At Bloomberg, Tyler Cowen has a short post on some unintended consequences of a wealth tax, and his is (let’s say) an unusual take. – Michael Rushton
Author: Matthew Westphal
Monkman Mischief: How Kent’s “Miss Chief Eagle Testickle” May Prank the Met
For me, the most jaw-dropping instance of curatorial (and directorial) trend-chasing was the Met’s announcement that the Canadian Cree artist Kent Monkman had been commissioned by the museum to create two monumental paintings for the museum’s Great Hall. – Lee Rosenbaum
‘This Is One Of The Best Times Ever To Be A Black Creative’ In Theatre, Says One Of UK’s Top Directors
Kwame Kwei-Armah, artistic director of the Young Vic in London (and former artistic director of Center Stage in Baltimore): “People are listening in a way they didn’t 10 years ago, 20 years ago, and history has taught us that they certainly didn’t listen any time before that.” – Backstage
New Global Version Of EU’s ‘European Capital of Culture’
The World Performing Arts Capitals, a joint project of the International Theatre Institute and UNESCO, “twin a major metropolis like London or New York with a smaller city or town, similar to those selected for the European Capitals of Culture, or a major city with limited budget as found in Africa, Latin America, Asia and parts of Europe.” (Another report says that the first two cities selected are Shanghai and Wrocław, Poland.) – The Stage
Walter J. Minton, Publisher Who Dared To Print ‘Lolita’, Dead At 96
As president of G.P. Putnam’s Sons, Minton published such classics as Lord of the Flies, The Godfather, and The Spy Who Came In From the Cold, and he was “among the first to recognize the potential of mass-market paperbacks … But he was perhaps best known for books that challenged the nation’s prevailing notions and legal definitions of pornography.” – The New York Times
MacArthur ‘Genius’ Tyshawn Sorey Is Opera Philadelphia’s Next Composer-In-Residence
“Although he has never written an opera, his appointment grew out of Cycles of My Being, a set of emotionally complex songs he composed for [tenor Lawrence Brownlee and] Opera Philadelphia exploring the African American male experience.” – The Philadelphia Inquirer
Formal ‘Directing Nudity And Simulated Sex’ Guidelines Created For British Filmmakers
“Launched by Directors UK, the professional association for screen directors, the guidelines were, according to the organization, ‘born of the need to set clear and shared professional expectations that apply to everyone involved in making sensitive content, with the aim that they will become standard working practice within the industry.'” – The Hollywood Reporter
Where’s The Stolen Gold Toilet? There Are Few Clues But Lots Of Theories
“The police are still looking for the missing john — an artwork called America by Maurizio Cattelan — but, so far, they remain empty-handed. … Six people had been arrested in connection with the theft, only to be released later without charge.” Local residents have any number of ideas about what’s happened to America, and the common thread to all of them is that no one takes the incident seriously. – The New York Times
Stolen Gold Toilet Inspires Ad Campaign For Art Insurance
“Arte Generali saw a solid gold opportunity to penetrate the Italian art market, … [with an ad campaign that] features artist Maurizio Cattelan clowning around in the buff with only oversized paper cutouts of his works — including the missing toilet — to protect him.” (includes video) – Hyperallergic
Former Baltimore Mayor Indicted For Fraud And Tax Evasion Over Her Self-Published Children’s Books
“An 11-count federal indictment accuses Catherine Pugh of arranging fraudulent sales of her Healthy Holly books to schools, libraries and a medical system to enrich herself, promote her political career and fund her run for mayor.” – Yahoo! (AP)