During NATO protests, who could see Chicago’s art? Very, very few. Downtown sculptures got boarded up and guarded, and “the directors of the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Art Institute and the Fine Arts Building closed their institutions for the weekend.”
Month: May 2012
The Pulitzer Effect – Even In A Year With No Fiction Prize
Poetry and nonfiction sales climb after the prizes; each of the three finalists in fiction sees a hefty bump in sales as well.
Hey, New Music Performers? Don’t Forget The Composers
“Here’s why it’s so important for ensembles to make sure they keep living composers apprised of performances of their own works: performances are as much the bread and butter of a composer’s career as the performer who actually brings the new work to life onstage. They are the reason we make notated scores at all.”
Nostalgia: Even Sweeter Than Chocolate
At least, that’s the way it is in Estonia, where a candy bar popularized during the world cocoa shortage of 1976 has made a stunning return from the dustpan of history. “For seniors, it represents a bygone era, for teenagers, its yellow and red retro packaging is a symbol of cool junk food. And it’s still cheap.”
If You Secretly Erect An Art Installation That Fascinates Los Angeles, Where Do You Reveal That You Did It?
On Facebook, of course – with a few LOLs.
Michigan Opera Theatre Gets A One-Month Break From Debt Payment
“Michigan Opera Theatre officials are breathing easier after the bank consortium that holds its $18-million debt agreed to shift its deadline for payment from May 31 to June 30.” Now they have a simple task: Raise $8 million in June.
Toni Morrison Wonders What’s Wrong With People Nostalgic For The1950s
Morrison’s new book, Home, treats what she thinks of as the real era: “‘I think we have erased the truth about the ’50s, which was the Korean War — which was never called a war, we called it a police action,’ she added. ‘It was violent. There was a lot of slaughter of black people during the ’50s.'”
You Didn’t Know ‘Star Wars’ Was So Welsh, Did You?
The BBC lets the secret Wales connections out – including a telling detail about the Church of Jediism.
Women Writers And T.V. – Are Things Getting Better?
This year, sort of: “Overall, women were responsible for 32 percent of the pilots produced in 2012. According to Swanson, this is a decrease of three percent from the highs of 2011, but represents solid growth after 2010’s low point of 20 percent.”
New York’s Outdoor Revels, And The Actors Who Bring Them To Life
During the Delacorte’s 50-year history, millions of people – and more than a few wild animals – have watched Shakespeare and other classics in Central Park. Liev Schreiber: “I used to think we were competing with the sunset and the rain and the animals and the helicopters and the wind and the muggings. But … the setting is really the star of the show.”