“Public awareness of the role of the arts is undermined by deeply entrenched perceptions. Yes, people like the arts, some quite a lot, but that’s not enough. Because the way they think about the arts is shaped by a number of common default patterns of thinking that obscure a sense of public responsibility or value.”
Author: Douglas McLennan
Museums Go Multi-Sensory – Does It Deepen The Experience Or Distract From It?
“Some museum leaders view these offerings as a way to attract younger audiences who are steeped in multisensory experiences and to deepen the engagement with the art objects for everyone. But others see them as distractions.”
The Eugene Symphony’s Amazing Track Record Choosing Music Directors (And How They Do It)
“The intensive, exhaustive process used to choose them all, largely created by local lawyer and arts supporter Roger Saydack, has become a national model — “he literally wrote the book” on picking a music director, says ESO executive director Scott Freck, noting that Saydack wrote the League of American Orchestras’ manual on orchestra MD searches. So who becomes the next ESO artistic leader matters — not just here, but nationally.”
Jerry Saltz: The Best Whitney Biennial In Years
“The 2017 Whitney Biennial was organized in one era and exists in another. I leadingly asked the show’s two 30-something Asian-American curators, Christopher Y. Lew and Mia Locks, if they altered anything after the election. Nodding with patient understanding but unshaken, both firmly said, “We didn’t change course.” By all rights then, this is the first, last, and only Hillary Clinton biennial. But that doesn’t mean it is out of step, nice-y nice, disconnected, or just so many snowflakes from another era. Instead and pressingly, even with wild up and downs, flaws and all, the 2017 Whitney Biennial is the best of its kind in some time.
An Edgy, Provocative Whitney Biennial Right When We Need It
“The mood is, by turns, anxious and dark, even sinister, but also, at times, expectant, guardedly hopeful. Everyone is on edge. The show presents a nation, and the sensibilities of its artists, in a period of transition, with violence cresting, identities in flux, and some brave souls hatching plans. A sea change is coming, though it is unclear if its effect will be disastrous, momentous, or something more complicated. Call it the biennial on the brink.”
The Lexicography Wars – Why It’s So Difficult To Define Short Words
Generally speaking, the smaller and more commonly used the word is, the more difficult it is to define. Words like “but,” “as,” and “for” have plenty of uses that are syntactically similar but not identical. Verbs like “go” and “do” and “make” (and, yes, “take”) don’t just have semantically oozy uses that require careful definition but semantically drippy uses as well. “Let’s do dinner” and “let’s do laundry” are identical syntactically but feature very different semantic meanings of “do.” And how do you describe what the word “how” is doing in this sentence?
Phoenix Theatre, Arizona State University Propose A “Teaching-Hospital-For-The-Arts” Model
“In our vision, there would be a version of a formal deep relationship with every significant nonprofit cultural institution in the Valley. If we really believed in this teaching-hospital model, every major institution would have appointments at the institute.”
Why It’s Difficult To Change Someone’s Beliefs
People see evidence that disagrees with them as weaker, because ultimately, they’re asking themselves fundamentally different questions when evaluating that evidence, depending on whether they want to believe what it suggests or not, according to psychologist Tom Gilovich.
An AirBnB For Classical Music That Seems To Be Finding New Audiences
“Groupmuse is something of an Airbnb for classical music concerts, so unsurprisingly, millennials are latching onto this relatively new startup in increasingly large numbers. The company pairs up music lovers with a space to offer—a living room, a backyard or something larger if it’s available—with classical musicians looking to make a few dollars and potentially build their fanbase with people in the area.”
How The San Francisco Symphony Turned An Unglamorous Space Into The Hottest Venue In Town
“Today the hottest ticket in San Francisco classical music is around the corner at SoundBox, a new performance venue, launched by the Symphony in 2014, that has turned a decidedly unglamorous, acoustically dreadful building into a place designed to attract an entirely new audience to the symphony. At SoundBox, the 500-person audience sits on low-slung ottomans and benches—or simply stands. You can get fancy cocktails and snacks like bacon caramel popcorn at the bar, any time. Looking for a printed program? Nope—just look at the SoundBox site on your phone.”