“This year’s Turner prize show opens to the public at Tate Britain tomorrow. The shortlist for the £20,000 prize, which will be awarded on November 28, has already generated a small controversy. Only one finalist, Glenn Brown, is actually British, although the other three all live and work in Britain.” – The Guardian
Author: Douglas McLennan
RUNNING OUT OF WOOD?
Kenya’s $20 million wood-carving industry is booming, born of the initiative of the Wakamba people of south-central Kenya. “But it has reached a difficult juncture. Favourite woods for carving, such as African blackwood, also known as ebony, or mpingo locally, are rapidly being depleted. Carvers and conservationists are assessing the future of the industry that each year fells 50,000 Kenyan trees, even as it employs 80,000 carvers.” – The Globe and Mail (Canada)
PAOLOZZI ILL
Sculptor Eduardo Paolozzi, one of the most prolific and distinctive British artists of the 20th century, is in a persistent vegetative state after collapsing at his studio. It is thought unlikely that the prolific Scottish-born artist will recover.” – The Age (Melbourne)
EXCELLENCE IN TURMOIL?
So the Australian National Ballet is in turmoil, eh? Dancers quitting, the press fuming, morale sagging… Funny, under artistic director Ross Stretton “the dancers have found a new way to dance. Technically, most of them have never looked better. They have a clarity to their dancing, an edge that comes from being able to use their technique as if it belongs to them rather than to the artistic director. And this is the way it should be. – Sydney Morning Herald
WASHINGTON DANCE GOES TO CUBA
The Washington Ballet travels to Cuba this week. “It’s said to mark the first time since the Castro revolution that a whole American dance troupe has performed in Cuba. This, however, is only part of it.” – National Post (Canada)
WOODSTOCK FOR WIZARDS
J.K. Rowling drew the largest audience ever to turn out for an author reading to hear her read from her Harry Potter series at Toronto’s SkyDome as part of the International Festival of Authors. An estimated more than 12,000 people attended. – Yahoo! News (Reuters)
CANADA’S GOV GEN AWARD FINALISTS
Finalists for Canada’s Governor General’s Awards for literature are announced: Michael Ondaatje for “Anil’s Ghost,” David Adams Richards for “Mercy Among the Children” and Eden Robinson for “Monkey Beach”. “Margaret Atwood for “The Blind Assassin”, currently on the shortlist for Britain’s Booker prize. And Austin Clarke for “The Question”. – Ottawa Citizen (AP)
ST. PAUL’S NEW DIRECTOR
The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra has named Andreas Delfs, 41, as its new music director. Delfs is also the music director of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and will retain that post. – New York Times
SONTAG TO CONCENTRATE ON FICTION
At the age of 67, Susan Sontag declares a new direction. “The milk train of Sontag’s imagination and intellect no longer stops at the essay form for which she is most famous. The American cultural critic plans to focus on fiction.” – The Globe and Mail (Canada)
ACTORS STRIKE OVER
The Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists reached a tentative agreement with the advertising industry to end their nearly half-year-long strike. – Inside.com