“The Icelandic Art Center (IAC) in Reykjavik – the commissioner of artist Christoph Büchel’s mosque in a disused church at this year’s Venice Biennale which was shut down by city authorities – has filed a claim seeking the immediate reopening of the project … [which] was closed late May after being open for only two weeks.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Top Posts From AJBlogs 07.27.15
In defense of the quieting of the audience (and so-called passive participation)
AJBlog: Jumper Published 2015-07-27
Art Review, In Passing, Reveals A Recurring Museum Problem
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts Published 2015-07-27
Harry Partch’s sonic cathedral – and what others have built around it.
AJBlog: Condemned to Music Published 2015-07-23
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Metropolitan Museum Breaks Attendance Record
“Buoyed by strong international tourism, a spate of well-attended shows and a seven-day-a-week schedule, the Metropolitan Museum of Art drew 6.3 million visitors in the last year, the most since it began tracking these statistics more than 40 years ago.”
Andrew Davis Re-Ups With Melbourne Symphony Through 2019
“The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra has confirmed the maestro will extend his original four-year tenure to lead the orchestra until 2019, parallel to his work with Chicago’s Lyric Opera and the Toronto and BBC symphony orchestras.”
They’ve Rediscovered Some Lost Pablo Neruda Poems
“The poems were found by archivists last June, in boxes kept at the Pablo Neruda foundation in Santiago, Chile. They were published by Neruda’s Spanish publisher, Seix Barral, but have not yet been released in English. … The collection, titled, Then Come Back: The Lost Neruda, will be translated by the poet and novelist Forrest Gander, and will include full color reproductions of the handwritten poems.”
NEH Announces First ‘Public Scholar’ Grants
“The Public Scholar program, a major new initiative from the National Endowment for the Humanities, is designed to promote the publication of scholarly nonfiction books for a general audience, and the first round of grants has just been announced: a total of $1.7 million to 36 writers across a broad collection of disciplines. The grants range from $25,200 to $50,400. (Full list at bottom.)”
Pianist Ivan Moravec Dead At 84
“A noted Chopin interpreter, Moravec focused on the ‘central’ Romantic repertoire as well as music by Czech composers. … [He] enjoyed a loyal following among piano buffs thanks to his recordings and relatively rare concert appearances.” (includes video)
How Poor Are Most Dancers? This Poor
“More than half of professional dancers [in Britain] earn less than £5,000 a year from their performance work, according to a new survey. The statistics also show that around 50% of dancers’ jobs pay less than the minimum wage, and that 70% of dancers have performed in ‘unsuitable work environments’ in the past 12 months.”
This Reality Show Thought It Was A Good Idea To Send Contestants To A Syrian War Zone
The show, called Go Back to Where You Came From, “is a three-part reality series aimed at sparking a conversation on immigration by sending six Australians to see refugee conditions in person.” And considering the current Australian government’s policy toward refugees (park them on a distant Pacific island or tow them back out to sea), perhaps showing what it’s like along the Iraqi-Syrian border was a good idea.
Anna Deavere Smith Takes On The ‘School-To-Prison Pipeline’
“As the term has gained greater currency – even the White House is using it – a belated spotlight has fallen on one of the key contributors to mass incarceration in this country.” In her latest documentary theater piece, “Smith transforms herself into the experts and witnesses she has consulted, including the late educational philosopher Maxine Greene, Councilman Michael Tubbs from Stockton, Taos Proctor, [and] a Yurok fisherman and former inmate.”