The brainchild of billionaire Microsoft tech giant, Seahawks owner and avid art collector Paul Allen, the 70,000-square foot, 84-gallery event brought 18,000 visitors to the Emerald City last weekend. A cursory rundown of SAF’s stats, which included an exhibitor list of heavy hitters like Pace and David Zwirner, presents like a fully formed Art Basel air-dropped on the West Coast via Jeff Bezos-commissioned drone, but it was the wave of companion fairs and satellite exhibits that elevated Allen’s main event from what could have been an impressive-yet-boring gathering to a unique addition to the contemporary art scene.
Author: Douglas McLennan
An Artist Residency In Creative Placemaking That Went Terribly Wrong
“The day after their termination, the artists sent out a joint statement claiming that they had been “run out of town” by MAA and that the Mill Hill Social Practice Residency was an “art-washing” scheme. This scathing essay set off a stink bomb that caused a flurry of national attention and made both MAA and the artists look unprofessional.”
National African American Museum Breaks The Mold On DC’s National Mall (First Look)
“The building is a stark — and welcome — departure from the neoclassicism for which D.C.’s architecture is known. And while it is not yet complete (scaffolding still covers the building’s broad entrance), the museum nonetheless cuts a daring profile on the Mall, where its stacked trapezoidal forms appear to erupt from a grassy plain between the obelisk of the Washington Monument and the columnar façades of the Herbert Hoover Commerce Department Building.”
Seattle Public Library Now Allows Patrons To Download Local Musicians’ Music
“PlayBack is open to all Seattle-area musicians who record or perform in the city of Seattle and have had an album produced within the last five years. PlayBack is intended to be an ever-expanding collection of Seattle’s musical culture, and a total of 100 new albums will be available each year through the Library’s catalog.”
Kansas City Symphony Sets Attendance Records, Virtually “Selling Out” Its Season
“The symphony reported a record of nearly $5 million in total ticket revenue for its 2015-16 season, with $2.9 million of that in subscriptions. Perhaps more impressive, the symphony series performances sold 95 percent of available tickets, on average.”
A Philadelphia Theatre Goes Pay-What-You-Wish (There Are Risks, Of Course)
“While their programming is exciting and admirable, these plays and their popularity are untested. There is always the chance new audiences will walk out unsatisfied and withhold their contributions. And how will this strategy reach Philadelphians who don’t already have Azuka on their radar? It’s one thing to offer up more accessible theatre, but if the same theatregoers are the only ones taking advantage, where’s the progress?”
More And More Orchestras Are Exploring Virtual Reality
“At least a half-dozen professional orchestras have created 360-degree films for use with VR headsets, among them, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra and Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Most aim to replicate a concert hall experience, whether on stage – so the viewer can hover over a violin section or an oboe soloist – or in the audience, where the 360-degree view also includes rows of empty seats.”
New Reality TV Show: Can You Beat This Music App?
“Beat Shazam has been picked up by Fox in the US where it will be produced by British executive Mark Brunett, and is basically a modern spin on Name That Tune, where contestants play against the music identification app to try and identify a song first. It has been a long and curious journey for Shazam but, unlike many of its peers, it is still going after 15 years, which is several lifetimes in digital music.”
Diversity In Books Isn’t Just About Writers, It’s Also About The Marketing
“If you go to most other independents, they will have a section of African-American books. But a whole bookstore filled with books on African-Americans? That’s something that people should see.”
The Largest Spray-Painted Artwork In The World? (In Rio)
“The work, entitled Etnias, covers more than 30,000 square feet of a formerly abandoned warehouse in Rio’s newly reinvigorated port district. Using a wild quiltwork of brightly colored geometric shapes, it portrays the faces of five indigenous men and women from five continents.”