A group of senior execs in Canada’s high-tech industry banded together last week to demand more education money for the liberal arts, saying they can’t build the digital economy with technology grads alone. “A liberal arts and science education nurtures skills and talents increasingly valued by modern corporations.” – Ottawa Citizen
Author: Douglas McLennan
SURVIVING IN THE GOOD TIMES
Even in a booming economy, a number of Atlanta arts institutions are struggling to stay afloat. – Atlanta Journal-Constitution
FROM STAGE TO SCREEN
Actress Emma Thompson and director Mike Nichols have signed on to make the film version of Margaret Edson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Wit” – the story of a Donne poetry professor battling ovarian cancer. – Times of India (Reuters) 04/07/00
MISSING OSCARS STILL MISSING —
— after lawyer lures reporters to office with stunt. – Variety 04/07/00
CULT OF MEDIOCRITY
The Royal Ballet has lost its special appeal and cutting-edge choreography, according to former dancer Lynn Seymour who called the company a “cult of mediocrity.” “Simply wallpapering over the cracks with fashionable outside choreographers will not solve the malaise at the heart of the company. Urgent reform is needed.”- The Daily Telegraph
WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?
A few weeks ago Christie’s proposed to auction a stolen 10th-Century Chinese wall panel. Then American customs agents stepped in to block the sale. “At best, the auction house’s willingness to cooperate can be described as an exercise in damage limitation in a case that raises serious questions about Christie’s thoroughness in examining the provenance of the works of art it offers for sale.” – The Art Newspaper
CONSPIRACY THEORY
Prosecutors in the federal antitrust investigation of Sotheby’s and Christie’s have evidence that the chairmen of both auction houses personally set in motion a price-fixing scheme to limit competition. Both men deny the accusations, but “the allegation that a conspiracy was devised at the very top of the venerable auction houses raises the stakes in the investigation, which has already roiled the world of art collectors.” – New York Times
SILVER FOR SALE
Christie’s will auction German diamond baron Sir Julius Wernher’s extravagant collection of antique silver and Old Master paintings. “We haven’t had a sale of this quality since World War II,” said Harry Williams-Bulkeley, head of Christie’s silver department. – The Times of India (AP)
MAYBE IT’S AN AUCTION THING
Christie’s and Sotheby’s legal woes are well known. But on-line auctioneer E-Bay is also getting tangled up in legal challenges. According to court documents, E-bay is currently involved in three US government investigations. – The Art Newspaper
IS THERE A DIGITAL DIVIDE?
Lord David Puttnam – director of “Chariots of Fire” and “Midnight Express” and cultural advisor to Prime Minister Tony Blair – urges educators and digital technology developers to work hand in hand. “Computers should not be viewed as simply tools…and arts subjects should not be viewed as lightweight pleasurable diversions.” – The Age (Melbourne)