“The Cleveland Institute of Art’s dream of building an iconic new studio building designed by the leading Dutch architect Winy Maas has hit a financial wall. The art institute decided to scale back after a recent estimate showed that the design would cost “well north” of the $55 million budgeted for the project.”
Author: sbergman
Warsaw Judged Best City For Cheap Culture
What’s the best city to visit if you want to soak in high culture without spending your life’s savings? A new survey says that Warsaw, Poland, is the unlikely winner for art on a budget. “The Polish capital was judged cheapest for a three-day trip visiting museums, galleries and heritage sites.”
Should Brecht Be Buried?
Bertold Brecht was an avowed Communist, a fact which is rarely mentioned when his work is performed. “There are three possible responses to an artist who dedicated his life to a monstrous cause. The first is to deodorise him by pretending he was really a liberal humanist, which Brecht certainly was not. The second is to do what the British theatre never does and have an adult argument… The third option is to shrug and walk away.”
IFC Leading The Way Among US Buyers At Cannes
“IFC Films is setting the early pace among US buyers on the Croisette,” purchasing the rights to three films only a couple of days into the Cannes Film Festival. “So far no other US buyer has got out its wallet, although deals are expected later in the week.”
AGO Unveils New Logo To Go With New Building
“In anticipation of opening its massively renovated home this fall, the Art Gallery of Ontario unveiled its new logo yesterday. The two-dimensional design has a multicoloured effect around the edge of its letters, creating an optical trick meant to symbolize the vibrancy of the museum… The logo cost less than $100,000, relatively low as corporate branding goes, and is part of the overall $254-million price tag of the renovation.”
Why Is The NY Phil So Hung Up On Muti?
The grumbling over Riccardo Muti’s appointment as Chicago Symphony music director doesn’t seem to be abating within the ranks of the New York Philharmonic, and Anthony Tommasini is confused: “Mr. Muti would have been all wrong for New York. I, for one, could not be more hopeful about [Alan] Gilbert’s potential. But I thought that the Philharmonic players all would have shared my enthusiasm.”
Choreographing Your Wedding (Literally)
Planning a wedding is always a complex undertaking. There are flowers to be ordered, the vows to be written, the choreographer to be hired… yes, we said choreographer. “For contemporary choreographers and dancers… as well as nondancers savvy enough to employ an atypical professional service, the traditional first dance is anything but.”
Do Food And Music Live Together In The Brain?
Ask 100 classical musicians what their favorite hobby is, and cooking will almost certainly be the #1 answer. “Which raises a question: Are food and music connected? Most musicians agree that their discipline often fosters a highly sophisticated sense of taste,” and the brain’s response to food is not unlike its response to music.
Freud’s Muse Not Looking For Fame
“Her portrait sold for £17m but Sue Tilley,” known as artist Lucien Freud’s muse, “says the tabloids are only interested in getting her to strip… ‘Just because I took my clothes off for Lucian Freud, that doesn’t mean I’m a nudist or a floozy or whatever.'”
ART Finally Taps New Director
“Diane Paulus, an acclaimed theater and opera director and creator of the off-Broadway hit The Donkey Show, has been named the new artistic director of [Boston’s] American Repertory Theatre… The appointment ends an exhaustive and at times turbulent search that has stretched well over a year, during which one top candidate turned the job offer down.”