“Before he died in 2008, the brashly inventive artist Robert Rauschenberg appointed three of his dearest friends and longtime business associates as trustees to administer his $600 million-plus estate and protect the charitable foundation he had created in his name. But now, that foundation and the three men entrusted with its welfare are engaged in a court battle in Florida [and New York].”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Can Architecture Help Solve The Israeli-Palestinian Dispute?
A pair of Israeli architects, using the principles of their profession and of urban planning, “have spent years working on highly specific ideas for how policymakers could divide Jerusalem between Israel and Palestine without doing permanent damage to the delicate urban fabric of the city.”
How Do You Rebrand A Country?
Building on the cultural capital acquired through everything from anime and manga to sushi bars, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is developing a campaign – along the lines of the recent “Incredible India” – around the tagline “Cool Japan”. Could a slogan mitigate the effects of Fukushima or the dolphin killings on Japan’s image?
Here’s A Switch: England Risks Losing Acting Talent To Scotland
“England risks a ‘talent drain’ of artists taking advantage of a more welcoming Scottish funding and political climate, Laurie Sansom, the artistic director of the National Theatre of Scotland, has warned.”
Ballet Designer Sues Mariinsky Theater Over Unpaid Fees
“Prominent Russian artist Mikhail Shemyakin said in an interview published Tuesday that he intended to sue St. Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theater because of unpaid fees for his work as chief designer on a series of ballet productions staged eight years ago.” Shemyakin says he was told that Mariinsky director Valery Gergiev personally forbid payment to be made.
Little Shed Perks Up Great Big National Theatre
“The Shed, a temporary small theater under the aegis of the National Theater in London, has helped bring vitality to its venerable bigger sibling.”
Why Elmore Leonard Was Important Far Beyond The World Of Genre Fiction
“Even people who don’t read crime fiction have felt Leonard’s legacy, which can be detected in everything from the films of Quentin Tarantino to the novels of David Foster Wallace. He wrote bestsellers and got called a ‘literary genius’ by that notoriously tough critic, Martin Amis.” And then there are those invaluable ten rules for writers.
Here’s One Small Magazine Supporting Itself Entirely Through (Cheap!) Subscriptions
Rachel Rosenfelt, editor of The New Inquiry: “We have no paywall, no advertisers, no benefactors, and we’re creative commons. Two dollars a month is $24 a year, and that’s actually pretty standard for a magazine subscription. But because we make it so low a barrier to support us, we’ve been doing very well with that.”
Two Rockers Try Earning A Living Through A Subscription Radio Site
“Even before the record business imploded, musicians regularly brainstormed about ways to get their work to potential listeners. But Carla Kihlstedt and Matthias Bossi were feeling more than the usual sense of urgency when they came up with a novel plan, a subscription Web site, Rabbit Rabbit Radio, to distribute new music by their latest band, Rabbit Rabbit.”
Mandy Patinkin Behaved Abominably? (Well, Not Always)
“If temperamental actors are referred to as ‘handfuls,’ Mandy … is the motherlode. He is a man whose abilities and doubts have waged torturous battle for nearly four decades: The Tale of Two Mandys has played as a sideshow to his actual work.”