Rethinking The 'Burbs Is it time to rethink our perceptions of urban sprawl? "Does sprawl include exurbia, the outmost band of development, ... the very low-density urban penumbra that lies beyond the regularly built-up suburbs and their urban services? Or is it the newly emerging suburban band of conventional subdivisions, golf courses, schools, and strip malls located closer in toward the city? If the latter is sprawl, is it logical to exclude older suburbs? Certainly at one time these older communities, even many of the most densely packed inner neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Manhattan, were themselves relatively low in density and suburban in character compared to what was the core of the city. Why wouldn't they be considered historic sprawl?" Chronicle of Higher Education 03/21/06
Posted: 03/21/2006 5:00 pm
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Is It Time To Retire The Whitney Biennial? Christopher Knight says that the Whitney Biennial has become so dull and predictable as to make one question why it still exists. "The need for a national art survey disappeared long ago. What use does it have in a global art world characterized by broad public popularity in international urban centers, inexpensive travel, instant communications and a roaring marketplace? Even with work by 101 artists, as the show boasts this year, surely no one considers the biennial a reliable survey of anything." Los Angeles Times 03/22/06
Posted: 03/22/2006 5:50 am
A Crafts Museum Goes For Broke As New York's Museum of Arts and Design prepares to move into its opulent new home at 2 Columbus Circle in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, it needs to put a bitter battle over the historic preservation of the building behind it, and focus on revitalizing an institution that has struggled often throughout its history. "Big challenges lie ahead, for example meeting an operating budget that will jump to $6.9 million, an endowment goal of $20 million, and attendance and membership goals of 450,000 and 3,200, respectively." The New York Times 03/22/06
Posted: 03/22/2006 5:24 am
A Michelangelo Show You Can't Trust The British Museum has a big new Michelangelo show. But only three of the drawings in the show are universally accepted as his. This forces the viewer to see the show in an entirely different way. "Why has the museum accepted 50-year-old attributions, asks Richard Dorment." The Telegraph (UK) 03/21/06
Posted: 03/21/2006 5:28 pm
Robert Hughes: Rembrandt Reconsidered "Rembrandt would be remembered as an extraordinary self-portraitist if he had died young at, say, forty-five. But he lived much longer and it is the work of his old age that one most admires: that intimate, unflinching scrutiny of his own sagging, lined, and bloated features, with the light shining from the potato nose and the thick paint: the face of a master, the face of a failure and a bankrupt. Life, and his own mismanagement of life, has bashed him but no one could say it has beaten him." New York Review of Books 04/03/06
Posted: 03/21/2006 5:21 pm
Robert Hughes Sums Up Modernism "Modernism is something old that we look back on, not without nostalgia. Its ashtrays and dinner sets, the chrome-tube-and-leather-strap Marcel Breuer chairs, get revived and recirculated without comment. The idea of modernism connotes some kind of ideal and even quasi-official mindset. Seen in one light, it even suggests too much solidity: think of how the innumerable descendants and clones of Mies van der Rohe created, in their high, bland cliffs of steel and glass, the face of American corporate capitalism. That certainly wasn't the modernité Charles Baudelaire was thinking of in 1863." The Guardian (UK) 03/21/06
Posted: 03/21/2006 5:09 pm
Rijksmuseum Reopening Delayed A Year Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum will reopen in 2009, a year behind schedule so added environmental checks can be done. "Work at Holland's biggest museum is due to start in 2007, including plans for a cycling route under the building. It shut in 2003 after an asbestos scare forced its indefinite closure." BBC 03/21/06
Posted: 03/21/2006 4:50 pm
UK's Free Museum Policy Creates Surge Of Visitors "Since December 2001 there has been a 66% increase in visits to museums which once charged for entry. The rise comes despite a drop in visitor numbers as a result of the July bombings in London." 24Dash.com 03/21/06
Posted: 03/21/2006 4:36 pm
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EU Lead Regulations Could Ban Pipe Organs The European Union, known on the continent primarily for governmental overreach and excessive bureaucracy, is about to ban pipe organs. Seriously. "The reason? Organ pipes contain large amounts of lead, and the wind that blows through them is generated by electricity (rather than the older method of people pumping bellows behind the organ). The new directive, to come into force in July, limits the proportion of hazardous substances like lead, mercury or cadmium to 0.1 percent of a finished product that works on electricity." The law was not intended to apply to pipe organs, but officials have continually refused to create a broad exemption, saying that each organ manufacturer must apply separately to be exempted. The New York Times 03/22/06
Posted: 03/22/2006 5:37 am
France's iPod Assault: Anti-Capitalist Or Power To The People? As the French government tries to force Apple to give up the exclusivity of its iTunes technology, there will doubtless be many criticisms coming from the American business world. After all, goes the capitalist argument, Apple created this technology, so why should it be forced to share with less innovative companies? But music consumers may regret siding with Apple in the long run. "French lawmakers want to protect the consumer from one or two companies holding the keys to all of its culture, just as Microsoft holds the keys to today's desktop computers." Wired 03/22/06
Posted: 03/22/2006 5:16 am
Quartet Residency Saved By Donors The Azmari Quartet was informed in February that its contract as the resident ensemble at Northern Kentucky University would be terminated in June, due to a lack of funding. But when the news was made public, donors began to come forward, and this week, the Azmari, made up of musicians from the Cincinnati Symphony, was told that enough money had been raised to save the residency for the foreseeable future. Cincinnati Enquirer 03/22/06
Posted: 03/22/2006 5:03 am
Still Many Questions In Louisville The Louisville Orchestra averted catastrophe earlier this week with the approval of a new concessionary contract with its musicians. But the ensemble isn't out of the fiscal woods yet. "Unless substantial amounts of money can be raised on a regular basis, the endemic problems of the orchestra are unlikely to fade away. Serious questions remain about whether Louisville can or should support such a large full-time orchestra. The short-term fix doesn't answer them. Nor does it resolve the challenge of leadership." Louisville Courier-Journal 03/22/06
Posted: 03/22/2006 4:37 am
- What's In The Louisville Deal? So what exactly did the musicians of the Louisville Orchestra give up to save their ensemble from bankruptcy? AJ Blogger Drew McManus has the details: "Among the larger concessions are reductions in base pay and season length. By the end of the five year agreement the base musician pay will be $743 less than the 2005-2006 concert season." In addition, musicians will lose between 3 and 7 of their 11 allowed sick days, depending on seniority, a major concern in an industry where musician injuries are rampant. Adaptistration (AJ Blogs) 03/22/06
Posted: 03/22/2006 4:30 am
French Parliament To Apple: Open Up! The French parliament has passed legislation to force iTunes to open up its digital format. "MPs backed a draft law to force Apple, Sony and Microsoft to share their proprietary copy-protection systems by 296 to 193 votes. The aim is to ensure that digital music can be played on any player, regardless of its format or source." BBC 03/21/06
Posted: 03/21/2006 4:47 pm
America's Largest Free Jazz Fest May Have To Charge San Jose's summer jazz festival calls itself the "largest free jazz festival in the United States." But that designation may be about to change. The festival may have to start charging: $5 a person for an all-day pass. "The reason for the charge: rising operational fees coupled with a loss of corporate sponsors Ford, Chevron and Applied Materials. The festival costs almost $1 million and, much to their disappointment, organizers said, only $60,000 comes from a city that has just designated $4 million for a car race." San Jose Mercuty-News 03/21/06
Posted: 03/21/2006 9:22 am
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Getting 'Em Where They Live (Literally) The Twin Cities have always been a haven for the arts, particularly music, theatre, and literature. But as the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area increasingly gives in to urban sprawl, suburbanites have been less willing to come all the way into the urban core for their plays, violin lessons, and writing seminars. As a result, arts organizations in the cities are following the lead of groups in larger cities across the country, and expanding their services to the 'burbs. Minneapolis Star Tribune 03/22/06
Posted: 03/22/2006 4:57 am
D.C. Area Arts Center Asks Pols To Jump-Start Funding "A committee raising private money for a planned $56 million performing arts center in [Maryland's] Prince William County yesterday urged county and city officials to begin construction ahead of its fundraising schedule because of increasing building costs. The 1,100-seat center near Manassas is a partnership between George Mason University, the city of Manassas, Prince William County and private donors. The committee has set a goal of raising $7.5 million in private funds before construction begins." Washington Post 03/22/06
Posted: 03/22/2006 4:48 am
The Well-Adjusted Goth A new study reports that Goths are pretty healthy people. "Most youth subcultures encourage people to drop out of school and do illegal things. Most goths are well educated, however. They hardly ever drop out and are often the best pupils. The subculture encourages interest in classical education, especially the arts. I'd say goths are more likely to make careers in web design, computer programming ... even journalism." The Guardian (UK) 03/21/06
Posted: 03/21/2006 5:11 pm
Arts Council Wales Top Job Unfilled Artists in Wales are concerned that the government does not seem to be looking for a new director of Arts Council Wales. "As yet, no successor has been appointed to Mr Davies - and the post has not been advertised, even though Mr Davies steps down at the end of March." ICWales.co.uk 03/21/06
Posted: 03/21/2006 4:38 pm
A Florida Community Goes For Something Different In A Cultural Plan The city of Delray Beach Florida commissioned a new cultural plan, and the authors of it tout it as something new: "What's interesting about it is that it is focused on taking the city's inherent cultural assets and using them as building blocks in a way that addresses the always-on, experience-oriented, don't-make-me-sit-in-a-seat-and-watch-you-perform nature of culture today. There are no cookie-cutter solutions in this report. No build a new performing arts center just like the one down the street to compete." The Sun-Sentinel (Florida) 03/21/06
Posted: 03/21/2006 8:07 am
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Queen Of Intensity Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg got an early reputation for being impetuous, and maybe undisciplined. "Did the world have her wrong? Or, at age 45, has Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg cooled down? In the 25th year since her debut, the latter scenario isn't true. Last week, before sciatica forced her to cancel her Lincoln Center Brahms recital, she was still trying to rehearse while loaded up on Vicodin, and her recital partner, pianist Anne-Marie McDermott, barely noticed a difference." Philadelphia Inquirer 03/21/06
Posted: 03/21/2006 5:34 pm
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Renovation Plans Humming Right Along Next year, Toronto's Hummingbird Centre will close for a 20-month renovation, which is expected to revitalize the theatre's place in the city's cultural landscape. Which isn't bad for a building that wasn't expected to survive at all once its resident opera and ballet companies moved out three years ago. Toronto Star 03/22/06
Posted: 03/22/2006 6:01 am
Everybody Loves Jackman Broadway's most valuable leading man, Hugh Jackman, must feel pretty popular these days. Not only does he have multiple offers on the table, but some of New York's most powerful theatre companies are openly fighting over his services. New York Post 03/22/06
Posted: 03/22/2006 5:54 am
Using Hobbits As A Tourist Draw Make no mistake, Toronto has a lot riding on its expensive embrace of the theatrical version of Lord of the Rings, and the show's success or failure will create ripple effects that reach far outside the city's theatre district. "In recent years, Toronto has suffered the multiple blows of a post-9/11 tourism slump, SARS and the meteoric rise of both the Canadian dollar and the price of gas. These factors have helped cut the number of United States visitors from 3.2 million in 2000 to 2.7 million last year. And so Toronto's tourism officials, along with everyone from parking lot owners to hoteliers, are optimistically counting on The Lord of the Rings to bring in the fans." The New York Times 03/22/06
Posted: 03/22/2006 5:33 am
Sweeney Todd Breaks Even "Broadway's new Sweeney Todd has recouped its initial $3.5 million investment in 19 weeks (as of the week ending March 12). It is rare for a Sondheim show to recoup its investment on Broadway. Among his few financially successful outings is the original mounting of A Little Night Music." Yahoo! (Playbill) 03/21/06
Posted: 03/21/2006 5:05 pm
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Straight-To-Paperback "Even critically acclaimed literary novels often have a short shelf life in hardcover, with one-half to three-quarters of the books shipped to stores often being returned to the publisher, unsold. That has a growing number of publishing companies, from smaller houses like Grove/Atlantic to giants like Random House, adopting a different business model, offering books by lesser-known authors only as 'paperback originals,' forgoing the higher profits afforded by publishing a book in hardcover for a chance at attracting more buyers and a more sustained shelf life." The New York Times 03/22/06
Posted: 03/22/2006 5:31 am
Trying Not To Be A One-Hit Wonder Author DBC Pierre came out of nowhere a few years back to capture the Man Booker Prize for his debut novel, Vernon God Little. The book was praised for its cutting satire and hard-edged tone, and Pierre himself became the subject of much gossip and speculation on both sides of the Atlantic. Now, with his second novel on the verge of release, the author is hoping that he can avoid what he calls "second novel syndrome," a condition which has afflicted countless other successful authors in recent years. BBC 03/22/06
Posted: 03/22/2006 5:10 am
Leader: Read My Book, Go To Heaven Turkmenistan's leader says if his country's citizens want to go to heaven they should read his book three times. "A person that reads Rukhnama becomes smart ... and after it, he will go straight to heaven. I asked Allah that for a person who reads it three times - at home, at sunset and at dawn - to go straight to heaven." The Guardian (UK) 03/21/06
Posted: 03/21/2006 5:25 pm
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Hook 'Em Early, And They'll Never Leave You "A line of DVDs for babies and parents created by a national child advocacy group and the creators of Sesame Street is drawing heated criticism and renewing the debate over whether children under 2 should watch television." Boston Globe 03/22/06
Posted: 03/22/2006 5:43 am
Movie Concessions Revenue Dips "Much has been made of how declining movie admissions and box-office grosses have clipped the earnings of movie studios and film exhibitors. But audience apathy also is taking a bite out of the oft-overlooked concession business. Particularly hard hit are those companies that rely on movie theaters for the bulk of their sales." Los Angeles Times 03/18/06
Posted: 03/21/2006 4:44 pm
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