into a blossoming art colony." Chicago Tribune 04/27/04
Posted: 04/27/2004 6:38 am
New Arts University Launching (But What Arts?) The new University of the Arts London is about to launch. "But the launch of the new institution as an "Imperial College for the arts" comes at a time when there is more confusion than ever about what arts students should be taught. A survey this week shows colleges and university arts departments in Britain agree on very little when it comes to the curriculum for future artists, except, bizarrely, black and white photography and silkscreen printing." The Guardian (UK) 04/27/04
Posted: 04/27/2004 6:30 am
Plan To Boost London Arts Big Time A new initiative aims to raise the value of London's arts industry by a third to £32 billion and create 200,000 new jobs in 10 years. "London's creative industries currently employ 500,000 people and are responsible for one in five of all new jobs in the capital. But an investigation by the mayor's Commission for the Creative Industries found the industry lacks international recognition, and young entrepreneurs often struggle to get financial backing." BBC 04/26/04
Posted: 04/26/2004 6:56 pm
- London's Manhattan Project For The Arts What will London's new arts initiative look like? "It sets out to make an immediate impact with a step-by-step policy of clearing blocks to arts activities. Its first move is a website which goes online today and which acts as a "space agency" - a clearing house for empty buildings or rooms which could be used for marketing, rehearsals and performances by arts groups." The Guardian (UK) 04/27/04
Posted: 04/26/2004 6:09 pm
Will IRS Seize Axelrod's Rare Violins? New Jersey philanthropist Herbert Axelrod, who fled the US to Cuba last week to avoid tax fraud charges, still owned some important string instruments that are on loan to prominent musicians. "Among the instruments given to Curtis is one on loan from the school to violinist Pamela Frank, who is both a graduate of and teacher at Curtis. Axelrod donated the 1736 Guarnerius del Gesù (Wienawski), now insured for $2 million, in 1993. Violinist Leila Josefowicz played on an Axelrod instrument, the 1739 "Ebersolt" Guarnerius del Gesù, and Maxim Vengerov played on an Axelrod-owned bow. Whether any musicians are still playing Axelrod-owned instruments is not clear. In some cases involving the IRS, such property is seized by the government." Philadelphia Inquirer 04/27/04
Posted: 04/27/2004 7:23 am
- Previously: Billionaire On The Lam: The Axelrod Myth Unravels In the days since New Jersey philanthropist Herbert Axelrod fled to Cuba to avoid indictment on tax evasion charges, details have begun to emerge about the man who had been called New Jersey's greatest arts benefactor. "It has become clear that myth and reality were always hard to separate in the life of Herbert Axelrod, whether the subject be tropical fish, charity or musical instruments... A review of lawsuits, public documents and interviews with those who were once close to Axelrod suggest he was never quite what people thought. Court papers filed in a pending lawsuit against him depict him as a liar and a womanizer who funneled cash in the form of author's payments to a woman with whom he had a years-long affair." Newark Star-Ledger 04/25/04
Elvis Is Leaving The (NYT) Building? Is movie critic Elvis Mitchell leaving the New York Times? Word is that AO Scott will take over the chief film critic role, and that Mitchell will leave. "The move downsizes the triumvirate that put Scott, Mitchell and Stephen Holden in charge of movie criticism when longstanding lead reviewer Maslin stepped down at the end of 1999." Yahoo! (AP) 04/23/04
Posted: 04/26/2004 5:02 pm
Spacey Takes On The Old Vic Kevin Spacey is a big-time Hollywood actor. So why is he running the Old Vic? "After spending an hour and a half in Spacey’s company, I emerged from the Old Vic convinced that he is a man who means business, is in it for the long haul, and could be just the chap to restore the theatre to its former glories. It’s the first time so high-profile an actor has doubled as a theatre’s director since Olivier ran the National Theatre company at the same address in the ’60s and early ’70s." The Telegraph (UK) 04/27/04
Posted: 04/26/2004 10:24 pm
Broadway Buys American "After years (some might say decades) of Broadway surrendering any cultural identity of its own to the British, the New York theatre these days couldn't be more American." The Guardian (UK) 04/25/04
Posted: 04/26/2004 10:18 pm
PuppetMaster "Ronnie Burkett is the first to see the potential absurdity in 'a grown man who spends his nights jiggling jointed dolls'. Recognising not just the theatre's but most of the western world's antipathy for puppets, he even admits: 'It's ridiculous - I wouldn't pay to see it.' None the less, his Memory Dress Trilogy has won him a reputation as one of the great theatre artists of the world." The Guardian (UK) 04/27/04
Posted: 04/26/2004 10:15 pm
Ganging Up To Refute The Da Vinci Code Some six million copies of The Da Vinci Code have been sold in the past year. Now there is a wave of books coming to refute the idea that "Christianity was founded on a cover-up — that the church has conspired for centuries to hide evidence that Jesus was a mere mortal, married Mary Magdalene and had children whose descendants live in France. More than 10 books are being released, most in April and May, with titles that promise to break, crack, unlock or decode "The Da Vinci Code." Churches are offering pamphlets and study guides for readers who may have been prompted by the novel to question their faith. Large audiences are showing up for Da Vinci Code lectures and sermons." The New York Times 04/27/04
Posted: 04/27/2004 6:33 am
Control Your Book Self-published print-on-demand books are becoming more and more popular with writers. It's all about control. "Why do all the work for a paltry 10 to 15 per cent when you can make triple that or more? Authors today like to be in control of their own destinies. The thought of a big publishing house changing their title, dressing the book or rearranging text is unacceptable." The Globe & Mail (Canada) 04/27/04
Posted: 04/27/2004 6:16 am
The Next Great Novel What determines whether a book will endure or be considered great? "It comes down to relevance, what people are looking for today and how they can apply what the author is talking about to their lives." Denver Post 04/26/04
Posted: 04/26/2004 9:59 pm
Tough Times For PBS "In recent years, PBS has suffered through the same downturn in foundation, corporate and individual giving that has hit other non-profits. It has lost longtime program sponsors -- most notably Exxon Mobil, which had underwritten ``Masterpiece Theatre,'' one of PBS's signature series, to the tune of $300 million over 35 years. At the same time, viewership has eroded on a national level." San Jose Mercury-News 04/26/04
Posted: 04/26/2004 9:32 pm
Can Arts On BBC Be Saved? A public review of the BBC reveals that viewers don't value the public broadcaster's arts programming. "Some will see these figures as further evidence of dumbing down. Public service broadcasting, they will conclude, continues to be squeezed by competitive pressures on audience share and reach, forced to abandon the cultural high ground in pursuit of endless makeover and reality TV strands, and tacky celebrity journalism such as Thursday’s Channel 5 documentary on Michael Jackson’s face. But the reality, as so often in these kinds of debates, is more complex." The Scotsman 04/27/04
Posted: 04/26/2004 9:17 pm
The Passion To See "Passion" (Or Not) "With Mel Gibson's blockbuster earning more than $355 million Sunday at the box office and energizing evangelicals and conservative Catholics across the United States, some devout Christians have found themselves facing a dilemma. They prefer not to view the film, because of its violent and gory nature or its traditionalist orientation, but feel pressure from pastors and other Christians to go. Some even say they are made to feel anti-Christian for not joining in the 'buzz' surrounding the film at their Sunday services." Chicago Tribune 04/26/04
Posted: 04/26/2004 6:48 pm
Tech And Big Entertainment Cozying Up It wasn't too long ago that entertainment companies were at war with tech companies. No more. "With growth slowing in both entertainment and technology, players on both sides started to accept an uncomfortable reality: they simply could not afford to go on fighting. The ability to deliver movies and music over the Internet in a pirate-proof format could mean big money for movie and record companies, which have long complained about the expenses of manufacturing and distributing their wares. And as Apple is proving - it now sells more iPods than Macintoshes - there are equally fat profits for those who can ease the distribution and consumption of digital entertainment. The result is what looks like a beautiful new friendship." The New York Times 04/26/04
Posted: 04/26/2004 5:07 pm
The Joyce's WTC Dance Theatre Project The Joyce Theatre in New York is proposing to build a new 900-seat theatre as a "home for dance as a cultural anchor for the World Trade Center site." New York City Opera has a competing proposal - a 2,200-seat opera house that would be used in part for dance in the off-season. The New York Times 04/27/04
Posted: 04/26/2004 8:59 pm
