The AZ Phil, whose creation has been spearheaded by Toni Tennille (of the 1970s pop duo The Captain and Tennille), will be based in Prescott, where it will give its first concert on August 26.
Author: Matthew Westphal
Best Popular Film Oscar Isn’t New – There’s Been One Before
“As it happens, before the Oscars were even the Oscars (the name was officially Academy-approved in 1939), the awards show actually played this card in its [very] first iteration, but arguably with very different motives in mind.”
Albright-Knox Builds A Public Art Boom In Buffalo
“The 156-year-old museum is now five years into an ambitious program that’s been injecting life into the Western New York region’s parks, neighborhoods, buildings, and other infrastructure through paint, plastic, steel, cloth, and whatever else their international cast of commissioned artists want to work with.” In a Q&A, Albright-Knox public art curator Aaron Ott talks about the works that have gone up, their reception by the public, and the lessons he’s learned.
They Can Now 3D-Print Pointe Shoes For Ballet Dancers
Product design graduate Hadar Neeman saw the feet of a ballerina friend and thought there had to be a way to make a pointe shoe that offers more protection. So she designed one. Custom-printed out of elastomeric polymer and synthetic satin to match a scan of the dancer’s foot, Neeman’s shoes reportedly last three times as long as traditional handmade pointe shoes.
Pussy Riot Member, Denied Permission To Leave Russia, Sneaks Over Border
Maria Alyokhina – one of the three artist-activists who was arrested and jailed for singing “Mother of God, cast Putin out!” in a Moscow cathedral in 2012 – was leaving for her scheduled appearance at the Edinburgh Fringe when Russian border guards at the airport told her she was barred from leaving the country. So she drove to Lithuania and flew from there.
Massachusetts Increases Arts Funding For First Time In Four Years
“Gov. Charlie Baker last week vetoed the addition of the $2 million in funding for the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the umbrella organization that distributes arts funding. This week … the Massachusetts Legislature overrode the governor’s veto, increasing the budget for the umbrella organization from $14.1 million to $16.1 million. It’s the first increase in four years.”
Why Did Mass. Lawmakers Override Arts Funding Veto? They Know That Funding Culture Pays Off
“In fiscal year 2016, the Mass. Cultural Council invested $4.5 million in 400 nonprofits that generated more than $1.2 billion for the state’s economy.” Matt Wilson, executive director of advocacy organization MASSCreative, lays out examples of the difference that state seed funding of arts and culture makes, especially in towns that aren’t as prosperous as Boston is.
Can’t The Legendary Cabarets Of Paris Do Any Better Than The Cancan?
Okay, the shows at the Moulin Rouge, the Lido, and the Crazy Horse do include more than just the high-kick dance that dates back to 1889. Even so, writes Laura Cappelle, for all the resources and skill applied to these clubs’ shows (especially the Moulin Rouge’s), “the genre that was once the toast of Paris lost touch with the times in the last decades of the 20th century.”
Destroyed Artwork Listing Refugee Deaths Is Back On View
The project, titled The List and produced by artist Banu Cennetoğlu, displays the names of 34,361 migrants attempting to reach Europe who have died en route since 1993. The work was torn down by vandals late last month from its outdoor display at the Liverpool Biennial; it was reinstalled this past Monday (August 5), though Biennial organizers say it may be targeted again.
Twelve Authors Denied Visas To Appear At Edinburgh Book Festival
“The festival … has reported a jump in refusals over the last few years. This year, about a dozen individuals had gone through an extremely difficult process to obtain a visa, [director Nick] Barley said. They were from Middle East and African countries, with one author from Belarus.”