Matthew Westphal – Page 1900 – ArtsJournal Wayback

John Cleese Says Comedy Ain’t What It Used To Be Because Audiences Today Don’t Know Anything

“In my day, anyone who is vaguely educated – in other words, they know where Pakistan was … or that they had a vague idea which century Henry VIII [lived in] – would give you the opportunity for all sorts of humor. … The general feeling is that anything that doesn’t affect you personally is not worth knowing about. … It’s kind of like, ‘Geography? Well, I don’t need to know about that.'”

How One Orchestra Protects Its Players From Hearing Loss

“Nine years ago, [the Queensland Symphony] started ongoing noise exposure monitoring, data reviews and plotting noise maps for concert halls and orchestra pits where the musicians played.” The results: changed layout, risers for some musicians, acoustical screens, high-tech earplugs – and much less damage to the ears, especially of brass and percussion players.

Could What Almost Happened In Detroit Happen With Other Cities’ Museums?

“There are other museums around the country whose objects are owned, in whole or in part, by government entities, and the DIA’s excruciating experience in defending its collection against the predations of the city’s creditors should be a wake-up call to them.”

Ursula K. LeGuin On Choosing, And Straddling, Genres

“Ah, genre. A word only a Frenchman could love. Well, you ask how I decide which genre to write in, and I have to answer, mostly I don’t. My mind doesn’t work that way. … I didn’t follow the sf rules and conventions unless I felt like it; essentially I went on writing what I wanted to write, and they could call it what they liked.”

Are University Art Museums Doing What Mainstream U.S. Museums No Longer Do?

“Counter-intuitively, university art museums are proving capable of realizing the ideals that other art museums espouse in facile mission statements polished to a gleam by publicists – primarily a ‘commitment’ to serve as cultural resources for the public and to make art education accessible.”

Wait, So Now Physical And Emotional Pain Aren’t The Same Thing Neurologically?

“In recent years, researchers and the public have, to a certain extent, latched onto the idea that there are important similarities between physical and emotional pain … At the very least,” according to new research, “pain and rejection appear to show up as distinct ‘representations’ in fMRI (brain scan) readings of study participants.”

James Patterson Is On A Crusade To Save Reading (And He Says Amazon Should Help)

The world’s best-selling author, who gave out $1 million in grants to independent bookstores this year, strongly believes that the practice of reading for enjoyment is in danger in the U.S., especially among the young. In a Q&A, he talks about how he’s trying to help turn that tide, and what Jeff Bezos could do for the cause.

23 Cool Maps And Charts About Language

Linguistic family trees; languages maps of China, India, and Ukraine; how well various EU nationals can converse in English; the most common second language in each U.S. state; a graphic timeline of the history of the English language; a graph charting the rise and fall of the semicolon … a treasure trove for language and graphics geeks.

Poland’s National Opera House Reaches For The Big Leagues

The Teatr Wielki “has embarked on a new wave of collaborations with major European houses, while maintaining a commitment to Polish repertory. The theater is being physically overhauled … The annual budget of approximately $50 million – 80 percent of which comes from the Ministry of Culture – has doubled since 1998 … The attendance rate has hovered above 90 percent since 2010.”

Author: Matthew Westphal