Mary and Tom Beck emigrated to Canada in the 1950s from Europe. “When Tom got to England, not being an English-speaking person, the school didn’t know what to do with him. They took him at any opportunity to the symphony. Music is a universal language. It doesn’t matter your language skill set and I think that was where he became really exposed. It really made a lasting impression on him.” – The Globe and Mail (Canada)
Author: Douglas McLennan
Hacking The Museum Tour – Entertainment With Attitude
“I found some of the interactive portions of the tour superficial and a bit corny, but the younger, millennial members of the group seemed to enjoy them. Bringing games, imagination and creativity into the art viewing experience certainly makes the museum seem less stuffy and more relatable.” – Los Angeles Times
London’s Creative Industries Are Growing Much Faster Than In The Rest Of The UK
Productivity in London’s creative industries has grown much more rapidly than in the rest of the UK, at 2.7% per year compared to 0.4%, calculations based on DCMS data from 2011 to 2017 show. – Arts Professional
Coachella’s Desert X Partners With Saudi Arabia (And Three Artist/Board Members Resign In Protest)
Although the Saudi exhibition signals growing international interest in Desert X, three of 14 members on the organization’s board of directors resigned over the decision to work with a government responsible for human rights abuses and the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The three are artist Ed Ruscha, art historian and curator Yael Lipschutz and philanthropist and former fashion stylist Tristan Milanovich. – Los Angeles Times
Welsh Arts Funder Sets Minimum Pay For Artists
“We won’t fund applications where you aren’t paying yourself or your co-workers at all, or are only paying a low/nominal fee,” the document says. – Arts Professional
Why Mark Bradford Is One Of The Most Important Artists Of Our Time
For example: “There’s nothing revolutionary about an artist creating a foundation. But the nonprofits set up by Andy Warhol, Joan Mitchell and Robert Rauschenberg, to name three, were created to launch after the artist’s death. Bradford, 57, founded Art + Practice for immediate impact. He provides as much of the organization’s $1 million annual budget as needed. And he does it his way, generally declining grants so that the nonprofit can remain independent and flexible.” – Washington Post
Report: Arts Engagement Declines Slightly In UK
‘Taking Part’ figures released by DCMS indicate about 77% of English adults engaged with the arts at least once in the past 12 months, a drop of about 1.5% on the year prior. About two-thirds (63.7%) of people engaging with the arts were doing so three or more times a year, compared to a low of 59.9% in 2008/09. – Arts Professional
What Is A Choreopoem?
Short answer: “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf.” The longer answer is movement set to and inspired by poetry. And it traces back to the 1970s and a writer who just had to move while she spoke her work. – The New York Times
The New MoMA: More Space, Less Story
Phil Kennicott: “MoMA is billing these changes to the display of the art as the most significant aspect of the expansion. Not only is the museum growing, it is changing its relationship to the art, no longer insisting on a single grand narrative, no longer teaching, but simply opening itself up to exploration and discovery.” – Washington Post
Venice Will Begin Charging Admission For Tourists Next July
The tax will apply to tourists who arrive by coach, cruise ship, water taxi, plane or train. They will be able to pay the charge online with a credit card or from machines “installed in strategic points” around Venice, officials said. The council did not say what penalties would apply to tourists who fail to pay the charge, although in February authorities suggested they would be hit with a fine of up to €450. – The Telegraph (UK)