“The turmoil will only further damage an institution that has, for most of its existence, failed to live up to its name while presenting one mediocre exhibition after another.” Aaron Betsky argues that the root of the problems at the Smithsonian’s design museum (and its only branch in New York) isn’t the fault of anyone in particular, but it will require the equivalent of radical surgery. – Dezeen
Author: Matthew Westphal
Settlement Terms Revealed In Lawsuit Over Audible’s Captioning Of Audiobooks
“Now that it’s public, it’s still not clear why the parties sought to keep the settlement terms private in the first place, other than the fact that NDAs and confidentiality agreements have become the default for Audible’s parent company, Amazon. Beyond the revelation of the settlement containing payments from Audible, the settlement is brief, and its 18 terms are simple, standard, and straightforward.” – Publishers Weekly
Classical Concerts Are Too Damn Long, Says Critic
Jeremy Reynolds took a couple of friends to their first symphony concert and sent them home at intermission — and not because they were misbehaving or ill. Here he explains why. (Even intermissions should be shorter, he says.) – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A New ‘Neoclassical Ballet Collective’ In London
Says choreographer Andrew McNicol, “With McNicol Ballet Collective I wanted to create a new type of company that offers world-class dancers a flexible performance platform that’s able to fit in around the repertoire and commitments of their individual home companies.” – The Stage
How The U.S. Cultural World Is Bracing For Coronavirus
“Ushers in some theaters are wearing latex gloves. Museums are installing hand sanitizer dispensers as if they were pieces of art. Audience members are being told: If you have a cough, please, trade in your tickets and stay home. As the coronavirus spreads in the United States, theaters, museums and concert halls are hyperaware that their establishments could become petri dishes for a virus that is spread person-to-person through respiratory droplets.” – The New York Times
Cash Crisis At New Orleans Theatre Leads To Layoffs, Cancellation
“The Southern Rep Theatre company has laid off six staff members and canceled an upcoming play as it struggles to pay expenses and debt, artistic director Aimee Hayes said Thursday. The 34-year-old playhouse hopes to raise $350,000 in a GoFundMe crowd-sourced donation campaign in order to return to full operation.” – The Times-Picayune (New Orleans)
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Architecture School Changes Its Mind About Closing
“More than a month after the board overseeing the School of Architecture at Taliesin announced the school would close after 88 years of operation, the board has reversed its decision and plans to keep the school open.” This does not mean that the school is saved: “It remains unclear whether the foundation that oversees Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin properties in Scottsdale and Wisconsin will agree.” – The Arizona Republic (Phoenix)
Washington Post Names Anne Midgette’s Successor As Classical Critic
Michael Brodeur, most recently an assistant arts editor and critic at the Boston Globe, starts work next week. – The Washington Post
Italy’s Museums Are Open Again, But You Have To Stay Three Feet Away From Everyone Else
Fortunately, thanks to fear of the coronavirus outbreak that has led to this rule, it’s easy to comply with. – The New York Times
‘I Was In ‘Riverdance’ — A Dance Critic Fesses Up
Siobhan Burke: “Divulging this information has never been simple, not during the four and a half years I spent touring, on and off, with the Irish dance extravaganza, and not in the decade since I last set foot onstage with the show. … The mere sight of a Riverdance billboard … fills me with an uneasy mix of affection and anxiety, embarrassment and pride.” – The New York Times