The National Museum of African American History and Culture just had its first birthday, and it’s dealing with a lot – the weight of history, the intensity of the present moment. Its director: “Part of what you want is people to understand that the journey is long, the road is crooked, but ultimately the opportunity to effect change is still there regardless of what party is there and who is in the White House.”
Author: ArtsJournal2
The Important Information From An Essay On Philosophy, Written By A Poet Who Was A Slave And Found More Than A Century Later
Did (eventually fired) professor and anti-slavery advocate Benjamin Hedrick “have too much, or proper forms of influence over his students in matters of politics? Could a public university professor hold views that were unpopular in the state and even problematic for the economy of the state?” The questions George Moses Horton was asking still resound today.
Hemingway’s First Short Story Found In Florida
Well, it’s the earliest one anyone has found, anyway, and it almost sounds like a parody of itself: “an untitled, previously unknown work that he wrote at the age of 10.”
Add May Morris To The List Of British Artist Names You Should Know
Yes, she is the daughter of William Morris, and yes, their art is similar. But actually, we might think that because her work was mistaken for his for decades: “Subsequent archival research has revealed that it was actually the work of his daughter. May Morris was one of the leading artists of the Arts and Crafts movement whose designs for everything from wallpaper to baby’s Christening mittens became the defining feature of many a wealthy, progressive household at the beginning of the 20th century.”
Listening To Erik Satie For 19 Hours Gives This Reporter Hallucinations
During the many hours of Erik Satie’s “Vexations,” the reporter says, “I felt, by turns, agitated, frozen and delirious. But I also left with the clearest mind and best hearing I’ve ever known. Here’s how it happened.”
A Mural Intended For L.A.’s Union Station But Placed In Storage For 27 Years Is Going Up At Last
The reason Barbara Carrasco’s mural was in storage for so long? Attempted censorship. “The CRA requested cuts of former African American slave-turned-entrepreneur and philanthropist Biddy Mason, the Japanese American internments during World War II and the 1943 Zoot Suit riots, in which Navy personnel attacked Mexican American youth. Carrasco refused to paint over her work, and the mural project was canceled.”
We’ve Become Obsessed With ‘Big Data,’ But It’s Time To Escape
The problem: “Moneyball-ization assumes that all information is reliable information, algorithms are unbiased magic, and big data can also paint the big picture.”
Top AJBlogs Posts For The Weekend Of 10.01.17
Hyde Park Jazz Fest, summer’s last dance (photos)
Chicago’s Hyde Park Jazz Festival in the first days of fall (Sept. 23 & 24th) which were unusually hot, is an exceptional event, curated for creative artistry, local and otherwise, drawing a highly diverse crowd Late afternoon … read more
AJBlog: Jazz Beyond JazzPublished 2017-10-01
From Belgium, A Love Supreme
A Love Supreme by Salva Sanchis, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker/ Rosas comes to the U.S. A Love Supreme. (L to R): Thomas Vantuycom, Bilal El Had, Jason Despilieux, and José Paulo dos Santos. Photo: Maria … read more
AJBlog: DancebeatPublished 2017-10-01
The Aspen Pipeline
Today, a man elected last November is othering United States citizens, POC in Puerto Rico. We should stand up to that because it’s important to call out our outrage—even though he won’t be likely to … read more
AJBlog: The Bright RidePublished 2017-09-30
Patti Smith in All the Poets
FOR the last few months I’ve been doing a series on musicians and their interest in literature and writers for the Los Angeles Review of Books. So far, all of these have been strong … read more
AJBlog: CultureCrashPublished 2017-09-29
Hear me talking to you (cont’d)
I’ve started a podcast about theater in America, a collaborative venture with Peter Marks and Elisabeth Vincentelli called Three on the Aisle. To listen to the first episode, go here. Here’s the press release, which … read more
AJBlog: About Last NightPublished 2017-09-29
Walt Whitman, Opera Fan
He didn’t start life as an opera queen – “As a budding young journalist in New York, he was known to take potshots at the etiquette and artifice of what he saw as an aristocratic pastime. Whitman cultivated a more democratic persona and preferred popular songs, which he called ‘heart’ — as opposed to ‘art’ — music.” – but bel canto won him over, and massively influenced Leaves of Grass too.
The Merger Of Chicago’s Lyric Opera And Joffrey Ballet: Why?
Let’s be honest: It makes financial sense. “Many European opera and ballet companies already have a similar arrangement. But there are also some significant financial considerations for Lyric and the Joffrey. Opera and ballet each have passionate fan bases but those audiences are shrinking and the costs for each art form are rising sharply.”