Demetrius Cunningham, an inmate at an Illinois correctional facility, wanted to learn to play so he could accompany the prison’s chapel choir. But he had access to a piano for only an hour a week. So he mocked up a model keyboard and got busy.
Author: Matthew Westphal
What A Pro Violinist Learns About Listening To Music From Playing For Prison Inmates
Chattanooga Symphony concertmaster Holly Mulcahy writes about what she has performed for prisoners, how she gets them to talk about what they heard, and what they said.
Stephen Petronio’s Dance Company Buys New Home In Catskills
The purchase was funded by the sale of visual art by some of Petronio’s famous collaborators.
The Death Photographer Of India’s Holy City
Indra Kumar Jha makes his living taking pictures of the funeral rites at the burning ghats on the Ganges River in Varanasi.
The Wonders Of Neapolitan Christmas Crèches
Garry Wills looks at the spectacular detail and the particular idiosyncracies of the collection of figurines at the Chicago Art Institute.
Top Posts From AJBlogs 12.29.16
Overbuilding of cultural facilities and ‘economic impact’
Followers of this blog are familiar with my thoughts on ‘economic impact‘ studies. But I think I have forgotten to mention yet another way in which these studies are not only useless, but positively harmful. … read more
AJBlog: For What It’s Worth Published 2016-12-28
12 Plays of Xmas: 2. Birth by TW Robertson
What does reality look like on stage? I’ll tell you what it doesn’t usually look like: a play that sets the finale in ivy-covered ruins on an aristocratic estate. … read more
AJBlog: Performance Monkey Published 2016-12-28
It’s Still the Christmas Season
When I wrote two recent seasonal posts here–about art-related Christmas/Chanukkah presents and about the Star Trail at the National Gallery – I had forgotten about an exhibition … read more
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts Published 2016-12-28
Debbie Reynolds Dead At 84, One Day After Her Daughter’s Death
Before she became known to a younger generation as Carrie Fisher‘s mother, Reynolds was one of America’s biggest stars – on stage, screen, and turntable – of the 1950s and ’60s. (Not to mention being the most famous of the women who lost their husbands to Elizabeth Taylor.)
For New Year’s, Enjoy Some Horror Stories Of Onstage Mishaps And Screw-Ups
“A stage is a dangerous and threatening environment, one in which chaos and calamity are never more than a protruding nail or a malfunctioning revolver away.” Actor Michael Simkins shares some of his favorite (if that’s the word) calamities.
At The End Of A Year Like 2016, Hope May Seem Futile – Here’s Why It’s Not
“Is it naïve to be optimistic? Foolish to harbor hope? Three modes of inquiry – neuroscience, history, and psychology – supply complementary and contrasting perspectives. By putting them together, you can start to see what good hope and optimism might do you. And the country.”
Quick, Where’s The World’s Oldest University? (Not Where You Probably Think It Is)
No, it’s not in Paris or Bologna; it’s not even in Europe. Or Asia, for that matter. What’s more, this university was founded, almost 1,200 years ago, by a woman.