It’s not “strictly legal” to be out during lockdown (though it’s not strictly illegal either), so most of the artists will only speak anonymously. “One of those behind some of the most striking paintings is known as The Rebel Bear. … The Bear said he wanted to ‘provoke hope’ of life after lockdown. ‘And also to show the tightrope between fear and love that many of us are walking at the moment,’ he added.” – BBC
Author: ArtsJournal2
Wait, Doesn’t Everyone Reread Their Favorite Books?
Turns out, no. But here are several reasons to reread, including missing your favorite characters: “I miss the them—miss their superegos, their relatable pride, their all-too-human folly. I especially miss the characters that, despite it all, win: they get the guy, they get the gold, they get the keys to the city.” – LitHub
Maybe Our Screens Are Magical
At least for magicians. For instance, one new show, “with a stringent ticket allocation — only 25 Zoom logins per performance — felt more like pre-isolation theater than anything I have encountered in the past two months. (As a theater critic in withdrawal, this was unreasonably exciting.) Each ticket includes a ‘mystery box’ (a nod to Tannen’s Mystery Box, but this one comes with an alcohol wipe), which is sent to your home.” – The New York Times
In Baltimore, As In Many Cities, Midsize Arts Groups Are The Most At Risk
What’s special about midsize groups? The perfect storm: “these organizations have greater overhead costs than small groups and fewer deep-pocketed donors than large organizations, [so] they may be particularly at risk.” – Baltimore Sun
The Agony Of The Canceled Spelling Bee Contestants
It’s not as if the 8th graders will get another chance. The Olympics were postponed; the Spelling Bee was canceled. They have been working much of their entire (short) lives for this. Despite heartfelt pleas and online petitions, Scripps isn’t changing its mind. – Vice
When Lockdown Brings Sudden Instagram Fame
Actor Leslie Jordan is just fine with all of the attention to his “pillow talk” tales of working with more famous – and often much more highly paid – actors and performers. “What was interesting to me was how offers started coming in to push products,” he says. “I’m telling you, I did not know the word monetise.” (He does now.) – BBC
The Utter Shutdown Is A Great Time For Theatre To Rethink, And Reimagine, Everything
No one – certainly not the federal government – will be saving the arts, it appears. And that’s horrible. Also, it’s time for all kinds of thinking. “How about we make possible something I have dreamt about for a long time: a bread-and-theatre initiative, i.e., deliveries door to door of bread (or other staples) accompanied by a little play offering? … How about phone plays for elderly folks and those without access to art that can stream into their homes?” – American Theatre
Playing Bach, But Backwards And Upside Down
A computer playing the Goldberg Variations backwards sounds, yes, like a counter-counterpoint, but “at the same time, it sounds eerily familiar, starting with the upside-down Aria — the theme developed over Bach’s 30 variations. The slowly ascending notes in the lower staff of Bach’s original, which outline a G major triad, become, in the upside-down version, a graceful falling figure in the top line.” – The New York Times
An Early Oscar Contender May Actually Have Been Helped By The Lockdown
Eliza Hittman’s Never Rarely Sometimes Always was never tipped to be a blockbuster. Her heavily realistic, light on the swelling music movie of two young women in search of at least temporary safety and medical care wasn’t meant to be a feel-good movie, either. But “Oscar buzz is now steadily building (buzz that was given a major boost thanks to the Academy’s decision to relax its anti-streaming rules for films whose cinema releases have been scuppered by the pandemic).” – The Guardian (UK)
Social Distancing At The Drive-In
The masked audience members lined up, 6 feet apart, at the concession stand. People were grilling. There was at least one birthday party going on. Then the movies began – and then the storms blew through. – The New York Times