Daniel Grant: “In most cases, museums prefer going to auction. Whatever criticism these institutions receive for selling objects only increases if they don’t do it that way.” But that doesn’t mean auctions are the smartest choice. “The method of disposing of deaccessioned objects needs to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and museum directors fearful of public criticism might want to broaden their outlook.”
Author: Laura Collins Hughes
Does Facebook Activism Translate Into Real-World Action?
“[W]hether our virtual virtuousness will result in real-world action is unpredictable, and has as much to do with human nature as it does with amassing enough numbers. This is the problem with activism born of social networking sites. … Do our Facebook groups — which are today often treated as the official barometer for a cause’s importance; more members must signify more gravitas — ever translate into significant change?”
‘Floating In Space’ On A Glass Ledge Atop The Sears Tower
“It’s a glass ledge, 1 1/2 inches thick and poking out about four feet from the 103rd floor of the Sears Tower. There is no frame under the floor, only air — 1,353 feet of it, straight down to the miniature taxis on Wacker Drive.” The trick to it “is an intriguing feat of engineering, a team of designers and builders said Wednesday, swearing on a stack of liability policies as they unveiled the project. “
Bad Economy Means Good Times For Public Service Ads
“[S]upport for public service campaigns is usually stronger during economic downturns because media companies often prefer to run classy-looking, altruistic ads to fill space and time rather than sell that inventory to dodgy marketers whose ads may be cheesy, misleading or deceptive.” In 2008, particularly in the fourth quarter, the number of public service ads rose significantly over 2007 — and the trend is continuing.
Salinger Wins Preliminary Injunction Vs. Swedish Author
“In a victory for the reclusive writer J. D. Salinger, a federal judge on Wednesday indefinitely banned publication in the United States of a new book by a Swedish author that contains a 76-year-old version of Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of ‘The Catcher in the Rye.’ … While the case could still go to trial, [the] ruling means that [Fredrik] Colting’s book cannot be published in the United States pending the resolution of the litigation, which could drag on for months or years.”
Authors Lobby For Children’s Right To School Libraries
“A high-profile group of children’s authors, publishers, teachers and librarians is calling on the government to make school libraries statutory.” Campaign supporters “are concerned that while prisoners have the statutory right to a library, schoolchildren do not, and they believe it is essential that children get the habit of reading for pleasure.”
At Philly Museum, Rub Says He’s Taking Things Slowly
Timothy Rub, incoming director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, “is at that awkward stage in a new leader’s tenure – perhaps wanting to talk substantively about his ideas for the job, yet wary of committing too much too early – but he is happy to say one thing quite unequivocally: He’s thinking of Philadelphia long-term.”
Jackson’s Death Kicks Broadway Thriller Project Into Limbo
“[I]magine the potential for a multimillion-dollar Broadway musical based on the ‘Thriller’ video and brandishing the seal of approval from Jackson himself. The Nederlander Organization,” which announced that project in January, “may be sitting on a gold mine. But the gold mine won’t be producing for a while. The musical has yet to be written, and Jackson’s sudden death has thrown the production into confusion.”
Skylight Opera’s Fired A.D. To Direct Four Shows There
“William Theisen, recently ousted as artistic director of the Skylight Opera Theatre, has agreed to return to direct ‘The Barber of Seville,’ ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ and ‘Forever Plaid'” as well as one other show there next season. “Theisen said his decision to direct for the company in no way endorses his firing, carried out by the executive committee of the board of directors and managing director Eric Dillner.”
From Austria, Sound And Fury Over Goodman Cancellation
By cutting “Joan D’Arc” from its fall lineup, saying the show wasn’t ready for Chicago, the Goodman Theatre has enraged its producing partner, Austria’s Linz09 festival. “We are appalled by the Goodman Theatre’s actions and wording as it represents an insult to the artistic integrity of the project and the work of all involved artists,” wrote the festival’s Airan Berg, who called the Goodman’s decision “censorship.”