“The Indiana State Symphony Society, the body that runs the orchestra, is now asking the musicians to agree to a 38-week annual schedule that would result in the loss of one or two pops concerts, four to six classical concerts, and approximately half of the summer performances at Conner Prairie annually.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Eli Broad’s Foundation Finally Makes Good On Its Pledge To MoCA
“The Broad Foundation has made a $1.5-million payment to L.A.’s Museum of Contemporary Art, bringing it out of arrears on Eli Broad’s pledge to provide $3 million a year for MOCA’s exhibitions through 2013.”
Metal Casting From Leonardo Da Vinci Sculpture Unveiled
“A metal casting of a 504-year-old Leonardo da Vinci beeswax sculpture was unveiled to the world in a ceremony on Monday in Los Angeles. Horse and Rider is the only known three-dimensional piece of art created by Leonardo to still exist.”
Historic Shrines In Libya Destroyed By Islamist Radicals
“The United Nations cultural agency UNESCO has urged Libyan authorities to protect Sufi mosques and shrines under repeated attack by hardline Islamists who consider the traditional mystical school of Islam heretical.”
National Theatre Of Uganda Refuses To Stage Gay-Themed Play
“The River and the Mountain, which tells the story of a young businessman coming to terms with being gay in a climate of homophobia, was due to be performed at the National Theatre of Uganda last week before regulators intervened. Some shows went ahead at two smaller venues.”
The Esteemed Art Critic Who’s A College Dropout
The New Yorker‘s Peter Schjeldahl: “A high-school diploma is my highest academic achievement – actually I’ve got a couple of honorary degrees to go with it – but I think the distinction is people have to want to read me. Academic writing is written for people who have to read it and if the academic writer shows any kind of style or flair then people are just going to resent it.”
‘The Biggest Showcase Of Disabled Arts The World Has Ever Witnessed’
Lyn Gardner looks forward to the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympics – and thinks it could change the way able-bodied Britons think about art by the disabled.
Is Free Will Even Worth Having, Really? (It Depends)
Daniel Dennett, author of Freedom Evolved, Consciousness Explained, and Darwin’s Dangerous Idea, ponders the question with Nigel Warburton.
He Wanted To Be A Football Ace And Ended Up A Ballet Star
As a 12-year-old in South Carolina, Brooklyn Mack convinced his mom to take him to ballet lessons because he thought it would make him better at football. (Which it would.) Now he’s a principal at the Washington Ballet and the first African-American male to win a gold medal at the Varna competition.
Australian-Rules Football Hits The Ballet Stage
The Australian Ballet’s current program of seminal works in the company’s (and country’s) history includes two works (out of three) that focus on football. Says choreographer Graeme Murphy, “I’m having to teach some of the dancers what a drop-kick is. It’s a lost artform.”