As the arts sectors in the rest of the world look on and sob, “the German federal government has announced that it will increase its culture and media budget by more than €120 million ($140 million) in 2021, bringing the culture ministry’s total budget up to €1.94 billion ($2.26 billion). … Culture minister Monika Grütters says that such a strong budget for the final year before the German elections underscores the country’s commitment to culture, especially on top of its existing billion-dollar coronavirus rescue program.” – Artnet
Author: Matthew Westphal
A Sculpture Park For Art From Burning Man
No, not all the art on the Playa goes up in flames. In fact, Burners face a real problem: how do they get these enormous sculptures out of the Black Rock Desert and what do they do with them afterward? Now one longtime Burner has provided an option in the desert just outside Las Vegas: Area15, where artworks from the festival are put on display and offered for sale. – Artnet
Reconceiving Classical Music For The (COVID-Safe) Great Outdoors
Playing chamber music in a midtown Manhattan park? Sure, you can (especially if you’re playing Florence Price), but folks are getting way more creative these days. David Patrick Stearns reports on the Ellen Reid/New York Philharmonic app configured for Central Park, The Crossing dispersing its singers and a specially designed speaker system across a wildflower preserve, and a multi-composer “immersion” in Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery. – WQXR (New York City)
Even Rio’s Carnival Has Been Ruined By The Pandemic
“Rio’s League of Samba Schools, LIESA, announced Thursday night that the spread of the coronavirus has made it impossible to safely hold the traditional parades that are a cultural mainstay and, for many, a source of livelihood. … And while the decision is being characterized as a postponement of the event, no new date has been set.” – AP
It’s A Horrible Time For British Theatre, But It Could Be Great For Circuses
“With many circuses sustained by performers and backstage crew from outside the UK, Brexit is a cause for concern. But as the UK’s leading circus directors tell Douglas McPherson, it is also a chance for them to make their mark.” Why? “Circuses thrive in a recession.” – The Stage
Fifty Years Too Early: This 1970 Flop Is Just The Satire For 2020
The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer, a British film that featured Peter Cook, Graham Chapman and John Cleese of Monty Python, and Harold Pinter (as a vicious talk-show host), ended up coming out about six months too late for the British election it was meant to skewer. “[But] for today, the film’s observations on the intersection of media and politics seem uncannily prescient, anticipating the triumph of two populists on opposite sides of the pond: Donald J. Trump and Boris Johnson.” – The New York Times
F. Scott Fitzgerald In 1920 Was The Prophet Of 2020
“We should look anew at 1920 not because centenaries have magical properties but because Fitzgerald’s remarkably sensitive inner ear helped him register, before almost anyone else, when America started losing its balance.” – The New York Review of Books
Fire Destroys Moldova’s National Philharmonic Hall
“Firefighters worked for seven hours to put out the fire on Thursday afternoon and were still there on Friday morning. According to the Emergency Situations Inspectorate, the flames burned an area of about 3,500 square metres, reducing much of the interior to ashes.” – Balkan Insight
Things Seem Genuinely Hopeful At Baltimore Symphony For First Time In Years
Only a year ago, musicians and management were just ending a very bitter lockdown-turned-strike, and unflattering details of the orchestra’s severe money troubles had been splashed across the media. Now, despite the pandemic, there’s a new five-year contract in place and a spirit of cooperation. “It’s an astonishing reversal of fortune,” says the co-chairman of the players’ committee; “We’re working together in ways we haven’t in many, many years,” says the CEO. – Baltimore Magazine
BAFTA Overhauls Its Awards System To Make It More Diverse
“[The package of changes] includes adding 1,000 new members to its committee and limiting the amount that studios can spend campaigning for nominations, in a bid to recognise more diverse talent. The wide-ranging changes … are the result of a seven-month review process, which was triggered by heavy criticism over the lack of diversity in its major awards earlier this year.” – The Guardian