“What is sentimentality? Is it a manipulation tactic, a type of emotion – the desire to be overwhelmed mixed with self-regard – or an overwrought response to a trigger? What factors predispose you to it: youth or age, a gene, a gender, a mood, an IQ score? Is sentimentality useless or precious? … Why does weeping in the darkness of the theater feel so lovely? Why does clicking on an Upworthy link feel so wrong?”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Athol Fugard, Arvo Pärt, Steven Holl Win Japan’s Praemium Imperiale
“Thee popular Estonian composer Arvo Pärt and the South African playwright Athol Fugard are among the recipients of the [$147,500] 2014 Praemium Imperiale awards, Japan’s highest honors in the arts. This year’s roster of winners also includes architect Steven Holl, painter Martial Raysse and sculptor Giuseppe Penone.”
Architect Randall Stout, 56
“Mr. Stout, an associate in Frank Gehry’s office before establishing his own firm in 1996 in Los Angeles, explored the relationship between architecture and energy in holistic designs that were no less sculptural and humane for being ecologically responsible. Sustainability helped shape form.”
“The Mikado” Is Asian Blackface, Says Chinese-American Columnist
Sharon Pian Chan: “The Mikado is the same shtick, different race. A black wig and white face powder stand in for shoeshine. Bowing and shuffling replaces tap dancing. Fans flutter where banjos would be strummed. … This is the wrong show – wrong for Seattle, wrong for this country and wrong for this century. And I don’t mean wong.”
“A Flaming Bag Of Dog Poop”: Seattle G&S Society Responds To “Mikado”-As-Yellowface Column
Company business manager Pamela Kelley Elend: “Ms. Chan formed her opinion, and it is an opinion not backed up by facts, research, or actually seeing a performance … She wielded that power [of the press] to lob the journalistic equivalent of a flaming bag of dog poop on our door step. We can try to stomp out the fire, and rinse off the residue, but we are still tainted by the stink.”
What If 21st Century Fox Really Had Bought Time Warner?
The mega-conglomerate would certainly have been Hollywood’s heaviest hitter, but the risks of meshing the two studios would have been risky for everyone involved, including the entire Los Angeles area.
Leaders Of Defunct San Jose Rep Pour Hopes Into Fairy-Tale Musical
“[The Snow Queen‘s] themes of persistence and determination are fitting. Two of its creators, Rick Lombardo and Kirsten Brandt, lost their jobs last month as artistic director and associate artistic director of the San Jose Repertory Theater, when it closed and filed for bankruptcy.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 07.16.14
American Art Bonanza Left By Richard Mellon Scaife
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts | Published 2014-07-16
The Self-Centered Pursuit of Diversity
AJBlog: Engaging Matters | Published 2014-07-16
The Peter Gelb furor
AJBlog: Sandow | Published 2014-07-16
Grand Bargain vs. Tawdry Fire Sale: Detroit Institute of Arts’ Progress on the Former, Caveats on the Latter
AJBlog: CultureGrrl | Published 2014-07-16
“Anonymous” Women, Once Again
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts | Published 2014-07-17
Placemaking: Bringing People Together
AJBlog: Field Notes | Published 2014-07-17
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Italy Turns To Corporate Sponsors To Maintain Its Monuments
“The practice of using corporate largess to finance restoration projects for public antiquities was once fairly rare here. But with the nation struggling with a stagnant economy and crushing public debt – Rome is flirting off and on with bankruptcy – politicians are now looking to private companies and international sources to help preserve Italy’s cultural heritage.”
The Real News In The Detroit Institute Of Arts Appraisal Report
“Anyone who looks upon DIA as an ATM will be in for a shock. Because in every case, the report argues, the result will be sale prices significantly below the low-end appraisal figure. Finally, some common sense has entered into the discussion of DIA’s fate.”