“The retail book business in Canada generates annual sales in excess of $1.5-billion, much of them through one company – Indigo Books and Music – but overall sales through traditional book retailers are “flat” at a time when Canadian publishers are releasing more new titles than ever.”
Author: sbergman
Turning Foreclosure Into Artistic Expression
“Foreclosures are the dark side of the American dream. And, just as many works of art depict the joys of homeownership after long striving… others have depicted with equal vigor the pain of losing those homes — and losing them because of fast-talking salesmen who peddled not snake oil, but adjustable-rate mortgages.”
A Legend Takes Her Final Bow
Trisha Brown is retiring at age 71 from a long career as a dancer and choreographer, and that she is doing so on her own terms is a miraculous thing. “Ms. Brown’s innovations and influence are hard to overestimate. In the last decade she has directed opera, experimented with motion-capture technology and increasingly exhibited her own visual artwork, mainly drawings.”
From The Battlefield To The Stage
Author George Packer, who wrote a well-regarded non-fiction book on the American invasion of Iraq, has now written a play based on the tragic stories of ordinary Iraqis who agreed to serve as translators for the Americans and paid dearly for it. “It was the struggles of the Iraqis that stayed with Mr. Packer after the journalism was done, and what prompted him to bring ‘Betrayed’ to the stage.”
The Next Great Conductor?
“The antithesis of a stern, towering maestro, Xian Zhang is personable and down to earth, saying that in her somber suits she could be mistaken for an usher. But her easygoing manner masks the fierce discipline of a woman raised on a strict diet of marathon practice sessions.”
Jasper’s Gray Area
Color is a concept that artists across the generations have explored. But for Jasper Johns, it’s a shade that most people would think of as a near absence of color that has kept him fascinated throughout his career. “Gray is not just a familiar color for Mr. Johns but the essence of a long metaphysical journey, an exploration of ‘the condition of gray itself.'”
LACMA’s New Building Points The Way Forward
“The public emergence of the $56-million building designed by architect Renzo Piano and financed by philanthropist and LACMA trustee Eli Broad and his wife, Edythe, is far from the whole story. Much more than a new edifice, BCAM is the centerpiece of a multifaceted initiative to create a bold presence for contemporary art at LACMA and the keystone of a three-phase effort to transform the Wilshire Boulevard institution’s 20-acre campus.”
No Country Takes Home Another Prize
The Producers’ Guild of America has given its award for best film of the year to the Coen brothers’ adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s No Country for Old Men. “The movie, which stars Javier Bardem as a hitman pursuing Josh Brolin, is nominated for eight Academy Awards. It has also won the top prizes from the actors’ and directors’ guilds.”
Is Boston Letting The Arts Wither On The Vine?
“Boston is experiencing a creative brain drain – a slow exodus of talent that is depriving our cultural scene of many potential bright lights… While Boston does a good job of supporting its flagship institutions, like the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Museum of Fine Arts, it does a lackluster job of supporting smaller arts organizations.”
Bringing A Touch Of Hip-Hop To Classical
“It has become nearly impossible to miss Daniel Bernard Roumain’s name in the world of contemporary performing arts… Roumain is a classically trained musician who boldly blends the style and sound of hip-hop and J.S. Bach. In the process, this composer and violinist, who sports dreadlocks to his waist, has become a powerhouse — a 36-year-old with top-level management, his own production company and a touring ensemble.”