“As the Obama administration tries to rebuild America’s image abroad, do we need to send dance companies and theater companies abroad? My response, not popular with my peers running arts organizations across the United States, is no. … But that does not mean that cultural diplomacy should be discarded.”
Author: Laura Collins Hughes
In New York, Women Emerge As Cultural Power Brokers
“The boards of New York’s highest-profile cultural institutions were once the domain of gray-haired men; wives or widows were relegated to the ladies’ auxiliaries. Now it is women who are stepping up and taking control of some of the biggest arts organizations, or making multimillion-dollar gifts behind the scenes.”
Broadway Trade Org Finds Cost Savings In St. Martin’s Pay
“Charlotte St. Martin earned $340,105 in salary and benefits in her second year as executive director of the Broadway League,” and while that amount reflects a 5 percent raise for her, it’s “down a third from what her predecessor, Jed Bernstein, made in his final year.”
Editorial: It’s Time To End Visa Denials Based On Ideology
“It has been nearly 20 years since Congress repealed the provisions used during the cold war to deny visas to prominent foreign intellectuals, artists and activists because of their left-leaning politics” — a practice “eagerly revived” by the Bush administration “under a flimsily supported guise of fighting terrorism.”
Without A President, Philly Orchestra Can’t Move Forward
“One of the things boards of cultural organizations have steadfastly refused to believe is that arts administration is a legitimate and distinct profession. No one steps in and does a good job of running an orchestra or a museum without special training and hard-won experience – especially if your organization is treading water in perilous times….”
The Art Of The Steal Brings Albert Barnes Back To Life
“The documentary presents a kind of high-culture conspiracy theory, going so far as to display a cop-show-like ‘suspects board’ with photographs of civic and cultural leaders linked in their alleged efforts to usurp the Barnes’ deed and influence the foundation’s board.” The film also manages to “make Barnes, the pharmacological-entrepreneur-turned-art-maven, human again.”
It Wasn’t Really The Summer Of Death; It Just Felt That Way
“This summer could come to be known as the summer when baby boomers began to turn to the obituary pages first, to face not merely their own mortality or ponder their legacies, but to witness the passing of legends who defined them as a tribe, bequeathing through music, culture, news and politics a kind of generational badge that has begun to fray.”
After Stroke, Keillor Sees End Of Prairie Home
“‘A Prairie Home Companion’ host Garrison Keillor said Wednesday that he is ‘not counting on doing it [hosting the show] more than a couple more years.’ He added that he would like to see the show continue with more of a musical focus, and that he would love to serve as that show’s producer.”
Turkey Seeks UK Help To Question Duchess Over Film
“Turkish authorities are reported to have filed a request with the British Home Office to have the Duchess [of York] questioned about her filming of the documentary to obtain evidence on allegations that she broke Turkish privacy laws when she and her daughter Eugenie shot the film undercover last year.”
Alan Gilbert’s Disappointing Debut
As the New York Philharmonic’s new music director, “Gilbert, on paper, has all of the right qualifications: young (42 is young in conductor years), American, a serious musician with a great appetite for the contemporary. … All the ingredients, in short, were there. All that was missing was the excitement.”