The Rose Art Museum’s director, Michael Rush, has said its closure would be “like a death.” Jeff Weinstein asks: “Can a museum, or any cultural institution, die? I’d like to propose that the answer is yes. But I don’t mean that a museum or concert hall dies merely when it goes out of business or the walls get knocked down. The core of my reasoning is personal. If the Rose and its art were to go, a serious part of me would mourn, and as far as I’m concerned, mourning is incontrovertible evidence that something alive and important has passed away.”
Author: Laura Collins Hughes
Exiting Arts Council Chair Calls For Higher Level Of Debate
“Sir Christopher Frayling bows out this week after five years as chairman of Arts Council England – and one thing he certainly won’t miss is the ‘relentless venom’. Speaking before a valedictory lecture tonight, he advised his successor to sort out cultural events that will surround the 2012 Olympic games and called for a deeper debate about the value of the arts, describing the current level of discourse as ‘a bit beer and skittles’.”
Philly Libraries Get A Reprieve: Closures Put On Hold
“No city library will be closed between now and June 30, the Nutter administration said yesterday. It was a swift and surprising turn of events in an emotional and enduring saga that has embroiled the city, the courts, library advocates and neighborhood residents who have demonstrated unwavering fealty to their local branches.” But “branches would still be facing limited hours and possible emergency closures.”
Mr. Meat Loaf, Would You Read Me A Bedtime Story?
“Rock singer Meat Loaf is to appear with a drumming puppy in a new cartoon aimed at helping children to read. … In the first episode, on 2 March, the Bat Out of Hell singer will read The Lamb Who Came for Dinner.”
Showtime On The Subway: Dancing Beneath The Streets
“Young break dancers pile onto A, B, C and D trains between 59th Street and 125th Street in Manhattan every weekend to perform in the subway cars and collect donations. Many emanate from the same Bronx neighborhood, around Morris Avenue and 170th Street.” As older teens teach younger boys, “it is a sort of apprenticeship program for street performing.”
Hi, This Is Bart Simpson Calling On Behalf Of Scientology
Producers of “The Simpsons” “have denied any involvement with a Scientology-promoting voice mail recorded by Nancy Cartwright, who has provided the voice of Bart Simpson for 20 years…. The message begins with her saying, ‘Yo, what’s happenin’ man, this is Bart Simpson. Haha. Just kidding, don’t hang up, this is Nancy Cartwright.'”
Larceny Or Alchemy: The Question of The Sampling Age
“Beauty, it is often said, is in the eye of the beholder, and so might be copyright infringement. Artist Richard Prince never denied that he made use of some photographic images he found in a 2000 book by Patrick Cariou…. The question,” central to Cariou’s lawsuit against Prince, “is whether Mr. Prince’s use of these images was ‘transformative’ — borrowing in the process of creating something entirely new — or just stealing.”
Elderly, Poor Left Out Of Calculations For Digital TV
“That so many viewers … around the country risk losing something as basic as a free television signal is a function, at least in part, of the government’s failure to anticipate that those most affected would be among the nation’s most frail and vulnerable.”
Radio Signal A Little Weak? Well, About That Lightning …
“There’s a reason L.A. classical music fans may have had trouble listening to KUSC-FM (91.5) this week. Lightning struck both the station’s transmission line and antenna in the San Gabriel Valley on Sunday afternoon, eventually causing the station to operate with a temporary antenna at a reduced power of 2,000 watts….”
As Theatre Critics Disappear, How ‘Bout Peer Review?
“Sometimes getting praise from a critic is like having a proctologist tell you you’ve got a nice ass – -sooner or later, there’s still some pain to come.” That’s Center Theatre Group’s Michael Ritchie in a conversation with other LA theatre heads about the need for criticism. (Why are we not linking directly to the show on LA’s KPCC, where the conversation took place? Because Mac users seem to be out of luck if they want to listen in.)