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Thursday, July 29




Visual Arts

Madison PAC Fully Funded (By One Donor) Wisconsin philanthropist Jerry Frautschi is even more popular in Madison's arts community today than he was previously. Back in the late 1990s, Frautschi agreed to pay the entire cost of designing and building a new performing arts center in the capital city. But no one was sure of exactly how much that cost was, until this week, when the Overture Center announced that Frautschi's gift would total more than $200 million, more than double previous press estimates. Frautschi agreed to pay for the center because he believes that such projects should not be built with public money. Wisconsin State Journal (Madison) 07/28/04
Posted: 07/29/2004 5:21 am

V&A: Death Spiral It looks increasingly as though Daniel Libeskind's Spiral addition to the Victoria & Albert Museum won't get built after all. "In theory its striking tumbling-boxes look is not the issue. But from the moment the Spiral was chosen over seven competing designs in 1996, it has stirred passionate debate here, dividing traditionalists from those eager to see London embrace avant-garde architecture. And inevitably this controversy has shadowed the museum's arduous search for financing." The New York Times 07/29/04
Posted: 07/28/2004 11:25 pm

Should The Bamiyans Be Rebuilt? Should the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan be rebuilt? They were destroyed two years ago by the Taliban. "The statues looked solid but they were fashioned out of the cliff here because the sandstone is soft. Now the remains are mostly sand. The idea of rebuilding seems laughable. But these piles are the cause of one of the most passionate debates in archaeology." The Independent (UK) 07/27/04
Posted: 07/28/2004 10:18 pm

Department Of Defacement: Disney Hall's New Sign Why does Disney Hall need a giant Claes Oldenburg/Coosje van Bruggen tie-and-collar on the sidewalk out front? Christopher Knight writes that "on a digitally fabricated picture of the sculpture on-site, it works like the giant Carpeteria genie or Michelin Man outside a rug shop or tire store — sculpture that functions as a sign. In less than a year, Disney Hall has become perhaps the most famous building in Los Angeles, which means one of the most famous in the nation. You wouldn't think it needs a sign." Los Angeles Times 07/28/04
Posted: 07/28/2004 9:58 am

Buildings Of Commitment Milwaukee is in love with its new Calatrava-designed Milwaukee Art Museum. But it's clear now that if the museum is going to be able to keep up its new treasure, there's going to have to be a new level of commitment to doing it. "The difference between simply owning an icon of international architecture and paying for maintenance on a complex, innovative, precedent-smashing structure isn't always understood." Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel 07/28/04
Posted: 07/28/2004 9:22 am

Music

They Don't Teach Elvish at Juilliard This weekend, the Pittsburgh Symphony and its resident chorus will put on a special performance of a symphony based on the Lord of the Rings film scores by Howard Shore. The show is sure to draw a crowd, but has presented some interesting challenges for the choral director, who has never before had to instruct his singers in proper Elvish and Dwarvish diction... Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 07/29/04
Posted: 07/29/2004 7:00 am

Rock On Why do so many adults give up their devotion to great rock music once they reach a certain age? Maybe its the sense of grown-up responsibility that somehow seems at odds with the devil-may-care ethos of rock, but Jim Walsh can't imagine living without his favorite bands. "I suppose [it's] an unsettling energy to tap into all the time, which may be why some people ultimately minimize the importance of music. The act of going to see a great live band and waking up the next morning to take on work or family can be energizing, but also schizophrenic and jarring--so much so that some stop tapping into it altogether, or relegate it to a bygone heyday." City Pages (Minneapolis/St. Paul) 07/28/04
Posted: 07/29/2004 6:22 am

Struggling Philly Gets Another 7-Figure Grant "The Philadelphia Orchestra has landed yet another seven-figure gift. This time the largesse comes from the William Penn Foundation, which has pledged $2 million over three years. The grant was awarded for general operating support, some of the hardest money for non-profits to find these days, and is meant to assist the orchestra until its endowment grows to the point that it is generating substantial interest every year." The gift comes in the midst of increasingly contentious negotiations between the orchestra's management and musicians over a management demand either to cut musician salaries by 10%, or eliminate 10 musicians from the orchestra's full complement. Philadelphia Inquirer 07/26/04
Posted: 07/29/2004 5:47 am

Back In The Fold San Antonio's Kronkosky Foundation withdrew its support for the San Antonio Symphony a year ago, saying it had no confidence that the organization was capable of operating responsibly. Now, as the SAS prepares to return to the stage after a dark year, the foundation is returning as well, offering up a $250,000 grant with tough financial triggers. "Beginning in August, the folks at Kronkosky want the symphony to meet specific monthly revenue targets through ticket sales, sponsorships and fund raising" in exchange for the money. The hope is that the Kronkosky grant will be a sign to other funders that the orchestra is worthy of their attention. San Antonio Express-News 07/27/04
Posted: 07/29/2004 5:39 am

Another Orchestra Looking To Change Red Ink To Black As the Cincinnati Symphony begins negotiations for a new contract with its musicians this summer, nearly every part of the ensemble's budget is facing possible cuts. The orchestra ran a $411,000 deficit last year, and would have faced a $1.8 mil shortfall this year, but for a last-minute donation. Among the options being considered to close the gap are the elimination of a popular holiday series, a move to online publication for some informational materials, and the possible cancellation of a street music festival that the CSO had sponsored. It's a fair bet that the orchestra management is seeking concessions from the musicians at the bargaining table, as well. Cincinnati Enquirer 07/22/04
Posted: 07/29/2004 5:30 am

Why Doesn't Elgar Travel? "Why has Elgar failed to find favor outside England? Is his music really 'untranslatable'? Or might the problem instead be extra-musical? Even inside England, after all, there has always been a small but vocal cadre that has objected to Elgar’s music for reasons that have little to do with its merits." Commentary 07/04
Posted: 07/28/2004 10:23 pm

Arts Issues

Woody Would Probably Have Approved, But That's Just Tough If you haven't seen the Kerry/Bush "This Land is Your Land" parody yet, go ask a co-worker to show it to you. The online animated creation features the two presidential candidates in S&M gear and dunce caps, singing alternate lyrics to Woody Guthrie's famous tune. The trouble is, someone owns that tune, and apparently, that someone doesn't have Guthrie's devotion to free expression. "About a week ago, the [creators of the parody] were served with a cease-and-desist order on behalf of Ludlow Music, demanding they remove This Land from their website." Wired 07/29/04
Posted: 07/29/2004 6:09 am

NJ Arts Cash In On Hotel-Motel Taxes "New Jersey, whose Legislature approved the creation of a hotel-motel occupancy tax last year to provide a dedicated stream of arts funding for the cash-strapped state, will have over $22 million available to give to not-for-profit arts groups during the next fiscal year, a $6 million jump over the current fiscal year." Backstage 07/28/04
Posted: 07/28/2004 10:12 pm

Syracuse Gets In To Arts Journalism Syracuse University launches America's first arts journalism degree program. "Graduates of the one-year, 36-credit program will receive a master's degree in arts journalism from SU's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications in one of five concentrations: architecture, film, fine arts, music and theater." Syracuse Post-Standard 07/27/04
Posted: 07/28/2004 11:26 am

Miami Commissioners Approve Plan To Finish Performing Arts Center They're incredibly grumpy about it (and who wouldn't be?) but "scolding and grumbling about the past and expressing doubt about the future," Miami-Dade commissioners voted to approve a plan to finish the Miami-Dade Performing Arts Center -- 20 months late and $67.7 million over budget. Said one commissioner: "I feel like an abused wife who isn't leaving a relationship even though she still may be abused in the future." Miami Herald 07/28/04
Posted: 07/28/2004 9:17 am

  • Previously: Miami PAC - Off The Rails (The Saga Continues) "Fighting to finish construction on Miami's Performing Arts Center, only half-built, 20 months late and $67.7 million over budget, Miami-Dade County will seek county commission approval to hire a new project management firm at up to $150 an hour for five of its executives and more than $100 an hour for five more -- for $2.3 million by year's end." Miami Herald 07/27/04

People

Bob Edwards vs. Morning Edition When NPR unceremoniously dumped Morning Edition host Bob Edwards a few months back, the network's execs said that they wanted to take the program in a new direction, and were confident that listener animosity towards the decision would blow over. Now they'll have a chance to test that theory: Edwards has signed on as the new morning host for XM Satellite Radio, with a time slot that will have him going up directly against his old show in most markets. Washington Post 07/29/04
Posted: 07/29/2004 6:38 am

Theatre

Philly Theater Gets A Cash Infusion "The Philadelphia Theatre Initiative, an annual program funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts, has awarded $530,000 in grants to 12 Philadelphia-area theaters and three theater artists... The largest sums, $80,000, will go to three major Philadelphia theaters: the Arden Theatre Company, the Philadelphia Theatre Company, and the Wilma Theater." Philadelphia Inquirer 07/29/04
Posted: 07/29/2004 6:58 am

Saving Scotland's Oldest Theatre Theatre Royal in Dumfries, Scotland is 212 years old, but badly in need of repair.
"The theatre was built in 1792, and is considered the oldest extant theatre in the country. But the cost of repairs and modernisation, and the demands of safety and disability laws, were threatening to close it down." Now the government is stepping in with money to save the day.
The S 07/29/04
Posted: 07/28/2004 11:42 pm

Edinburgh Fringe Takes On Politics "On the subject of conflict between the West and the Arab world - in all its forms, from the war in Iraq, through the growing nightmare in the Middle East, to its impact on this autumn’s American presidential election - passions are running so high that the theme seems to pervade the Fringe programme like a leitmotif." The Scotsman 07/29/04
Posted: 07/28/2004 11:39 pm

Harlem Apollo Deal Under Strutiny "A new deal to help renovate Harlem's Apollo Theater has come under scrutiny from federal development officials, who are concerned the financing may violate the rules of $4 million in government grants the famous venue has already received." Yahoo! (AP) 07/28/04
Posted: 07/28/2004 8:06 pm

Publishing

It's Not Wickthistle, It's Just A Plant! Why is it that characters in modern literature always seem to have an extensive knowledge of plants, shrubs, and trees? A girl can't turn around in a book these days without gazing upon some collection of milkweed, sopwort, and bladder campion, but honestly, who knows the names of these greenish things in the real world? Russell Smith is a bit jealous of the breadth of such characters' knowledge, but he's also more than a bit suspicious of the literary license being taken. "It just doesn't make sense, unless she is a botanist or a farmer. I still think it's just showing off." The Globe & Mail (Canada) 07/29/04
Posted: 07/29/2004 6:43 am

Publishers Cancel Khouri Book "The U.S. and Australian publishers of a best seller in at least 15 countries about a Jordanian honor killing have canceled the book, questioning the story's authenticity. Norma Khouri's Forbidden Love had been the subject of an extensive newspaper investigation." Rocky Mountain News (AP) 07/28/04
Posted: 07/28/2004 10:09 am

  • Previously: Is Khouri's Story A Fake? Norma Khouri's frightening story of fleeing her Middle Eastern homeland in fear for her life became a worldwide bestseller. But now she is being attacked and her story branded a fake. "Far from being a Jordanian who fled her home in the late 1990s after the "honour" killing of her best friend, Khouri is accused of being an American passport-holder who lived in Chicago from the age of three." The Guardian (UK) 07/26/04

Media

Toronto Film Fest Up, Montreal In Trouble A study commissioned to review Canada's four largest film festivals offered up some sharp criticism to Montreal's sagging offering. "The report, which surveyed film professionals from around the world, is a preliminary step as Telefilm and SODEC review their festival funding priorities. It could lead to Montreal getting a smaller portion of the millions of dollars in government grants given each year to film festivals. The study also praised festivals in Vancouver and Atlantic Canada, which rank third and fourth after Toronto and Montreal and which also continue to grow. The most significant findings highlighted the rise of Toronto and the decline of Montreal." Toronto Star 07/29/04
Posted: 07/29/2004 6:48 am

FCC Prepares To Weigh In On Viewer Choice The FCC takes a break from slapping down broadcast obscenity this week to weigh in on an increasingly important issue within the TV industry: whether consumers should have the right to select the cable channels they wish to pay for a la carte, or whether cable companies have the right to offer packages (as they do now) with dozens of channels grouped together. "The report won't include any specific recommendations, but its tone -- especially on whether a la carte could result in huge price hikes -- could influence whether forces in Congress continue to pursue the issue." Wired 07/29/04
Posted: 07/29/2004 6:16 am

A (Spike) Lee Grows In Brooklyn Spike Lee is calle by some the black Woody Allen. He doesn't like the comparison. And, he still has difficulty getting funding for projects. "Why is it so hard? For me, I'll give you three reasons. One is I've never had a blockbuster. No. 2, I don't necessarily do standard Hollywood films. And No. 3, when studios do decide to do films that are geared toward an African-American audience, their vision of who African-Americans are is different from mine — a lot of times it's in direct conflict with how I see African-Americans." The New York Times 07/29/04
Posted: 07/28/2004 11:34 pm

Dance

Nissinen Gets An Extension It's been some time since Boston Ballet had a successful artistic director, but Mikko Nissinen is apparently fitting in nicely in the Hub. There have been some definite crises in his two years at the helm, but by and large, Nissinen has earned rave reviews from critics and the Boston arts community. This month, the company rewarded him with a new 5-year contract. Boston Globe 07/29/04
Posted: 07/29/2004 6:26 am

Russian Choreographer Missing For Over A Month "Concern is growing in the Russian ballet world over the fate of leading choreographer Dmitry Bryantsev, a month after his mysterious disappearance. Police in the Czech Republic have begun a search for Mr Bryantsev, last seen on 28 June on a private visit to Prague. [They] discovered his luggage and mobile phone, switched off, in his hotel room in Prague. So far they have only established that he never left the country." BBC 07/29/04
Posted: 07/29/2004 6:06 am

The Bolshoi's Bellyflop The Bolshoi fell off its shoes in London this week. "One began to regard the dancers with the sort of pity onlookers must have felt at the Charge of the Light Brigade, though this affair was certainly not magnificent. Now, we all cherish the concept of an artistic right to fail. But it sometimes seems astonishing how, in the development of a piece which costs a vast amount of money to stage, nobody at any point takes a look from the empty stalls and cries out: 'Hang on, this is a disaster'!" The Guardian (UK) 07/29/04
Posted: 07/28/2004 10:45 pm

The Bolshoi's Failed Promise Much was made of the Bolshoi's current visit to London - how the company has been rebuilt, and how artistically things haven't been this good in years. Sad to report, but the new production of Romeo and Juliet is a stinker. "A lack of directorial and choreographic inventiveness allowed the piece to sink like a stone." The Guardian (UK) 07/18/04
Posted: 07/28/2004 10:37 pm


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