Author: Matthew Westphal

Another EU Orchestra Leaves UK Because Of Brexit

“The orchestra was established in London in 1976 but the British vote to leave meant it had to come up with a plan for a future outside the UK. … The orchestra said on Wednesday it had accepted an offer from the Italian culture ministry to be based in Ferrara and Rome.” As EUYO chief executive Marshall Marcus says, “You can’t ask for EU funding and then not be in the EU.”

Art Museum Sold To Investors In Beijing (Wait, What?)

The parent company of the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (UCCA) in the Chinese capital was purchased last week by a group of investors. “The museum’s founders, Guy and Myriam Ullens, announced that the UCCA was up for sale in June 2016, fuelling concerns about the future of what has become one of mainland China’s leading private art institutions since it opened in November 2007.”

CEO Of Scotland’s Only Full-Time Acting Company Suddenly Resigns

“Nick Parr has resigned after just two years as chief executive of Dundee Rep, which boasts the country’s only full-time company of actors. He has left with immediate effect less than two months after the Rep’s new artistic director, Andrew Panton, took charge of his first show.” While the company saw revenue rise under Parr, last week a newspaper column argued that morale at the company was sinking due to a perceived change in culture there.

Top Posts From AJBlogs 10.10.17

Excellence and Engagement: I
Advocates for community engagement in the arts often get pushback from people who assume that concern for the interests of our communities necessitates a “lowering of standards.” What follows is my attempt to address the misgivings (legitimate and otherwise) people have … read more
AJBlog: Engaging Matters Published 2017-10-10

New Yorker’s Bad Role Model for Berkshire Museum: NY Historical Society’s “Responsible” Sales
In his well-intentioned but flawed Oct. 4 New Yorker article, “The Lost Masterpieces of Norman Rockwell Country,” Felix Salmon demonstrates more understanding of museum ethics than the leaders of the embattled Berkshire Museum possess. But that’s not quite enough. … read more
AJBlog: CultureGrrl Published 2017-10-10

Lies & Damnable Uncertainty
Two new London theatre productions, The Lie and Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, seem to have little in common, save that they are both topics discussed by philosophers. … read more
AJBlog: Plain English Published 2017-10-10

 

Tom Alter, Bollywood’s Favorite White Actor, Dead At 67

“With light skin, blue eyes and blond hair, which later turned bright white, Mr. Alter was an incongruous figure in Bollywood. But he spoke Hindi and Urdu fluently” – the child and grandchild of Presbyterian missionaries from Ohio, he was born and raised in India – “making him a natural fit for roles like slick diplomats, British colonials, priests and police officers.” He appeared in more than 300 films in Hindi, Urdu, and other languages, and had a notable career as a stage and television actor as well.

What Newspapers Sacrifice When They Get Rid Of Their Arts Critics

Peter Preston, who was editor of The Guardian for 20 years (1975-95): “If a film critic, say, has real value, then it’s in the build-up of recognition and trust between them and the reader. Week by week, you share the critic’s views and check them against your own cinema-going experience. … [Critics’] eye on the arts, day by day and week by week, adds richness and information to the mix. They have the possibility of authority that blogs or compilations in the Rotten Tomatoes style lack.”

Academic Journal Publishes, Then Yanks, Article Defending Colonialism (Just In Time For Columbus Day)

“‘The Case for Colonialism,’ written by a political science professor at Portland State University, drew immediate outcries from scholars when it was published last month by Third World Quarterly. Fifteen members of the journal’s 34-member board resigned in protest, and two petitions demanded that the journal retract the piece.” However, Noam Chomsky (of all people) argued against retraction, saying that rebuttal was the better course. “The article recently disappeared from the journal’s website with an explanation that it was withdrawn ‘at the request of the academic journal editor, and in agreement with the author of the essay, Bruce Gilley.'”