North Adams, Massachusetts is a small town far away from major population, and who would think a contemporary art center would make it? But “by most measures, MASS MoCA’s inaugural year was a smashing success. More than 100,000 people visited its galleries. Another 25,000 turned out for performances, movies, or community dances and parties in the sprawling 27-building complex that once housed the Sprague Electric Factory. High-tech start-ups that set up shop on the site grew so quickly and spawned enough like-minded local enterprise that The Wall Street Journal last fall touted North Adams – a town that didn’t have touch-tone telephone service until 1990 – as a silicon village.” – Boston Globe
Author: Douglas McLennan
HOME AWAY FROM…
“There was a time when hotels did all they could to persuade us we hadn’t left home. Now they do all they can to show us how different they are from home and, paradoxically, the effect is to go on making everywhere look the same.” – The Observer (UK)
WIRED ART
With artists, galleries and museums exploring possibilities of the internet, there is a scramble to redefine who has the power and where the audiences are for art on the web. – The Sunday Times (UK)
LUCIEN FREUD REPAINTS CEZANNE
“In some ways, Freud’s new painting is very close to his Cézanne, in other ways entirely different. For one thing, the Cézanne is tiny, just over 11 inches by 15, while the Freud is huge, with figures approaching life-size -so big, in fact, that it had to leave Freud’s studio by the skylight. And, while the Cézanne is a standard rectangular shape, at an early stage Freud’s grew an extension at the top left that contains the upper part of the maidservant.” – The Telegraph (UK)
RAIL ART
“Since it began 29 years ago, Artrain USA, one of the oldest of an increasing number of museums on wheels, has brought original artworks by Picasso and Warhol, Calder and O’Keeffe, Norman Rockwell and Robert Rauschenberg, to more than 600 towns and cities in 44 states. It has gone to big cities like Baltimore, Detroit, Pittsburgh and Washington, but more often its destination isn’t even a whistle stop anymore – places like Zeeland, Mich.; Plant City, Fla., and Parkers Prairie, Minn.” – New York Times
REINVENTING THE MUSICAL
What does it mean to call something “musical theatre” these days? The genre has fragmented in so many directions it’s difficult to tell. “Depending on one’s own tastes and vantage point, the rampant diversification of what used to be a fairly predicable entertainment category either signals the pending doom of musical theater, or its financial and aesthetic salvation.” – Seattle Times
WHO WILL LEAD US
A few months ago there was a lot of hoping that Riccardo Muti might be persuaded to be the next music director of the New York Philharmonic. Here’s one critic who’s quite glad he didn’t get the job. – New York Times
THE BATTLE FOR SHOSTAKOVICH
Shostakovich is considered one of the giants of 20th Century music. But “the story of his life has been turned into a battlefield. Of course, everything and everyone is pulled into the line of fire. They shout obscenities on the Internet, publish articles and write books and plays about Shostakovich; someone even went to the trouble of composing an opera about him.” – New York Times
DANCE AFTER 40
Used to be that age 40 was considered the outer limit for dancers. Now several companies have begun giving older dancers a chance to continue their careers. – New York Times
OH OH OHIO
Ohio Ballet is on the ropes – artistically and financially. “This is a shocking predicament for a 32-year-old dance troupe that has long maintained a reputation for no-frills productions and fiscal responsibility. Over the years, many subscribers said they preferred the Akron company’s bare-bones style to the extravagance of Cleveland San Jose Ballet, and they also appreciated the skillful management and strong board commitment that kept Ohio Ballet from having to beg for bailouts.” – The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)