Toronto Art Fair Gains Steam The Toronto International Art Fair may not measure up to the top art bazaars of Europe, but the event has become the place to see and be seen for movers and shakers in the Canadian art world. "At capacity this year with 83 dealers from near and far, the fair appears to be cresting the summit of a long, slow climb, from an inaugural year of relative obscurity to its current status as perhaps the essential event of the year." Toronto Star 10/01/04
Posted: 10/01/2004 6:34 am
Barnes Case Wraps Up "The court hearing into whether the Barnes Foundation can move its one-of-a-kind art collection from its home in Merion to a new museum on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway concluded yesterday just as it began: with two starkly differing visions of the gallery's future... The decision now rests with Montgomery County Orphans' Court Judge Stanley Ott, who is not expected to rule for at least a month." Philadelphia Inquirer 10/01/04
Posted: 10/01/2004 5:41 am
- Barnes Offered $100,000 To Stay Put A foundation based in suburban Philadelphia has offered a $100,000 contribution to the Barnes Foundation, conditional on the organization dropping its attempt to move to the city. The move will be seen as a largely sentimental move, since three major foundations have offered to raise $150 million if the Barnes goes ahead with its move. Philadelphia Inquirer 09/30/04
Posted: 10/01/2004 5:04 am
Saatchi Goes Mainstream? Don't Bet On It. Charles Saatchi's infamous collection of controversial work by the so-called Young British Artists is headed for storage, and won't be back on view at the collector's London gallery until 2006. In their place, a "new show is devoted to the work of five painters, Peter Doig, Luc Tuymans, Marlene Dumas, Jörg Immendorf, and Martin Kippenberger, described by Charles Saatchi as 'key European artists'... Yet those who believe Mr Saatchi has lost his appetite for shrewd investment in the work of unknown artists should think again." The Art Newspaper 10/01/04
Posted: 09/30/2004 10:15 pm
Libeskind Blasts Childs Over WTC Squabbles Daniel Libeskind's new book about his experience designing the tower that is to rise on the Ground Zero site in lower Manhattan is at turns catty and sincere, and takes direct aim at architect David Childs, with whom Libeskind was compelled to pair on the project. "He portrays Mr Childs as patronising and overbearing, and intent on eliminating as much of Mr Libeskind's vision as possible from the eventual design... for the majority of the time during their weekly meetings, Mr Childs would 'chatter on about where he'd just been or would lecture me on architecture'." The Guardian (UK) 10/01/04
Posted: 09/30/2004 9:37 pm
It's Still Cheaper Than A Yankee Game How big a risk is New York's Museum of Modern Art really taking by hiking its admission price to $20? Well, if it's local competition that matters, the Empire State Building only charges $11, but seeing Scary Spice on Broadway will run you $90. MoMA is also counting its new "coffee shops, movies, and relaxation areas" to make it an all-day destination, but some observers point out that museum attendance has plateaued in recent years. The real answer? No one has any idea whether the price hike will make any difference at all to MoMA's attendance. The Guardian (UK) 09/28/04
Posted: 09/30/2004 9:32 pm
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The Oundjian Era Begins In Toronto Ever since Peter Oundjian was appointed music director of the Toronto Symphony, questions have abounded about whether the hometown kid and relative newcomer to conducting really has enough game to lead one of North America's top ensembles. Oundjian clearly isn't lacking in confidence, however, and his first programs with the TSO featured Beethoven's 7th and Mahler's 1st, two of the most well-worn staples of the romantic era. The result, according to William Littler, was not unimpressive, but "bravery is not a synonym for wisdom," and Toronto may need to have some patience with its still-developing conductor. Toronto Star 10/01/04
Posted: 10/01/2004 6:29 am
Taking The Direct Route Orchestras everywhere love to talk about their commitment to music education. But the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has taken the unusual step of adopting a specific school where the music program was in danger. Last year, Wilkinsburg High School didn't even have enough instruments for the kids who had signed up for band. Then the PSO, which already had a relationship with the school, showed up and played a benefit concert, raising $17,000 for the music program. The orchestra is repeating the benefit this year, with the aim of solidifying music as a core component of the school's curriculum. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 10/01/04
Posted: 10/01/2004 5:01 am
Minnesota Orch To 'Play And Talk' The Minnesota Orchestra has become the latest major ensemble to extend its current musicians' contract so that negotiations may continue without a work stoppage. The contract was set to expire on October 1. In stark contrast to the acrimonious tone surrounding some other negotiations, the orchestra's president characterized the talks as "warm" and "collegial," and the musicians have agreed to "play and talk" indefinitely, rather than setting a new end date for the current contract. [Disclosure notice: ArtsJournal's assistant editor is a musician with the Minnesota Orchestra.] Minneapolis Star Tribune 10/01/04
Posted: 09/30/2004 9:39 pm
Back In Black "The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra has undergone a remarkable turnaround from its recent financial troubles, as its board announced this week a balanced budget and an operating surplus following the 2003-2004 season. Last year, at the end of the 2002-2003 season, the symphony had a debt of more than $3 million. It has now retired that debt and recorded an operating surplus of $111,538... The symphony board also announced a commitment to restoring lost income to its staff and musicians, who took a pay cut last year to help the company regain its financial footing." CBC 09/30/04
Posted: 09/30/2004 9:11 pm
Sacramento Symphony Bounces Checks To Musicians The newly formed Sacramento Symphony played its season premiere this past weekend, and issued paychecks to its musicians. Monday morning, the checks bounced. "Although the checks cleared on Wednesday, the situation raised questions about the financial position of the symphony and its parent organization, the Metropolitan Music Center." The MMC is reportedly operating in the red, and still owes money to a Los Angeles-based chamber orchestra from a concert in 2001. Still, the orchestra is insisting that the rubber checks were merely a banking error. Sacramento Bee 09/30/04
Posted: 09/30/2004 8:53 pm
How About Proving That Celine Dion Causes Nausea? The Ig-Nobel Prizes were handed out this week, and the top prize went to a researcher from Auburn University in Alabama, for a groundbreaking study which proved that suicide rates among white men are demonstrably higher in areas saturated by country music. The Independent (UK) 10/01/04
Posted: 09/30/2004 8:47 pm
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Is Political Correctness Smothering Art? As the phenomenon known either as "contextualization" or "historical revisionism" (depending on your point of view) continues to remake our view of art, a new book suggests that political correctness has turned much of art history into a collection of palatable lies. In the author's view, "the history of Western art—art spanning continents and centuries—is being systematically turned on its head and rendered unrecognizable to anyone who approaches such matters from within the boundaries of normal human understanding." In other words, the intellectuals are just ruining art for all the normal people. Commentary 10/04
Posted: 10/01/2004 7:03 am
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(Re)Discovering Robbins Six years after his death, Jerome Robbins remains a towering figure in the dance world, and yet, most of what we know of the Robbins legacy is based solely on his work as a dancer and choreographer. Of his private life, relatively little has been written. But two new authorized biographies shed a great deal of light on the man, albeit from very different perspectives. Commentary 10/04
Posted: 10/01/2004 6:58 am
Classical Music's New Ambassador If she wanted to, Rachel Barton Pine could be the very definition of a struggling musician. Raised in a tough Chicago neighborhood, she became her family's primary income-earner at 14, while striving towards her dream of becoming a professional musician. At age 20, her violin strap caught in the closing doors of a subway train, and she was dragged under, where her legs were crushed. Nearly a decade later, Barton Pine isn't looking for pity: instead, she's dedicated her life and career to spreading classical music to audiences that don't ordinarily give a rip. To get people interested, she'll happily whip out a few heavy metal tunes on her Strad, before launching into Paganini. Miami Herald (AP) 09/30/04
Posted: 10/01/2004 5:56 am
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Applause Founder Departs Applause Theatre and Cinema Books has filled a unique niche in the publishing world for two decades, boasting a catalog of 400 titles and releasing an average of 20 new books per year. For its entire existence, Applause has been under the care of one man - Glenn Young - for whom the business was always more about love of theatre than making a profit. But it's tough staying afloat in today's publishing world, and Young was forced to sell out to the Hal Leonard Corporation a couple of years back. Now, the only boss Applause has ever had is exiting stage left. Backstage 09/30/04
Posted: 10/01/2004 6:45 am
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A Whole New Life Life magazine, which defined America in pictures for much of the 20th century, is back on newsstands again, only four years after its last comeback attempt floundered. "The photo journal disappeared from newsstands in 1972 and a short-lived revival in 2000 failed to match its circulation during its heyday from the 1930s to the 1960s. A new revival, featuring the classic red-and-white logo, appears on Fridays as a supplement in more than 70 newspapers around the country." Minneapolis Star Tribune (AFP) 10/01/04
Posted: 10/01/2004 6:03 am
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Suing A Bunch of Numbers The Recording Industry Association of America has filed another 762 lawsuits against individuals suspected of illegal file-swapping. "Among those sued were students at 26 different colleges and universities, where the prevalence of high-speed networks and cash-poor music fans has led to an explosion of peer-to-peer traffic." As usual, the RIAA doesn't actually know the identities of the people they are suing, just their computers' IP addresses - typically, the industry compels internet service providers to reveal the names behind the codes during legal proceedings. Wired 09/30/04
Posted: 10/01/2004 5:19 am
TV's Bold Return To Misogyny The new season of American television is sending a strong message that the industry is through with political correctness. In fact, the major networks seem positively giddy about a horrific return to casual sexism and racism, says Alessanda Stanley. "Desperate Housewives is entertaining, but it turns the clock back to pre-Betty Friedan America, lampooning four bored, frustrated, white upper-middle-class ladies who lunch. Boston Legal lets women practice law, but mostly on their backs... Meanwhile, comedy-variety shows are positively reveling in their new-found freedom to be unfair." The New York Times 10/01/04
Posted: 09/30/2004 9:55 pm
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Falling Hard For A New Dance Fest New York's new Fall For Dance Festival appears to be a major hit right out of the gate, with packed houses and enthusiastic crowds at most performances. The decision by fest organizers to price tickets at the bargain rate of $10 per show appears to have paid off, as has the the eclectic programming, which features everything from authentic flamenco to breakdancing. The New York Times 10/01/04
Posted: 09/30/2004 10:26 pm
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