Month: July 2018

An Open Letter To The NEA’s New Acting Chairwoman

“As a Dance Mom, you might get an undeserved bad rap but you definitely have much needed knowledge and capacities. You know that your child is entitled to a dance education. You fight for that. You drive for that, in more ways than behind the wheel — which I know from experience that you do at high volume. I hope you can harness that drive and sense of entitlement for good, living up to your stated intentions to make the NEA more accessible.” Mary Anne Carter replied here.

‘Honestly, I Feel Wonderful Here’: Yuval Sharon On Being An Israeli-American Working At Bayreuth

“That difficult history was of course a terrible tragedy, and it affected my family as well. But it’s clear that people here are coming to terms with that history and probing ever deeper into it. That wonderful exhibition Silenced Voices … portrays Jewish artists and theater personnel who once worked at the Bayreuth Festival and describes their fates. Every day I go by there and look at another one. I feel so honored to be able to stand on their shoulders and work here as an independent stage director without it being a major issue. My religion and heritage are irrelevant to my work anyway. It only comes up in conversation.”

Order Your Own Bespoke Production Of A Play (If You Have The Cash)

“Billed as an exclusive private theatre offering, each of Revels in Hand’s productions will be specially created for a private client and chosen for the space in which they will be performed. Go People, the company behind the plans, said this could range from a dinner party or a yacht to corporate events and weddings, and would incorporate all styles of play including Shakespeare and modern classics. Clients can also commission new work if they wish.”

What The U.S.-China Trade War Means For The Art Market

Until the latest round of tariffs, art could be imported here duty-free. “Dealers in Chinese art and antiques described the proposed tariffs as misguided and detrimental to cultural exchange, noting it would not serve to protect a domestic industry, since American artists — unlike American factory workers — are not competing directly with Chinese artists. Nor would it meaningfully harm the robust and growing Chinese and broader Asian fine art and antiques markets.”

What Has Come Of The Wallace And Knight Foundations’ Grants To Expand Audience Engagement?

“Wallace has been methodically rolling out its findings in the intervening months, publishing case studies on Ballet Austin’s efforts to expand audiences for unfamiliar works, Seattle Symphony’s efforts in engaging new residents, and the Denver Center Theatre Company’s success in attracting younger attendees. A read of each these case studies underscores the complexity of the engagement challenge. … If it’s more cutting-edge tactical approaches you seek, … turn to the other end of the spectrum, where the Knight Foundation resides.”

Why Did Trey McIntyre Disband His Dance Company At Its Peak? His New Documentary Film Explains (Sort Of)

“‘The art was telling me that things had to change. And they had to change big. Something I created needed to die off. When the company was at its height, when it was at its most successful, I closed it down.’ These puzzling words are spoken by choreographer Trey McIntyre in Gravity Hero, his new documentary, which unpacks the rise and fall of his wildly successful dance company, Trey McIntyre Project.”

Naming Rights Are On Sale At Philadelphia’s Mann Center

The performance center in Fairmount Park, which was built as a summer venue for the Philadelphia Orchestra but has since branched out into other genres and art forms, is trying to bring in the final third of its $43.5 million fundraising goal. (The money will finance new community initiatives, an endowment and cash reserves, and badly-needed repairs.) So naming rights are being made available for everything from individual seats ($500) to the pavilion ($5 million) and even the entire center ($25 million to put your name in place of Mann’s).

Months After His Death, Major Body Of Jack Whitten’s Art Comes Into Public View

Sebastian Smee: “When Whitten died this year, little more than a year after being presented with the National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama, almost no one knew about the half-century of sculpture he had under his belt. That’s partly because the sculptures were made, and remained, mostly in his home in a small village on the Greek island of Crete, where he had spent almost every summer since 1969.”