That Sound? It's All In Your Head "A wristwatch phone that lets you listen by sticking a finger in your ear, an MP3 player that vibrates the bones in your skull to play music that only you can hear -- these are some of the products being developed using a technology called bone conduction that sends sound waves through the bones around the ear." Wired 09/16/04
Posted: 09/16/2004 7:36 am
Click here for more Ideas stories...
Art Of Stamps In A Digital World So famous your face is on a US postal stamp? Fames just got a whole lot cheaper. A new service lets you take a snapshot with a digital camera and send it by computer to a website. "Within five to seven business days, usually sooner, the stamps arrive... in the mail. But you can't take an action shot of your favorite Eagle, or an unflattering photo of your pesky next-door neighbor. No celebs, no politicians, no nudity." Philadelphia Inquirer 09/16/04
Posted: 09/16/2004 7:09 am
Who Owns The Philadelphia Vermeer? Who owns the rare Vermeer that's been hanging at the Philadelphia Museum of Art for the past month? "The painting was lent to the museum anonymously after changing hands at a London auction early in July. A Young Woman Seated at the Virginals (an early harpsichord) was the first Vermeer to be offered at auction since 1921." And the speculation on who owns it is... Philadelphia Inquirer 09/16/04
Posted: 09/16/2004 7:05 am
The Smithsonian's Ocean Of Expansion The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History is to undergo the biggest renovation in its history. "Ocean Hall will cost $60 million and cover 28,000 square feet -- 3,000 more than the successful makeover of the Hall of Mammals last year. It will bring together for the first time all 50 of the museum's marine scientists and government specialists in what's being called the Smithsonian Ocean Science Initiative." Washington Post 09/16/04
Posted: 09/15/2004 10:06 pm
There's Art In Them Thar Schools There's art in Philadelphia public schools - as much as $30 million worth of art. "The school district had commissioned a survey of school buildings over the past year to see what art existed. It expected to find a few interesting pieces in odd places, but nothing like this. There may be as many as 100 museum-quality pieces in the Philadelphia schools' collection." Washington Post 09/16/04
Posted: 09/15/2004 10:03 pm
Lazy-Eyed Rembrandt? The New England Journal of Medicine is publishing a scientist's observation that Rembrandt might have suffered from a vision disorder known as "lazy eye." "Consequently, Rembrandt probably had little depth perception, which might have actually been an asset, since artists have to depict a three-dimensional world on a flat canvas." MSNBC (AP) 09/15/04
Posted: 09/15/2004 6:16 pm
Shakespeare Portrait On View To celebrate its 150th birthday, London's National Portrait Gallery is planning to display a controversial portrait said to be of William Shakespeare. "The so-called Chandos portrait, which has been the subject of fierce debate over whether it really does feature Shakespeare, is set to be joined by other controversial portraits of the writer whose life is little documented." The Independent 09/16/04
Posted: 09/15/2004 6:11 pm
20,000 American Indians To March For Museum Some 20,000 American Indians are expected to march in Washington DC next week to celebrate the openin of the National Museum of the American Indian. The museum is "the first national museum in the United States to be dedicated exclusively to Native Americans and the first to present all exhibitions from a native viewpoint. The procession, which culminates in the opening ceremony, will begin with a tropical flourish, as Hawaiian conch-shell blowers signal the start from the balcony of the Smithsonian Castle." National Geographic 09/15/04
Posted: 09/15/2004 5:57 pm
Click here for more Visual Arts stories...
Atlanta Symphony's Gains The Atlanta Symphony closed out its fiscal year with some progress: "A balanced $28 million budget. Increased ticket sales. A 23 percent rise in annual-fund contributions. An 18-month wage freeze for musicians and staff." Atlanta Journal-Constitution 09/16/04
Posted: 09/16/2004 8:23 am
Philadelphia Orchestra, Musicians Far Apart On Contract The Philadelphia orchestra and its musicians appear to be very far apart in their negotiations for a new contract. Under the orchestra's latest proposal, "Philadelphia players would not achieve their goal of keeping pace with colleagues in the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Philadelphia players are making a minimum of $105,040 in the contract about to end, while the Boston musicians' minimum salary will reach $108,160 in the season about to start, and $112,840 in 2005-06." Philadelphia Inquirer 09/16/04
Posted: 09/16/2004 8:14 am
Renegotiating The (Major) Orchestra Contract "It is contract negotiation time at some of the nation's most important orchestras, when the world's most exquisitely trained musicians go into hard-hat mode and artistic administrations act like cost-cutting bosses. But this year is unlike any other. In an extraordinary alignment of the stars, four of the so-called Big Five orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, coincidentally have multiyear contracts expiring now, precisely at a moment of serious economic hardship." The New York Times 09/16/04
Posted: 09/15/2004 6:19 pm
Click here for more Music stories...
Australian Political Party Pledges Major New Arts Funding There's a national election campaign going on in Australia. And what would the official opposition party do for the arts? "Opposition pledged to "ease the squeeze" on the ABC and turn around the decline in film and television production with $175 million in new arts funding. The ABC would get $105 million over four years, while the film industry would get an immediate $70 million injection, followed by a wide-ranging review into structural reform and private investment incentives." Sydney Morning Herald 09/15/04
Posted: 09/15/2004 10:40 pm
Arts Mean Money For Scotland Scotland is locked in a debate about cultural funding, as high profile arts institutions say they are underfunded. Now a new study that measures the economic impact of the arts: "Every job in the arts community supports nearly another whole job elsewhere in the economy, the study by the Scottish Economic Policy Network revealed. It also shows that more than 4000 jobs are sustained by the annual funding provided by the Scottish Arts Council and in total the arts community supports £72.5m worth of income." Glasgow Herald 09/15/04
Posted: 09/15/2004 10:34 pm
US Artists Vs George Bush It's not too surprising that many artists are more politically liberal than conservative. What is unusual this election year, though, is that so many artists are actively making their political views known and are working to defeat George Bush... The Independent (UK) 09/16/04
Posted: 09/15/2004 6:04 pm
Click here for more Arts Issues stories...
This Year's Kennedy Center Honorees They are: Elton John, soprano Dame Joan Sutherland, composer John Williams, and actors and producers Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, who have been married for 56 years, and actor, director and producer Warren Beatty. The awards will be presented December 4. Washington Post 09/16/04
Posted: 09/16/2004 7:32 am
Click here for more People stories...
Artistically Yours At The New RSC Yes, the Royal Shakespeare Company has revived its fortunes in the space of a season. But the best things about the revived RSC under new director Michael Boyd, are artistic. "The best thing about his plan is its intellectual coherence. He took over a company which was fitfully brilliant, but which lacked purpose. While this year's season of Shakespeare's tragedies and Spanish Golden Age drama has been artistically diverse, it has given the company an identifiable style, conspicuous for its narrative and linguistic clarity." The Guardian (UK) 09/15/04
Posted: 09/16/2004 6:51 am
- Previously: The RSC's Fine New Life The turnaround of the Royal Shakespeare Company in the past year has been amazing. Artistic director Michael Boyd was visibly jubilant at the company's most successful Stratford season in 10 years, the slashing of the crippling deficit he inherited - and above all confounding the advisers who warned him Middle England would stay away from his current season of 17th century Spanish plays: "I'm glad my optimism about human nature has been rewarded." The Guardian (UK) 09/15/04
Preview: Open Before It's Official The theatre preview is an odd beast. "Like so much, good and bad, in British culture, the preview is essentially an American import. The American theatre economy can sustain this lengthy period of what is effectively public rehearsal because it has a huge subscriber base. But why on earth should audiences be asked to watch something which in some sense is not deemed ready for public consumption? At best, they run the risk of being short-changed, especially if preview tickets are charged at the same price as those after the official opening." The Telegraph (UK) 09/16/04
Posted: 09/15/2004 10:17 pm
Blame Game At The Abbey Dublin's Abbey Theatre is hurting: "For its 100th birthday the Abbey announced a sprawling yearlong program of plays by unfurling an enormous banner that spans the width of its facade - almost a whole city block - asking the public, "What will you see?" Judging by the affairs that now threaten to obscure the theater's centenary, the answer has clearly been "not much." Much of the blame for the Abbey's malaise has been laid at the foot of its artistic director, Ben Barnes, who designed the centenary program and has been criticized for an aloof and distant management style. He has made public his desire to leave the theater and move to Canada when his contract expires in December next year." The New York Times 09/16/04
Posted: 09/15/2004 10:00 pm
Click here for more Theatre stories...
Canada's Largest Bookstore Chain Wants To Rely Less On Books Indigo Books, Canada's largest bookstore owner, says its diversifying its store offerings, de-emphasizing books. "We imagine over the next three or four years that books, which are now 80 or 85 per cent of our offering, will evolve to be approximately 60 per cent of our offering, although the selection will still be as meaningful." Canada.com 09/15/04
Posted: 09/15/2004 10:25 pm
Click here for more Publishing stories...
UK Might Speed Up Digital Switch-over "The UK government wants to switch the country to digital television to free up broadcast frequencies and to encourage technology that allows for more channels and a clearer signal." To that end, it has mandated "switching off" analog signals completely by 2012. "Ultimately, the change could affect between 80 and 90 million television sets. Currently, about half the households in the UK have digital television through either cable, satellite, or the free-to-air service Freeview." BBC 09/15/04
Posted: 09/15/2004 6:27 pm
It's State Vs State For Movies American states are battling one another trying to lure entertainment projects. "In recent years, as more state legislatures have enacted tax incentives designed to encourage film, television, and commercial production in their states, the battle between bordering states has intensified." Back Stage 09/15/04
Posted: 09/15/2004 6:22 pm
Click here for more Media stories...
Canada's National Ballet Sees Red Artistically, the National Ballet of Canada had a great year. Financially... the company finished $790,000 in the red... CBC 09/15/04
Posted: 09/15/2004 6:07 pm
Click here for more Dance stories...
