“In 2012, after receiving a $1.2 million grant from Google and working with computer engineers and social scientists, Davis launched the Geena Davis Inclusion Quotient, or GD-IQ, a method of using facial and voice recognition technology to analyze movies, TV shows and ads. The software … is able to ascertain the number of women relative to men, as well as the amount of screen and speaking time they’re afforded. – The Washington Post
Author: Matthew Westphal
Cleveland Orchestra Extends With Franz Welser-Möst Through 2027, Returns To Recording, Launches Diversity Initiative
By the time Welser-Möst’s extension runs out in 2027, he will have been the orchestra’s music director for 25 years, one year longer than George Szell. Early in 2020, the orchestra will begin issuing a series of recordings (CD and digital) of concert performances, and the new fellowship program, called Nurturing Diverse Talent, aims to give young Black and Latinx musicians “people a chance to rise to the level of the Cleveland Orchestra.” – The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)
L.A.’s Free-Shakespeare-In-The-Park Will Finally Get A Permanent Stage Of Its Own
“The Independent Shakespeare Co., which has put on [the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival] since 2010, said the city soon will build a $4-million permanent stage where the temporary stage was located, pushing forward the stalled project.” – Los Angeles Times
Collector Paid $600 For Unknown Anthony Van Dyck Painting
A deteriorated oil sketch that Albert B. Roberts bought for $600 at an upstate New York auction in 2002 has turned out to be a study from circa 1620 for Van Dyck’s Saint Jerome with an Angel. The sketch — in as-is condition (including bird poop on the back) — is currently on view at the Albany (NY) Institute of History and Art. – artnet
Let’s Face It: Book Publishing Has A Serious Fact-Checking Problem
“In the past year alone, errors in books by several high-profile authors … have ignited a debate over whether publishers should take more responsibility for the accuracy of their books. … While in the fallout of each accuracy scandal everyone asks where the fact checkers are, there isn’t broad agreement on who should be paying for what is a time-consuming, labor-intensive process in the low-margin publishing industry.” – The New York Times
Anne Midgette Resigns As Washington Post’s Classical Music Critic
“I am resigning from @washingtonpost as of Nov. 22 to work on my book, be home at night for my son, and see what the next chapter holds. … The Post is committed to replacing me, and it will be exciting to see a new voice in the role. This was completely my choice. Excited to see what comes.” – Twitter
Baltimore Symphony Musicians Ratify One-Year Contract, End Lockout/Strike
For the time being — this season — management got what it wanted: a reduction of the orchestra’s season from 52 weeks to 40. Thanks to a special donation, the musicians will be paid for next summer, and their total compensation will fall by only 1.6%. – The Baltimore Sun
Burnishing Bertoldo: The Frick Spotlights Donatello’s Pupil/Michelangelo’s Teacher
Bertoldo di Giovanni, a favorite of Lorenzo de’ Medici and now the subject of a compact but comprehensive Frick Collection survey, is a Florentine sculptor who has been overshadowed by his more illustrious teacher (Donatello) and revered pupil (Michelangelo). – Lee Rosenbaum
Recent Listening: Kerry Politzer’s ‘Diagonal’
Kerry Politzer, Diagonal: A Tribute To Durval Ferreira
The pianist recruits several of her talented Pacific Northwest colleagues for this album of pieces by a Brazilian composer whose works were central to the rise of bossa nova. – Doug Ramsey
Women’s Place In The Art World: What’s Changed In The Past Ten Years? (An Investigation)
“To examine the evolving representation of work by female artists in American museums and the global auction market over the past decade, we not only delved into data, but also conducted extensive interviews.” This seven-part package includes data visualization, methodology, examinations of museums and the marketplace, interview excerpts, case studies, and a look at the difficulties facing working mothers. – artnet