“All of a sudden, Chicago is filled with new museum projects. American Writers Museum is scheduled to open May 16, and a sports museum, blues museum and presidential library are to follow, if plans succeed, in the next few years. Two words for the people behind the ambitions: Good luck. … Here’s a look at how American Writers Museum succeeded in opening, plus prospects for three projects on the horizon.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
The ‘Hamilton’ Of The Art Museum World: Yayoi Kusama Show Smashes Attendance Records At Hirshhorn
“Hirshhorn officials said about 475,000 visitors came to the [D.C.] museum and sculpture garden during the exhibition’s 11-week run. The crowds were double the normal attendance for that time of year … Still, two-thirds of those visitors were shut out of the show that they probably had come to see” – and those who got in had to wait in very long lines.
Is Letting Musicians Do Programming And Management Work Really A Good Idea? Asks Anne Midgette
That’s what Kennedy Center president Deborah Rutter is doing, and Midgette “understand[s] the instinct. The performing arts have increasingly devolved into a field in which artists become cogs in a machine operated by other people, from managers and programmers through to stage directors and conductors. … Putting artists in the driver’s seat may seem like an ideal corrective. But bringing artists in as programmers, in capacities they’re not trained in, doesn’t necessarily alter the current model. Indeed, it may reaffirm it.”
David Letterman Wins 2017 Mark Twain Prize
“Like Mark Twain, David Letterman distinguished himself as a cockeyed, deadpan observer of American behavior and, later in life, for his prodigious and distinctive facial hair. Now the two satirists share a further connection … He will officially receive the prize in a ceremony that will be held [at the Kennedy Center] on Oct. 22 and broadcast at a later date.”
Brooklyn’s Hottest Street Dance Style Takes To The Stage And Takes On Social Issues
FLEXN, created by opera and theatre director Peter Sellars and flex pioneer Reggie “Regg Roc” Gray, has grown and changed a lot in the two years since its premiere. Courtney Escoyne talks with Regg Roc about flexing as a dance form and how social justice messages were integrated into the piece.
The ‘Lady Professor’ Of Flexing On Being A Woman In A Very Male Dance Form
“Shelby Shellz Suzie Q Felton is a rarity in the flex world: a woman. However, as her name implies, she’s not just one woman, but three, wrapped into a single, articulate body. There is the day-to-day Shelby, who is quiet but given to quick humor. Then there’s Shellz, who ‘is very smooth, very relaxed,’ Ms. Felton said. And Suzie Q? ‘Suzie is more cutthroat.'”
Chuck Davis, 80, Godfather Of African Dance In America
Founder and longtime director of the DanceAfrica festival in Brooklyn and the African American Dance Ensemble in Durham, NC, Davis “was known both for his re-creations of traditional dances from throughout the African world and for his contemporary choreographed pieces that fused African traditions with modern dance.”
Native American Poet Wins $100K Ruth Lilly Prize
“The author of ten poetry collections and a memoir, [Joy] Harjo was born in Tulsa and is a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. Her poetry draws on Native American history and storytelling, as well as feminist and social justice issues.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 05.16.17
Can we, should we, brand “The Arts”?
Barry’s Blog has thoughts on this. He points out, correctly I think, that while individual airline companies – Delta, Virgin, Qantas – try to create a brand image of their own, there is also in the public mind an idea of the airline sector as a whole. … read more
AJBlog: For What It’s Worth Published 2017-05-16
Totally, Irresistibly Captivating
Doug Borwick on a concert by Sammy Miller and the Congregation at this year’s Charlotte Jazz Festival: “… what is related to this blog is their combination of high-end artistry and technical skill, musicianship, and knowledge of their discipline with total dedication to winning converts. The band even has a mission statement.” … read more
AJBlog: Engaging Matters Published 2017-05-16
Mistaken At The Getty, And Grateful About It
I was among the skeptics several years ago … [but] I’m glad to say that the Getty Trust’s messy structure, which has often caused problems in the past, particularly between the Trust’s president and the museum’s director, seems to be working well now. … read more
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts Published 2017-05-16
Monday Recommendation: Broadbent And Mancio
Georgia Mancio, Alan Broadbent, Songbook (Roomspin Records)
Pianist and composer Alan Broadbent has found his lyricist. Further good news: in their Songbook, Georgia Mancio sings her words to Broadbent’s songs with taste, feeling and faultless intonation. … read more
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2017-05-16
Is Trump Breaking ‘Saturday Night Live’?
As SNL‘s Lester Holt (Michael Che) said to the show’s Donald Trump (Alec Baldwin), “Every single day is something nuts. Your presidency is like the craziest show on TV, and it’s on 24 hours a day, and we can’t keep up.” Even so, argues Megan Garber, SNL could do better by hitting harder.