For most American museums, annual contributions are the biggest source of revenue – and that source tends to dry up when the economy turns sour. At the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Mass., director Dan L. Monroe seems well on the way to making endowment income the biggest revenue source, ahead of both annual contributions and earned income.
Author: Matthew Westphal
Rhode Island Theater Offers Free Seats To Tweeters
“The Providence Performing Arts Center … has designated a section of its theater for ‘tweet seats’ since last spring. Located in the back two rows to avoid distracting patrons, the seats are free for those who promise to live-tweet a performance.”
Quantum Physics Takes Over Even Our Sense Of Smell
“A controversial theory that the way we smell involves a quantum physics effect has received a boost, following experiments with human subjects. It challenges the notion that our sense of smell depends only on the shapes of molecules we sniff in the air.”
Are Wine Experts Charlatans, Even If They Don’t Know It? (Yes And No)
“With wine, however, blind taste tests by experts are supposed to eliminate those external cues. But it turns out the experts may be no more reliable than the rest of us.”
In Praise Of San Francisco Ballet’s Board (They Did It Right)
“The transition after former director Lew Christensen’s death in 1984 was troubled. The trustees took a chance on the inexperienced Tomasson, despite much grumbling in the community. Yet, according to both Tomasson and Ballet Executive Director Glenn McCoy, it has been ever since a happy relationship between the artistic staff, executive wing and occupants of the boardroom.”
Data Are In: Arts Education Really Does Improve Student Academic Performance
“New research finds 1994 legislation that included the arts as a core subject in American schools made a difference in many places.”
German Court Rules That Internet Access Is ‘Essential’
“A German court ruled on Thursday that people have the right to claim compensation from service providers if their Internet access is disrupted, because the Internet is an ‘essential’ part of life.”
Why Zero Dark Thirty Seems To Have Fallen Out Of Oscar Contention
“Earlier this month, the conventional wisdom was that Kathryn Bigelow’s hunt-for-Osama bin Laden film was the one to beat.” Since then, Ben Affleck’s Iran-hostage drama Argo has developed momentum, especially after big wins at the Golden Globes and SAG Awards. “What’s going on? Well, the truth is, it has probably been over for Zero Dark for a while now.”
Is There Hope For Opera Colorado?
“The financial stumble of Opera Colorado this month – resulting in the abrupt cancellation of the company’s highly touted premiere of The Scarlet Letter – leaves the city with just two major productions for the entire year. Next year, too. The company is still labeling its offerings a ‘season’, but that’s a stretch.”
The Battle For Sylvia Plath, 50 Years After Her Death
“On one side stand those who place culpability for Plath’s suicide squarely on the head of her husband, the late English poet Ted Hughes. The other side, equally intransigent, blames her innately tortured psyche, which had led to at least one prior suicide attempt.”