I suddenly found myself getting giddy with the thought that a woman might lead New York City Ballet. I pictured a former NYCB principal coming in and calming the dancers down, respecting them, inspiring them, treating them like adults, listening to them and encouraging communication between all factions of the company.
Author: Douglas McLennan
Call To Action: An American Culture War?
Not mincing her words, Anne Pasternak, the director of New York’s Brooklyn Museum, was quick to narrow the focus to the US. “There is a war on culture in this country. There is a war on people of colour, on immigrants and on women,” she said. “Art Basel feels like the party before the apocalypse.”
So You’re An Arts Philanthropist. Where Should You Invest?
“To be a philanthropist, whether the money is yours or simply has been entrusted to you, is a remarkable privilege in every sense of the word. The world is probably never going to see the day when literally everyone seeking to make the world a better place through the arts does so strategically and wholly without regard to self-interest. But the more we can nudge individuals, organizations, and actions in that direction, the more meaningful all of our work will become.”
Historical Accuracy At The Movies? It Starts With The Props
Sometimes, inattention to accuracy can destroy credibility. Aged toy guns may work in the background, but something as simple as tape can leave the wrong impression. “If an actor’s taping up a flier and they’re using the wrong type of tape, like Magic Tape that hasn’t been invented yet,” then someone hasn’t done their job right.
Will “Salvator Mundi” Mean Anything For The Market In Old Masters?
“Last year, European old masters generated $594 million of auction sales, just 6 percent of the global total, according to a report published by Art Basel and U.B.S. This modest percentage is surely set to rise after that Leonardo price. But will it have any effect on the wider market for historic pictures, particularly since the “Salvator Mundi” was not offered in a mainstream sale of old masters, but, incongruously, in an evening auction of contemporary art?”
Truth Is, There Just Isn’t A Way (Right Now) Of Preserving History Of The Internet
Across the board, the reality began to sink in that these proprietary services hold volumes of data that no public institution can process. And that’s just the data itself.
Most Of Our Airports Are Bland, Generic. It Shouldn’t (Doesn’t Have To) Be That Way
“I think making an airport as local as possible is a great strategy toward improving the experience. Some people live in this paradigm that an airport should be a global space, super-cosmopolitan, but we’ve seen a reversal of that trend. What you want is a unique experience, not a generic one.” That means good barbecue and jazz at Austin-Bergstrom, country singers at Nashville. BWI sells Baltimore-style crab, and Vancouver has one of the world’s great collections of Northwestern native art. Munich’s airport has a beer garden.
Our Culture Wars Come Down To Modernists Versus Post-Modernists
“The practice of science cannot be long sustained without the co-operation of our wider culture (legally, economically, pedagogically). This is the theoretical half of our present crisis. As the culture becomes more doubtful of scientific legitimacy—whether through postmodern philosophy, the rise of fundamentalism and superstition, or some other means—proponents of empirical science cannot remain indifferent to these doubts if the practice is to flourish. The best of them, the ones entertained by thoughtful people, must be addressed. But how can the skeptical critiques of modern science and philosophy be met?”
Why Hearing The Sounds Of Nature Make Us Feel Physically Better
“A study published in March demonstrated that natural sounds have the ability to relieve psychological and physiological stress. Using fMRI and heart-rate monitoring, researchers Gould van Praag, et al, of the University of Sussex found that listening to natural sounds improved parasympathetic activity, whereas listening to artificial sounds prompted sympathetic arousal.”
Spotify And The Illusion Of Choice
“To understand the danger Spotify poses to the music industry—and to music itself—you first have to dig beneath the “user experience” and examine its algorithmic schemes. Spotify’s front page “Browse” screen presents a classic illusion of choice, a stream of genre and mood playlists, charts, new releases, and now podcasts and video. It all appears limitless, a function of the platform’s infinite supply, but in reality it is tightly controlled by Spotify’s staff and dictated by the interests of major labels, brands, and other cash-rich businesses who have gamed the system.”