“The donation includes the entire photographic estate of Charles Sheeler – 2,500 photographs – and the same number of photographs by Edward Weston. Complementing these are 500 photographs by Ansel Adams, and 100 each by Imogen Cunningham and Brett Weston, Edward’s son.”
Month: May 2012
Memorizing The Notes And Playing Blind (Literally) In Egypt
“The women in Cairo’s Egyptian Blind Girls Chamber Orchestra first learn the songs by reading sheet music in braille. Since it is impossible to read braille and play an instrument at the same time, the musicians must memorize every note of every song. Pacing is also critical because the musicians cannot see the conductor. He merely claps three times to start each song.”
Author Neil Gaiman Gives Graduation Speech; Millions (Well, Thousands – Online, Anyway) Swoon
“‘The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you: your voice, your mind, your story, your vision,’ the British-born, Minneapolis-based novelist and screenwriter told the 526 newly minted graduates. ‘So write and draw and dance and play as only you can. … Leave the world more interesting for your being here.'”
‘Urban Entertainment Districts’ Turn Themselves Into Disasters
“If you took all the clichés about horrible urban design and shoved them into 75 acres, you’d probably end up with something pretty close to Dallas’ Victory Park.”
Disillusioned Former Artist-In-Residence Slams The Olympics
“When you’re involved close up with something like that you start to worry about the ethos of the Olympics and whether the original spirit of the Games is really reflected in what we have now,” artist Neville Gabie said
New York Finally Hears A Star Soprano Who’s Rarely In Town
“New York likes to think of itself as being the classical music capital of the world. Yet every so often it falls off the flight path of certain eminent musicians. Cecilia Bartoli, Carlos Kleiber, Birgit Nilsson and Brigitte Fassbaender are just a few of the great artists who have skipped New York for long stretches. The same goes for the superb Nina Stemme, widely considered the world’s reigning dramatic soprano.”
Taking Another Look at Jean Renoir’s Grand Illusion
“Grand Illusion repeatedly shows such examples of the potential for human feelings to bridge national boundaries. It is also a stunning example of Renoir’s skillful melding of realism and glittering artifice.”
As Phantom Tollbooth Turns 50, A Talk With Its Creator
“‘I started thinking about it,’ Norman Juster explains, ‘and I came to the conclusion that this kid had gone into a world where everything was correct but nothing was right. That was a feeling I understood.'”
Vandals Steal Public Art And Replace It With Dog Poo
“Lynn Bennett-Mackenzie had placed 200 small wood houses in 19 locations along a forest trail at Inverewe Gardens, owned by the National Trust of Scotland. But a large part of her work in Wester Ross has been stolen – with bags of dog waste being put in its place among trees nearby.”
Hey UK, Let’s Send The Vestal Virgins Of The Parthenon Back To Greece
“To weigh the issue, you need only ask yourself if Elgin’s behaviour would be acceptable today. Of course it wouldn’t, and nor would we expect to keep the result of such looting. So why do we hold on to these ill-gotten sculptures now?”