“The hand-painted card he had received showed a procession of pre-Raphaelite maidens worshipping at his shrine, his noble profile floating on a banner among the trees over their heads. It had been sent anonymously, but he knew instantly who it was from: May Morris, the daughter of his great friend William Morris, the socialist author, artist and designer.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
The 1950s Computer That Generated Love Letters
In the summer of 1953, Christopher Strachey, a colleague of Alan Turing at the University of Manchester computer lab, wrote a program that made the lab’s Ferranti Mark 1 mainframe churn out love letters according to a template (e.g., “you are my [adjective] [noun]“). Beginning eight years ago, artist David Link constructed a model of the old computer and started running Strachey’s software (if that’s the word) once more.
The New York Times Tells You How To Navigate A Museum
Now this is service journalism! First of the paper’s four suggestions is “Set a Time Limit and Eat Before You Go”; the last is “Consider a Private Guide.” These suggestions were offered by the founder of a company that provides patrons with private guides for museums.
Fort Worth Opera Fires Its General Director
Scott Cantrell writes: “By any measure, Woods has transformed Fort Worth Opera from a struggling local company to one attracting national and even international attention for creative boldness and increasingly sophisticated productions.” FWO board chair Mike Martinez told Cantrell, “To be able to focus on development, business management, fundraising beyond Tarrant Country or North Texas – we just need somebody else in that regard.”
Naked Ladies Are Back: Playboy Ends Its Nudity-Free Experiment After A Year
Chief creative officer Cooper Hefner: “Nudity was never the problem because nudity isn’t a problem. Today we’re taking our identity back and reclaiming who we are.”
New York Times Reviews Eight Concerts In 90 Words Or Less Each
“Michael Hersch’s end stages, commissioned and given its New York premiere by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, was a little-relieved cry of anguish and anger in the face of terminal illness and death. But with a faint tolling of orchestral bells and whimpers in the violins at the end of the second movement, attitude gave way to what seemed a touching glimpse of the suffering soul itself.”
San Antonio Symphony Hacked, Staffers’ Data Compromised
The hackers stole names, addresses, W-2 forms and other information for about 250 full- and part-time employees.
How To Get Through The Next Four Tumultuous Years On Social Media? Anne Midgette Says Opera Can Help
After all, there’s no better way to learn how to make your voice heard over a lot of noise without wearing yourself out.
Merce Cunningham Is Now Fodder For Art Museums
“No choreographer in history has so naturally prompted museum exhibitions as Merce Cunningham. For more than 65 years, his form of radical dance theater was a vehicle for historic artistic experimentation, with brave breakthroughs of color, idiom, content.” Alastair Macaulay visit the new (and large) Merce exhibit at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis.
Chinese Curators Of Anselm Kiefer Show Are Fighting With His Dealers
Anselm Kiefer: Coagulation was organized by the Central Academy of Fine Arts Museum, where it ran at the end of last year as part of a four-city China tour. Kiefer himself says that the exhibition is happening without his consent, and the galleries that represent him are objecting as well; the show’s (German) chief curator calls this an attack on her curatorial freedom and says that commerical interests are trying to interfere.