Douglas McLennan – Page 1228 – ArtsJournal Wayback

This Weekend’s Top AJBlog Posts

Artists Erased From The Web And Our Growing Problem With Facts Are we comfortable letting shareholder-driven companies – any private company – have absolute control over infrastructure that is increasingly essential for the functioning of civil society? Deciding who is visible and who is not? What … read more
AJBlog: diacritical/Douglas McLennan

This Week in Audience: Connecting the Dots As Louvre Visits Decline 20%
This Week: Tate goes for an artificial intelligence art project… UK has more amateur orchestras than you can shake a stick at… Does community storytelling take advantage of the storytellers?… Why the Louvre’s attendance is down 20%… When data drives your art experience the art changes.
AJAudience

Diversity in the Arts: Where are we now? The people at Createquity have put together a great piece on different ways of thinking about what has surely become the hot discussion topic in the art world: diversity. They reveal the depth and complexity … read more
AJBlog: For What it’s Worth

Revisiting Desmond’s Full “TWYLT” Solo Rifftides reader Frank Roellinger reports that a YouTube watcher who goes by the handle Swel1954 has identified a quote in Desmond’s celebrated solo on “The Way You Look Tonight” from Jazz At Oberlin. … read more
AJBlog: RiffTides

Obamas Were Visible Consumers Of The Arts. Is That Not Enough?

“It should come as no surprise that where the arts were concerned, the Obamas didn’t just ignore the Pennsylvania Avenue playbook, they wrote their own script. They established dynamic programs and raised considerable money for arts initiatives. They also sometimes drifted away from the traditions of the past, which could leave locals frustrated and impatient.”

Obama Culture Is Pop Culture

“Barack and Michelle Obama are arguably more conversant in popular culture than any other couple that has occupied the White House. And in four months, when his presidency comes to a close, they will depart as full-fledged celebrities, embraced by America’s two arbiters of cool: Hollywood and hip-hop.”

Kennicott: Obama Has Not Been An Arts President

“He is interested in culture, to be sure, but it is the living culture of our time, often the celebrity culture of popular music and commercial theater, but rarely the stuff people used to call “high” culture. Or that, at least, is the image his handlers have crafted.”

BBC Young Musician Winner: Classical Music’s Expense Problem

“Classical music is not elitist. The music itself is accessible to everyone. The real problem is the fact that it’s expensive and there is so little help from councils and the government.”

YouTube Creators Protest Over Takedowns Of Ads

“YouTube is facing a backlash from creators angry that the video giant is blocking advertising from running against content it deems inappropriate — while the Google-owned video giant says it has not actually changed its policy.”

What Happens When You Mash Hip Hop And Ballet Together?

“Conceived by Homer Hans Bryant, the artistic director and founder of the Chicago Multi-Cultural Dance Center, hiplet (pronounce it “hip-lay” to rhyme with ballet) showcases dancers on pointe as they twist and dip to the floor in a loose translation of hip-hop movement.”

Broadway Musicals Are More Diverse. But Broadway Plays?

“Somewhat overshadowed by the #TonysSoDiverse hype of the evening were the best performance awards in a play category: all four went to white actors over the age of sixty. After such an exciting season on Broadway, where productions finally reflected the zeitgeist of our times, are Broadway plays lagging dangerously behind?”

We’re In The Midst Of A Tidal Wave Of Images (And It’s Changing How We Look At Them)

“In the world of social media, Instagram may be an oasis, but as a collective creative project its size is staggering, almost beyond comprehension. In the past year, 30 billion photographs were uploaded. Eighty million go up every day. What does that even mean? The scale of Instagram beggars all attempts to describe it piecemeal. It’s a tidal wave of visual information sweeping away all the old shibboleths of art criticism as it comes to shore.”

Why Do We Need Disability Arts Festivals? (Hint: There Are A Lot Of Disabled People)

Actor Mat Fraser thinks we’ll need them “until disability is reflected in one seventh of all media” – so until we are adequately represented, since disabled people worldwide make up a seventh of the population. He goes on to express the importance of sharing our stories and perspectives. “Disability art is art that talks about the experience of disability in a disabled context, and until people agree that disability is just a social construct, disability arts events will be needed. In an ideal world, we would not need them, but the world is far from ideal.”