“Poor interactive shows come across like a desperate plea for attention from Generation iPad. But this doesn’t have to be the case. We’re just scratching the surface of the technological possibilities. And as for the interactivity haters there will always be shows hat expect you to sit down and shut up rather than asking if you want Hamlet to a) be or b) not be.”
Author: Douglas McLennan
NY Court Rules Developer Violated Graffiti Artists’ Rights
“5Pointz, a former factory owned by Jerry Wolkoff, was a haven for graffiti artists from around the world and became a prominent tourist attraction. Wolkoff had given the artists permission to use the building as a canvas for “aerosol art” and the building was covered in multicolored murals and tags. But in 2013, when Wolkoff decided to demolish the building and replace it with apartments, he whitewashed the graffiti art in the dead of night. On Wednesday the jury decided that the artists’ work was legally protected under the Visual Artists Rights Act (Vara), and that meant that Wolkoff had broken the law.”
Rap’s TV And Movie Revolution
From “Empire” to ”Atlanta” to “The Get Down,” hip-hop has been the subject of some of the most inventive television of the last few years. Documentaries have been preserving the music through a historical lens, but it’s also being celebrated — and reimagined — through an artistic one.
Lin Manuel Miranda To Return To His “Hamilton” Role
“Bringing [Hamilton] to Puerto Rico is a dream that I’ve had since we first opened at The Public Theater in 2015,” said Miranda in a statement. “When I last visited the island, a few weeks before Hurricane Maria, I had made a commitment to not only bring the show to Puerto Rico, but also return again to the title role. In the aftermath of Maria we decided to expedite the announcement of the project to send a bold message that Puerto Rico will recover and be back in business, stronger than ever.”
Boston Globe: Berklee School Of Music Tolerated Culture Of Sexual Harassment
“A Globe investigation has uncovered a culture of blatant sexual harassment at Berklee with at least three male professors… allowed to quietly leave since 2008, after students reported being assaulted, groped, or pressured into sex with their teachers, according to court documents and interviews with more than a dozen people. Administrators at the renowned music school tolerated lecherous behavior, former Berklee students and employees said, and often silenced the accusers through financial settlements with gag orders attached.”
Director Of New York’s Armory Show Ousted After Complaints By Eight Women
“In interviews, a total of eight who had worked with him at the Armory Show, Artnet and Louise Blouin Media said he made sexually inappropriate comments to them, and an additional 11 people said they had observed or knew about Mr. Genocchio making these comments, often in the workplace.”
When Is An Opera Not An Opera (Or – Where Does An Opera Start And A Space Begin?)
“The non-opera parts aren’t add-ons; we’re doing an exhibition. For two weeks, we’re occupying this space, and the experience of this project lasts that entire duration. It’s not the sort of thing where you go to see an opera and maybe stroll through a gallery on your way out; we want to make a social gathering place where people come and hang out, and also there’s this opera happening as an extension of that.” Only the performances are ticketed; all the other offerings are free and open to the public.
Art Historians Say Reproduction Fees Are Killing Art Scholarship
Historians face bills of thousands of pounds to illustrate academic books with little commercial potential, the 28 signatories say. “We urge the UK’s national museums to follow the example of a growing number of international museums and provide open access to images of publicly owned, out-of-copyright paintings, prints and drawings so that they are free for the public to reproduce,” the letter says.
A Manifesto For The Arts In Difficult Times
Rip Rapson, president of the Kresge Foundation: I choose “to view this moment as an inflection point, not a new stasis. It is a call to reassessment … recalibration … recommitment. The nonprofit and philanthropic sectors have spent decades trying to create and assemble the building blocks of opportunity and justice. That architecture is woefully incomplete to be sure. But it is an architecture at once complex, dynamic, and resilient. Our charge is to continue fitting together those building blocks in a coherent, inclusive, impactful way.”
Hurricane Irma Unburied Some Ancient Artifacts
The items once belonged to the extinct Calusa tribe, which lived on the island between 700 and 1200 AD. Archaeologists have long suspected that the area was rife with historical artifacts, but the excavation of public land is illegal and wouldn’t have been approved by the local government.