Author: Matthew Westphal

When Oscar Met Walt

The idea of Oscar Wilde meeting Walt Whitman face-to-face began as a publicity stunt for Wilde’s 1882 U.S. lecture tour. (The two were to ride together in an open carriage through the streets of Philadelphia. It was January and Whitman declined.) In fact, Wilde’s mother had read Leaves of Grass (in an unexpurgated version) to him when he was 11, and he had admired Whitman ever since, and he eventually went to visit his old hero at home. “No reporters were invited to witness the meeting between Whitman and Wilde. This was a strange choice for two dandyish men who loved self-promotion, but it was a canny one: they would each give separate interviews afterwards, and double the attention they received.”

What Stephen Petronio Has Planned For The First Summer At His New Center In The Catskills

“This summer, the Petronio Residency Center at Crow’s Nest welcomes its first three artists in residence: Nora Chipaumire, Will Rawls and Kathy Westwater. The center, located in the Catskill Mountains, about two and a half hours north of New York City, is idyllic: The 2,500-square-foot studio has radiant floor-heat and a sprung floor, and the 6,500-square-foot house sleeps up to 10 people and has soaring views of the mountains. ‘As a creator, I understand the power of a residency,’ says Stephen Petronio. ‘I want the dancers to feel like they have gone to heaven when they pull up to the gate.'”

Four Years After It Nearly Closed, San Diego Opera Is Thriving

“Back in 2014, San Diego Opera survived a near-shutdown when a handful of renegade board members and donors from around the world saved the company from extinction. … Four years post-rescue, San Diego Opera has stabilized. The company finished its 2017-2018 season in the black, the office is fully staffed, its edgy 2-year-old Detour series is a hit, and ticket sales for next season are significantly higher.”

The Surreal Life Of Gala Dalí

It’s not just that she was the wife of the most famous Surrealist artist. Gala (née Elena Ivanovna Diakonova) was at the very center of the early Surrealist movement, having friendships, love affairs, or personal conflicts with many of its key members. Then there was the castle in Spain that Salvador Dalí bought for her – and the rules she placed on his presence there.

Paris Gets Its First Digital Art Museum, And It’s Très Trippy

At L’Atelier des Lumières, “artists’ works are transformed as images of their paintings are projected (using 140 laser video projectors) on to (and across) 10-metre-high walls over the vast 3,300 square metre surface area of the renovated 19th-century building. These images provide an immersive and panoramic show throughout the space, to a sound track of music by Wagner, Chopin, Beethoven and others, using an innovative ‘motion design’ sound system.”