“[Allen] defied classification while steadfastly affirming her roots in the hard-bop tradition of her native Detroit … In addition to her varied and commanding work as a leader [of her own ensemble], Allen made her mark as a venturesome improviser on notable albums with the saxophonist-composers Ornette Coleman, Oliver Lake, Steve Coleman and Charles Lloyd; drummer Ralph Peterson, Jr.; bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Paul Motian; and many others.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Ousted Director Of Shakespeare’s Globe To Start Her Own New Theatre Company
“Emma Rice is to form a new theatre company when she steps down as artistic director of Shakespeare’s Globe next year. The company, called Wise Children, will be based in the South West of England and will work with venues through a series of residencies to create ‘innovative ensemble theatre’ that will then be toured nationally and abroad.”
Another Artists’ Space Shut Down By Fire, This Time In Philadelphia
“A stairwell fire early Tuesday has closed Vox Populi, the artists’ space at 319 N. 11th St., displacing the artists and businesses in the entire building for an undetermined time, forcing tenants to find new locations.” Among the events affected: the Philadelphia Bad Theater Fest, scheduled for this weekend.
MoMA Expansion Gets $50 Million Gift From Billionaire Collector/Hedge Funder
“The collector and hedge fund titan Steven A. Cohen and his wife, Alexandra Cohen, are the latest big-money contributors to the Museum of Modern Art’s capital campaign for new exhibition space. The institution announced today that the couple’s foundation has given $50 million in unrestricted funds.”
‘Lack Of Professional Attitude And Practices’ Causing Serious ‘Talent Drain’ From British Theatre: Study
“A damning review of workforce practices in commercial and not-for-profit theatre has painted a picture of a sector being undermined by low pay, a damaging culture of overwork, poor treatment of freelance workers and a lack of long-term strategic thinking.”
England Cuts Funding For Four Large Organisations, Adds Smaller Groups Both In And Beyond London
“The National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal Opera House and the Southbank Centre will all lose 3% of their [Arts Council England] national portfolio organisation grant throughout the next funding period, which runs from 2018 to 2022. … [The cuts] will allow funding for other London-based companies to remain the same and for smaller companies to be brought into the portfolio. … An additional £170 million will be spent outside London across the next four years, and more than 60% of all investment will be beyond London” – this after years of complaints that too much of the national body’s money was spent in the capital.
Top Posts From AJBlogs 06.27.17
Communities as Data Points?
Sometimes a blog post derives from seeing something that only tangentially relates to its point. Such is the case with this one. A while ago I saw an article on the Wallace Foundation’s support of … read more
AJBlog: Engaging Matters Published 2017-06-27
Geri Allen Gone At 60
Geri Allen died today of cancer. She was 60. Ms. Allen was a pianist of uncommon technical achievement and fluency and inspired a generation of younger pianists. Recently a resident of Pittsburgh, … read more
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2017-06-27
Home to roost
Mrs. T and I love the art of Milton Avery and are the proud owners of handsome impressions of two of his most striking prints, a 1948 drypoint and a 1963 lithograph. For some time … read more
AJBlog: About Last Night Published 2017-06-27
How Do You Get Someone To Change Their Mind?
The key, based on academic research into adult learning, is cognitive dissonance. Suzanne Cope explains.
Us Vs. Them: Why Our Brains Instinctively Dislike Other People (And How To Get Them To Stop)
Primatologist Robert Sapolsky: “Humans universally make Us/Them dichotomies along lines of race, ethnicity, gender, language group, religion, age, socioeconomic status, and so on. And it’s not a pretty picture. We do so with remarkable speed and neurobiological efficiency; have complex taxonomies and classifications of ways in which we denigrate Thems; do so with a versatility that ranges from the minutest of microaggression to bloodbaths of savagery; and regularly decide what is inferior about Them based on pure emotion, followed by primitive rationalizations that we mistake for rationality. Pretty depressing. But crucially, there is room for optimism.”
The Strange Story Of The New American Writers Museum
“An Irish former trade association head, a German lawyer and a native-born business executive, all residents of Washington and not an author among them, decide to create a museum dedicated to American writers. In Chicago, where two of them have never lived. … The American Writers Museum lacks a resident curator. And a permanent collection of artifacts, the stuff that generally creates a museum.” For that matter, it lacks a permanent building. Karen Heller meets the three people who founded this museum and finds out what on earth they’re thinking.