She was most recently the executive director of the Children’s Museum of the Arts in Manhattan, but “that was just the latest stop in a career that included leading Visual AIDS, an organization that uses art to encourage dialogue about AIDS and supports H.I.V.-positive artists, and the nonprofit Manhattan gallery and arts organization Artists Space. She also curated exhibitions and served on the boards of arts organizations.” – The New York Times
Blog
Is The Novel Dead?
Nah, say UK booksellers, who reported a drop in fiction-buyers last year – but who expect a couple of new books to drive strong sales soon. – The Guardian (UK)
Race To The Bottom
What a so-called “private” Sotheby’s would really mean for the art world, and for art. – Lee Rosenbaum
What It Looks Like To Make A Book By Hand [VIDEO]
In this short video of a bookbinding house in England, “from folding pages to sewing and gluing paper to the leather spine, skilful human hands are front and centre throughout.” – Aeon Magazine
AMC Theatres Says It Wants To Make Sure Franchises Don’t Entirely Consume The Theatre Experience
Yes, yes, AMC has done plenty of gobbling of arts theatres, or so say the (former) owners of those theatres, but now they’re concerned about the films. Well, not just now: “This is not the first time AMC has sought to showcase its indie film bona fides, however. The company in 2010 launched something called AMC Independent in an effort to dedicate more screens to arty movies. That followed a similar 2006 initiative, AMC Select.” – Los Angeles Times
What – And Who – Inspires Scottish Novelist Ali Smith?
Toni Morrison, of course, and Helen Oyeyemi, and books that make her laugh, and The Beatles. Also, Smith on how useless it is to try to rate books or authors. – The Guardian (UK)
Living In A Gaudi-Designed Apartment Building Means Having A Million Guests Every Year
And trying to avoid them all: “Intrepid visitors have sometimes overstepped the boundaries, forcing Ms. Viladomiu to add a barrier outside her apartment, to keep tourists at bay.” – The New York Times
Latest Investment? Now You Can Invest In Hit Songs
The fund floated on the London Stock Exchange in July 2018 and recently published its first-ever annual results. The man who founded it, Merck Mercuriadis, says hit songs are “as investable as gold or oil”. – BBC
Sixty UK Music Institutions Promise Gender Parity By 2022
More than 60 organisations, including some of the UK’s highest-funded companies and prominent performing arts conservatoires, have promised to take positive action towards equality. The Keychange project is the brainchild of charitable funding body the PRS Foundation. It was launched in 2018, when 180 music festivals committed to programming gender-balanced line-ups by 2022. – The Stage
Pilgrimage: Is It Better To See Tintoretto In A Museum Or In The Original Setting?
Phil Kennicott: “Yes, go see Tintoretto in Venice, but never slight the power of a museum to present art with a clarity and care one rarely finds in the ordinary world in which that art was made.” – Washington Post