“In its sixth year, the report continues to be frustrated with the content of these programs. Among its key findings: ‘The list of readings continues to be dominated by recent, trendy, and intellectually unchallenging books.'”
Month: July 2016
As It Lays Off Beloved Human Characters, Is HBO Ruining ‘Sesame Street’?
“While many fans blame the show’s new network for the firings, a statement tweeted from the verified “Sesame Street” account implied that HBO had nothing to do with the decision as day-to-day production is still overseen by Sesame Workshop.”
The Democratic Principles Of Conductorless Orchestras (And What They Can Teach Us)
Firstly, the principle that anyone can influence artistic direction remains paramount. “We must have all our players ready and willing to speak up, to stop the orchestra, to argue for their ideas,” Thulson says. “Even if they’re in what’s traditionally a non-leadership seat. If the presumption is that high voices get to lead, we have to treat that as a fragile presumption . . . We can’t let traditions make us boorish or lazy.”
Throw-down Challenge: An Author’s Body Of Work
“Readers and writers do not think of a body of work in the same way. To a reader, a body of work is a static totality by which a writer may be assessed. To a writer, it is something of a taunt.”
William Shatner: What If I Hadn’t Been Captain Kirk?
Captain Kirk and “Star Trek” has been the springboard for everything subsequent to that. Of course, one has no idea what would have happened. That’s one of the most formless of questions, “What would have happened?” because you don’t know.
How Ticket Scalpers (And Their Bots) Have Been Making Millions Off “Hamilton”
“What we found was that scalpers took in more than $15.5 million from the 100 performances before Mr. Miranda’s final show. The 32 performances between the June 12 Tony awards — where “Hamilton” won 11 statues — and July 9 may have brought in more than $10.5 million for scalpers alone.”
Researcher: Mozart, Beethoven, Liszt Were More Creative When They Were Unhappy
Polish economist Karol Jan Borowiecki, who previously examined the link between art and war, charted the emotional life of the three composers via their correspondence. He found “creativity, measured by the number of important compositions (they produced), is causally attributable to negative moods — in particular, sadness.”
How Kickstarter Has Impacted The Creative Economy
“Filmmakers, photographers, artists, authors, designers, musicians, and others reported that their project led to professional growth, greater earnings, and career advancement.”
Pavarotti Family To Trump: Stop Using Singer’s Recording
“We learned today that the aria ‘Nessum dorma’ performed by Luciano Pavarotti is being used (on) the Donald Trump campaign soundtrack,” wrote Nicoletta Mantovani, his widow, in a letter cosigned by Pavarotti’s three daughters. “We remind you that the values of brotherhood and solidarity that Luciano Pavarotti upheld throughout his artistic career are incompatible with the world vision of the candidate Donald Trump.”
“Arts-Washing” – Neighborhood Revitalization Or Community Destroyer?
“Naysayers resent what they see as the patronizing cultural overlay, arguing that the community will be radically transformed, housing prices will go up, the poorest in the neighborhood will be displaced, etc. They brush aside the hope that the community will be revitalized, becoming more diverse, safer and, if done right, experience an improvement in its quality of life. In an urban design and planning sense, a cultural blanket is a very warm way to generate progress of all kinds.”