When the NBCC statement was posted, a foreword was appended which said, in part, “In the course of our committee’s discussion with the rest of the board, a board member responded to the statement with an email that many of us saw as racist. Before a planned vote on the statement today, details from the board’s internal discussion were released on social media, and some board members have announced their resignation.” – The Guardian
Author: Matthew Westphal
#TakeTwoKnees And The Art Of Transforming Familiar Music In Troubled Times
Anthony McGill, New York Philharmonic principal clarinetist, launched a new mini-genre of musical protest on May 28 when he tweeted a video of himself playing “America the Beautiful,” transposed into a minor key, in honor of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and “the struggle for justice and decency.” David Patrick Stearns surveys some #TakeTwoKnees responses and some similar musical repurposings from earlier years — from Leonard Bernstein’s famous Beethoven 9th at the fallen Berlin Wall to Jimi Hendrix’s “Star-Spangled Banner” at Woodstock to Judy Garland on live TV transforming “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” into a funeral march for JFK. – WQXR (New York City)
Perhaps The Perfect American Artist For This Moment Is One Who’s Been Working For Six Decades
The themes of racial (in)equality and (in)justice that are now starting to get the attention they deserve have been material for Faith Ringgold for her entire career. Yet, faced with the death of her husband this winter and the coronavirus epidemic, this prolific 89-year-old artist found herself creatively paralyzed. Then George Floyd was murdered, the nation erupted in outrage, and Ringgold got back to work. – The New York Times
The Pragmatic Art Of The Post-Pandemic Concert
As COVID-19 gets more and more contained on the island, the National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan is moving back into live performance, gradually increasing the numbers of both musicians and attendees while keeping safety measures in place. NSOT music director Shao-Chia Lü and executive director Wen-Chen Kuo talk about the logistics involved. – Van
Minority Artists Making Art About Their Difficulties As Minorities? Great, But There Are Ethical Pitfalls To Look Out For
Funding nonwhite creators to make work using stories from their own underrepresented communities may seem a self-evidently good thing, but there are potential dangers — to the artists themselves and to the communities involved — in telling those stories publicly, and the artists may not have the support to deal with the fallout. Dr. Ranjit Khutan, an expert in arts and public health, suggests four basic ethical principles for both funders and creators to keep in mind. – Arts Professional
15 Black Creatives In South Carolina Talk About Art And Protest
“[We] reached out to more than a dozen black artists” — painters, actors, musicians, poets, quilters, hip-hop artists — “across the state to discuss what they think is at the center of today’s protests and how their art has been part of the movement and catalyst for change.” – The Post and Courier (Charleston)
Kimmel Center In Philadelphia Furloughs 80% Of Staff, Cuts Pay For Rest
“By December, the city’s largest performing arts presenter will have missed out on revenue from about 800 shows, events, and rentals since mid-March, when it closed the doors to its halls because of the coronavirus pandemic. These events would have been attended by about 700,000 visitors.” – The Philadelphia Inquirer
YouTube Establishes $100 Million Fund To Support Black Creatives
The video platform is launching the multi-year initiative to fund content hosted on the site “to center and amplify Black voices and perspectives,” as YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki put it in a statement on the company’s official blog. The first work supported by the new program will be a multi-hour benefit, featuring roundtables and performances, streaming on Saturday (June 13) under the title Bear Witness, Take Action. – Variety
Archaeologist Sentenced To Two Years In Prison For Fabricating Find
“The discoveries were little short of miraculous: pieces of third-century pottery engraved with one of the first depictions of the crucified Christ, along with Egyptian hieroglyphics, and with Basque words that predated the earliest known written examples of the language by 600 years.” No miracles here, though: there were serious anachronisms in the engravings as well as traces of modern glue. Archaeologist Eliseo Gil and two collaborators were convicted of fraud in a Spanish court. – The Guardian
Pandemic Has Hurt Theatre In UK Worse Than In US Or Canada: Study
The research by TRG Arts and Purple Seven found that, compared to the same period in 2019, ticket revenue fell by 71% in North America and by 92% in the United Kingdom over two weeks in March. The key difference seems to be deeper audience loyalty in North America. – American Theatre