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Thursday, June 17




Ideas

Risking Art On What You Believe (Not!) "Where is the artistic engagement with the huge, threatening issues that hang over us? One would have expected an intense blast of production if artists wanted to live up to the role in which they have been cast for over a century - as exponents of humane and liberal values, as revolutionaries, gadflies, the ones who see further than ordinary mortals." The Independent (UK) 06/17/04
Posted: 06/17/2004 1:03 am

Visual Arts

Is London The Center Of The Art World? The opening of two new important venues for contemporary art in London within the space of a couple of weeks not only says something about the optimism of the art market, writes Richard Dorment, but "confirms the truth of the cliché that London has, for the moment, replaced New York as the centre of the art world." The Telegraph (UK) 06/17/04
Posted: 06/17/2004 8:41 am

Five Years Later - Nazi-Looted Art Still Missing "Five years after the German government and states vowed to track down and give back cultural artifacts seized from Jews by the Nazis, only a few are back in the hands of the works' rightful owners. The reasons for the lack of success are complex. When taken together, they make recovery extremely difficult. First and foremost, nearly 60 years after the war, the survivors with firsthand knowledge are passing away." Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung 06/11/04
Posted: 06/17/2004 8:04 am

d'Orsay In Melbourne Forty-five major impressionist paintings from Paris' Musee d'Orsay have been loaned to the National Gallery in Melbourne, Australia for the summer. It's rare for the d'Orsay to loan the stars of its collection during the busy summer tourist season. "The Musee d'Orsay has put a warning on its internet site, telling people that if they want to see certain pictures they have to travel to Australia for the next three months." The Age (Melbourne) 06/17/04
Posted: 06/17/2004 7:43 am

NY Dealers Arrested On Forgery Charges "The owner and manager of a lower Manhattan art gallery were accused Tuesday of selling $7 million in forged paintings that were intricately detailed and almost indistinguishable from the originals." MSNBC (AP) 06/16/04
Posted: 06/17/2004 12:27 am

Lost Van Gogh In London A missing Van Gogh painting could be in London, researchers say. "The descendents of Belgian doctor Amadeus Cavenaile say Van Gogh painted the portrait after the doctor treated him for syphilis in 1885. His family, some of whom live in the UK, believe the painting was either brought to London or buried in a garden in Antwerp during World War I. If the painting is found, it could net the owner up to £50 million." BBC 06/17/04
Posted: 06/17/2004 12:19 am

sponsor

Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative: Discover the power of mentoring. Launched in 2002, the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative programme pairs gifted young artists with renowned artists in their fields, for a year of one-on-one mentoring. The mentors for the Second Cycle are Sir Peter Hall, David Hockney, Mario Vargas Llosa, Mira Nair, Jessye Norman and Saburo Teshigawara. The Second Year of Mentoring begins in May 2004. http://www.rolexmentorprotege.com/

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Music

Philly Orchestra Extends Eschenbach Contract, Players Respond Unhappily The Philadelphia Orchestra announces an extension to music director Christophe Eschenbach's contract through Aug. 31, 2008. "Players of the orchestra responded yesterday with a letter to orchestra chairman Richard L. Smoot stating that they were 'deeply disappointed and disturbed to receive your announcement... that you had unilaterally determined to bypass the full Board of Directors and had failed to solicit the expertise of Orchestra members in making a decision that will impact the artistic integrity of the Philadelphia Orchestra for years to come'." Philadelphia Inquirer 06/17/04
Posted: 06/17/2004 8:49 am

Sony/BMG Merger Would Make No. 1 Company If a merger of music giants Sony and BMG goes ahead, the combined company will lead the music industry in market share. "Sony BMG would control 25.1% of the global record market - based on 2003 sales data - if they merged their record labels. That would put the joint venture in front of Universal Music, which saw its global share slip from 25.4% to 23.5%, according to figures from trade body the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry." The Guardian (UK) 06/17/04
Posted: 06/17/2004 8:19 am

Scottish Opera: Architect Of Doom So who was reposible for the "doomsday scenario" recommendation to disband Scottish Opera? It was former Scottish Arts Council chairman James Boyle. "Mr Boyle, in an interview with The Scotsman earlier this week, had attributed the decision-making on Scottish Opera to civil servants who work as officers for the Scottish Arts Council." The Scotsman 06/17/04
Posted: 06/17/2004 12:11 am

NJ Arts Philanthropist Arrested In Germany On Tax Fraud Herbert Axelrod, the disgraced New Jersey philanthropist who sold the New Jersey Symphony a raft of rare Stradivarius violins and then "fled the country ahead of a federal tax fraud indictment two months ago, has been arrested in Germany on a U.S. fugitive warrant, authorities said yesterday." Newark Star-Ledger 06/17/04
Posted: 06/16/2004 11:46 pm

Public Steps Up To Support Scottish Opera Public nsupport for Scottish Opera is rolling in. "Regular opera-goers will not be surprised by the support Scottish Opera has received from the public, because regular opera-goers have always been aware of the widespread appeal of opera. It is only those who don’t care for the art form, or have failed to grasp the affection in which a proud national institution is held, who may be a little stunned." The Scotsman 06/17/04
Posted: 06/16/2004 10:39 pm

Arts Issues

Adding Up The Bad News For Miami Performing Arts Center "The long-awaited, much-troubled Miami-Dade Performing Arts Center will cost about $411 million -- $67 million more than originally planned. And the higher price tag leaves unfunded $27.4 million in phones, security systems, furniture and preopening operating costs. The center also will be 20 months late, with completion set for May 2006." Miami Herald 06/17/04
Posted: 06/17/2004 8:45 am

Debate Begins On New NEA Budget Debate on a new budget for the National Endowment for the Arts is beginning in the US House of Representatives. Initial consideration will be on a bill to keep NEA funding at the same level as this year. Backstage 06/16/04
Posted: 06/17/2004 12:51 am

Canadian Artists: Where's Our Culture Policy? Canadian artists are increasingly perturbed that the country's political parties aren't articulating any serious positions on culture in the current national election. "A constellation of Canadian stars came out Wednesday to warn that the country faces cultural integration with the United States and that the nation's political leaders are not being clear enough during the current election campaign on where they stand on the issues." Canadaeast.com 06/16/04
Posted: 06/16/2004 10:51 pm

People

Dr. Dylan (Now If Only He Could Learn To Sing) Scotland's oldest university is awarding Bob Dylan an honorary doctorate. "The University of St Andrews will make Dylan a doctor of music next Wednesday. Dylan has only ever accepted one other honorary degree - from Princeton University in 1970." The Guardian (UK) 06/17/04
Posted: 06/17/2004 8:23 am

Levine Cancels Concerts For Health Reasons James Levine has canceled a series of concerts in Europe because of a bad back. "Boston Symphony Orchestra management learned of the latest development in Levine's much-discussed health problems through an article in a German newspaper." Boston Globe 06/17/04
Posted: 06/17/2004 7:53 am

Theatre

West End Blues (Chapter XXX) Six London plays have closed less than a month after opening this season. Two 'blockbuster' musicals are also about to "expire." All of which has West End producers fretting about the state of their business. The Observer (UK) 06/13/04
Posted: 06/17/2004 8:29 am

Call: A Theatre In Every Town "In 1988, Nigeria published a well-articulated Cultural Policy which promises to mobilise and motivate the people by disseminating and propagating ideas which promote national pride, solidarity and consciousness." And how best to do that? Theatre. "One of the important steps is to build an average size theatre auditorium in every local government area. A 2000-seater auditorium in every local government area, will give great social service to this nation, especially because it is situated in the metropolis of Lagos, the city that inhabits people from every part of the country." AllAfrica.com
Posted: 06/17/2004 8:09 am

Actors Authorize Strike Members of the Actors' Equity union have voted 98 percent to authorize a strike if negotiations on a new contract are stalled. Backstage 06/16/04
Posted: 06/17/2004 12:57 am

Publishing

Singer Celebration (And A Little Dissent) July marks the 100th anniversary of Isaac Bashevis Singer's birth. The novelist and short-story writer was the only Yiddish author to win a Nobel Prize in Literature (in 1978). "Throughout the summer and fall, media and cultural centers all over the country will devote time and energy to celebrating Singer, one of the most famous Jewish writers of all time." But not everyone is applauding... The New York Times 06/17/04
Posted: 06/17/2004 7:33 am

Newt Gingrich, Super-Reviewer Former Speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich has been "leading a secret life. Night after night for years he's been slipping out of the headquarters of the vast right-wing conspiracy, wolfing down spy novels and then reviewing them for Amazon.com. So prolific and proficient has he been at this pursuit that he has attained the coveted title Amazon Top 500 Reviewer. Newt is number 488." Weekly Standard 06/17/04
Posted: 06/17/2004 7:15 am

Understanding Ulysses (Sort Of) The Ulysses anniversary brings up some conflicted feelings about the James book, often considered the greatest book ever written. "There are still those in Dublin who neither like nor understand James Joyce. And there are others who are offended by the way a city which once rejected Joyce now uses him and his work to attract tourist dollars." NPR 06/16/04
Posted: 06/16/2004 11:49 pm

Media

Tavis Smiley On The NPR Audience: "It's the whitest radio audience in the world; it is the most educated audience in the world; and they make more money than everybody else. . . . I have found that when you talk to people who are white, make money, and are educated, you don't tell them, `I'm here to educate you.' What we do attempt to do is enlighten them." Boston Globe 06/17/04
Posted: 06/17/2004 7:50 am


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