AJ Logo Get ArtsJournal in your inbox
for FREE every morning!
HOME > Yesterdays


Friday, July 29




Ideas

Needed - An Orphange For Forgotten Copyrights? There are thousands of copyrighted works whose copyright holders cannot be found. "Orphan works have led to complications not only in publishing but also in digitizing projects, preservation efforts, and the creation of works like film and video documentaries. This week, at the urging of prominent legal scholars, academic-library organizations, technology companies such as Google and Microsoft, and many other interested parties, the U.S. Copyright Office is holding a series of hearings to determine whether copyright law should change to allow for more liberal use of orphan works." Chronicle of Higher Education 07/25/05
Posted: 07/28/2005 6:53 pm

Click here for more Ideas stories...

Visual Arts

Bilbao Scores Again With Serra Richard Serra's new installation for Guggenheim Bilbao "is the 65-year-old American’s most ambitious project to date and one of the most extravagant single-artist sculptural installations in modern history. The Basque government agency that partnered with the Guggenheim to create the museum has again put its faith in the vision of Guggenheim director Thomas Krens, providing E15 million for the material and fabrication of seven new works. The ambitious project is intended to revitalise the eight-year-old museum that transformed the post-industrial port into a cultural destination through an act of museum-as-development now referred to as 'the Bilbao effect'." The Art Newspaper 07/29/05
Posted: 07/29/2005 8:03 am

Is Calatrava's Chicago Spire A Pyramid Scheme? "For those of us who have long advocated that forward-looking, inventive architecture and planning form the basis for good development, that they provide enhanced value and longevity, the selection of a design genius like Calatrava for an iconic project such as Fordham Spire should represent the fulfillment of a cherished ideal. Instead, it signals that developers now believe that today's best-known architects not only sell condos, they sell financing. Developers are beginning to wave their architects around like letters of credit to get bankers on board, or like the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval to tame community boards and critics. Such newfound zeal for design can and should be a good thing, and we should applaud it. Unless it's a pyramid scheme – and this slender, twisting triangle is a physical expression of such." The Slatin Report 07/27/05
Posted: 07/29/2005 7:46 am

Study: Dali = Big Bucks For Philly "The Philadelphia Museum of Art's Salvador Dalí exhibit generated $55 million in economic activity in the Philadelphia region, created 830 equivalent full-time jobs, and added more than $4.46 million in increased tax revenue, according to a report." Philadelphia Inquirer 07/28/05
Posted: 07/28/2005 10:46 pm

Click here for more Visual Arts stories...

Music

Payola Rules The Airwaves? Yeah, Right! "Critics of today's pop music falsely equate the corporate admission that millions were spent trying to alter radio station playlists as a sign that the sounds now dominating radio are being forced on us. It's as if big, bad Sony BMG used its vast resources to keep "real" music (rock 'n' roll, adult pop, jazz, what have you) off the air. Trust me, Sony and other major labels aren't interested in keeping anything off the air. They are interested in selling records. They'd release an album of dog howls if they thought it would go platinum. To think otherwise is as misguided as believing that all those heavy metal albums years ago really had satanic messages woven into the music." Los Angeles Times 07/29/05
Posted: 07/29/2005 6:09 am

Korean Composer At The Top Ivan Hewett meets Unsuk Chin, who last year won the Grawemeyer Award, the musical world's richest prize for composers. Never before had a Korean composer made it so big in the West, and back home it was headline news. I suggest that after her long exile in Berlin, where she went in 1986 to study on a German government scholarship, she could now return to her roots and enjoy her celebrity status. The idea horrifies her." The Telegraph (UK) 07/28/05
Posted: 07/28/2005 10:29 pm

Pop Star Signs Cell Phone Deal Pop singer Robbie Williams has "signed an exclusive deal with the global telecom giant T-Mobile that will allow customers to download songs, exclusive live tracks and concert footage to their mobile phones. The 18-month deal is the biggest tie-up yet between a big artist and a phone company and will be watched with interest by others convinced that mobile music delivery will become an important factor in boosting flagging record sales over the next few years." The Guardian (UK) 07/29/05
Posted: 07/28/2005 9:59 pm

Pay To Play - Radio Payola Thrives Is payola rampant in the radio business? Apparently, and there are the incriminating emails to prove it. "This week Sony BMG, a leading record label, apologised and agreed to pay a fine of $10m for bribing radio stations. New York's hyperactive attorney-general, Eliot Spitzer, said that bribes are pervasive in the industry, and that he is continuing his investigation into the other big record labels—Universal, EMI and Warner Music—as well as the radio business." The Economist 07/28/05
Posted: 07/28/2005 7:24 pm

Click here for more Music stories...

Arts Issues

Massachusetts Considers Culture Stimulus Plan The Massachusetts legislature is considering a big injection of money for the arts. "The new Cultural Facilities Fund, part of a $296 million economic stimulus package proposed for fiscal 2006, would be among the first of its kind in the nation. Aimed at enriching the lives of Massachusetts residents, the fund is also supposed to bolster the state's economy by shoring up attractions that bring tourists and their dollars to the Bay State." Boston Globe 07/29/05
Posted: 07/29/2005 6:39 am

Report: 26 Million Attended NY Arts Events In 2004 A new study reports that nearly 26 million attended non-profit arts events in New York City in 2004. "For New York City's legitimate theatre industry, one of the report's central conclusions -- that the total audience for nonprofit cultural organizations is 'more than twice that of the Broadway theatre' -- is doubtless going to be subject to spin and interpretation. For example, it might be seen as representing Broadway's relative strength both as a cultural and tourist destination and as a universally recognized brand." Backstage 07/28/05
Posted: 07/28/2005 6:59 pm

Click here for more Arts Issues stories...

People

Linda Farris, 61 Longtime star Seattle gallery owner Linda Farris died after a long fight against cancer. "Linda was one of the most significant shaping forces for contemporary art in the history of Seattle. She nurtured artists and nurtured public appreciation for their work. Her gallery was not just an exhibition space but also a site of a dynamic dialogue about art that brought people together. The Contemporary Art Project characterized the imagination and flair she brought to everything she did and is one of her great legacies." Seattle Post-Intelligencer 07/23/05
Posted: 07/28/2005 11:26 pm

Calatrava, Master Drawer Architect Santiago Calatrava talking about his new Chicago tower? Fuhgeddaboudit! But put a pen in his hand and have him draw? It's magic. "While this drawing business has elements of showbiz -- what a Disney animator he would have been! -- it's also Calatrava's way of thinking: dreaming onto the sketchpad, trolling for inspiration, one seemingly unrelated image giving way to another and another until something clicks and a path opens up. Birds lead to human figures, which lead to eyes, which lead to something like a church monstrance." Chicago Sun-Times 07/28/05
Posted: 07/28/2005 10:59 pm

Kelly Appointed First South Bank Artistic Director London's South Bank has its first artistic director. "Theatre director Jude Kelly has been appointed the first artistic director of London's South Bank Centre. The Liverpool-born 51-year-old will be responsible for programmes at the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room and Hayward Gallery." BBC 07/28/05
Posted: 07/28/2005 6:45 pm

Click here for more People stories...

Theatre

Seattle Theatre Glows Healthy Seattle theatre has rebounded after a couple of down years. Every major theatre in the Seattle region reports increased ticket sales, reduced deficits and a generally healthy outlook... Seattle Post-Intelligencer 07/28/05
Posted: 07/28/2005 11:23 pm

Report: Discrimination Common Against Disabled Actors A new study says discrimination against actors with disabilities is high. "Performers with disabilities are more than 50 percent more likely to experience workplace discrimination than Americans without disabilities." Backstage 07/28/05
Posted: 07/28/2005 7:03 pm

Click here for more Theatre stories...

Publishing

9/11 Report Publisher Donates Some Profits Last year's 9/11 Commission report was an unexpected bestseller. Now the report's publisher is donating some of the profits to anti-terror causes. "When we undertook the report's publication. we did so in a spirit of public service, fully aware that we would shoulder a financial commitment unprecedented for this firm and were unlikely to recover all our expenses. Donations amounted to about 10 percent of the company's gross proceeds from sales of the book to wholesalers and bookstores." Rocky Mountain News 07/29/05
Posted: 07/29/2005 7:32 am

The Slush Pile Rediscovered? "Publishers are increasingly alert to sources of undiscovered gems that in the past might have slipped through the net. The slush pile is one, word of mouth another, as well as books being launched by risk-taking small or independent publishers. Some of these titles are successful in their own right, while others are taken up by mainstream publishers." The Telegraph (UK) 07/27/05
Posted: 07/29/2005 7:05 am

Italian Prime Minister Sues Author Over Crime Book Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has sued the author of a book about crime in Italy. "Penguin, which published the book in English, has promoted it as an exploration of the dark underside of Italy today. The book looks at Mafia, organised crime and corruption in Italy, and it also looks at Silvio Berlusconi ... the principal actor of the Italian political stage since the early 1990s," The Guardian (UK) 07/29/05
Posted: 07/28/2005 10:06 pm

Click here for more Publishing stories...

Media

Tomlinson Says He'll Fight For Public Broadcasting Balance Ken Tomlinson, head of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, visits editors of the Washington Times to make his case about political balance in public broadcasting. "This is something the public broadcasting community is going to have to come to grips with," said Mr. Tomlinson, a Republican. "In the future, [in order to get] the kind of Republican support they need to have a future, they are going to have to demonstrate that public broadcasting is for people across the spectrum." Washington Times 07/28/05
Posted: 07/28/2005 10:44 pm

Retiring Sterritt: Lots Of New Talent Out There David Sterritt is retiring after 35 years as movie critic for the Christian Science Monitor. He reckons he's seen an average of a movie a day during that time. "Different critics have different views about this, but anyone who sees the profession in mainly cynical terms is probably not a very reliable reviewer. And something everyone can agree on is the flood of new talent flowing into the field. While newspapers are on the wane in many areas, the dwindling number of first-rate print critics is more than compensated for by the growth in Internet reviewers writing for established websites or their own blogs." Christian Science Monitor 07/29/05
Posted: 07/28/2005 8:17 pm

Canada's Supreme Court Refuses Appeal On iPod Levy The court lets stand a charge levied on sale of music player devices such as iPods."In December 2003, the Copyright Board approved the group's request to collect the new levy, which was built into the Canadian prices of digital audio recorders and MP3 players. The new charge ranged from an extra $2 tacked onto the price of a music player using up to one gigabyte of non-removable memory up to an extra $25 on the price of a player using more than 10 GB of memory. CBC 07/28/05
Posted: 07/28/2005 6:48 pm

Click here for more Media stories...

Dance

New Tempo For Seattle Dance? Contemporary dance in Seattle had its heyday in the 70s. But there are signs that the dance scene might be improving, centered in a dance hall in the city's Capitol Hill neighborhood... Seattle Weekly 07/27/05
Posted: 07/29/2005 7:14 am

Click here for more Dance stories...


Home | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy
Copyright ©
2002 ArtsJournal. All Rights Reserved