“Sherman Lee, who led the Cleveland Museum of Art from 1958 to 1983 and was hailed widely as one of the greatest art-museum directors of his time, died Wednesday in Chapel Hill, N.C… Lee did for the Cleveland Museum of Art what George Szell, the renowned conductor and music director, did for the Cleveland Orchestra: He cemented its reputation as an internationally famous institution.”
Author: sbergman
The Instruments You’ve Never Heard Of
We think of musical instruments as being relatively static – times, styles, and genres may change, but it’s rare for an entirely new musical instrument to be invented and become widely played. But a century after the theremin mad its debut, “electronic whizzes are creating other clever electronic instruments.”
Pittsburgh Receives $1m In Art, Cultural Programs
“The city received a major birthday gift yesterday that includes a 20-foot steel and fiberglass sculpture named “Arch,” a new symphonic work, artist-mentored programs for city teens and a print portfolio designed to appeal to collectors. Together they make up Pittsburgh’s 250th Anniversary Arts Project, which was funded through a $1 million grant from The Heinz Endowments.”
Books On The Brink?
“I love books. Admire and appreciate and adore… And yet, if I’m painfully honest, I have to admit it: I barely read books anymore. Not nearly the way I used to, anyway. Not for a long, long time. And chances are, if you’re at all drawn to the new media vortex, neither do you.”
Art That Crosses Borders
An innovative Chicago exhibition is using superhero imagery to challenge American attitudes and policies on immigrants. “The approximately 100 paintings, photographs, sculptures, quilts and artifacts cover a range of immigrant experiences.”
Renovation Plans Playing Havoc With NYC Dance
“City Center’s ever-shifting plans for renovation have started to take a toll on the schedules of New York dance institutions, forcing American Ballet Theater to decamp to Mexico and Avery Fisher Hall in fall 2009 and leaving the Paul Taylor Dance Company in uncertainty.”
The Rebirth Of Italian Film?
“When two Italian films won the top runner-up prizes at the Cannes Film Festival in May, the reaction at home was akin to that usually reserved for victorious national soccer teams… Many critics and industry experts see the recent recognition at Cannes as a positive sign that after a protracted dark age, periodically brightened by hits that turned out to be flashes in the pan, Italian cinema is finally back on track.”
Batman, By Dawn’s Early Light
“In a frenzy, fans have bought so many late-night tickets for the July 18 opening of the next Batman movie that theaters in places like San Diego, Chicago, and even Eagan, Minn., are scheduling 6 a.m. screenings for those who can’t get in at midnight or 3 in the morning.”
Reimagining Rockwell
A new exhibition at the Wolfsonian museum at Florida International University titled “Thoughts on Democracy” is featuring 60 artists’ contemporary responses to Norman Rockwell’s wartime “Four Freedoms” series. “What all of this suggests is not just a reinterpretation of Rockwell but a meditation on an American crisis of self-confidence: the sense that trust in American ideals is giving way to fear and uncertainty about how they are exploited.”
Lost Goyas Fetch Millions
“Three drawings by Spain’s Francisco de Goya, presumed lost for 130 years, have fetched more than £4m at auction. The three sketches, drawn between 1812 and 1829, had not been seen since 1877.”