The unions argue that the companies can’t cut off workers now and expect them to return when they’re ready to reopen. They also say that if concessions are made during the shutdown, salary, benefits, staffing minimums and guaranteed hours should be restored to pre-pandemic levels once things return to normal. – Washington Post
Blog
Why We Need More African Archaeologists
It is easy to take for granted our way of keeping things in museums. Yet many cultures do not have the tradition of museums as a concept. They are a European transplant in much of the world. Instead, knowledge is passed on through oral culture, festivals, songs, poems, commemorations and casual conversations and observations. Heritage can be just as much about relationships and performance. – The Guardian
Milwaukee’s Pabst Theatre Protests COVID Restrictions
Under the current Milwaukee pandemic order, bars and restaurants with approved safety plans are able to bring in any amount of customers as long as they can remain socially distanced inside the business. Bar and restaurant owners told WISN 12 News that usually amounts to about 50% capacity. However, the order only allows 10 people inside art and theater venues, not including staff. WISN (Milwaukee)
What The Drawings Show About New LACMA Building
Although LACMA claims “the new building totals 347,500 square feet,” the plans show its true size as 261,000 square feet. The total square footage of the new building is 32% less than the buildings it replaces—a loss of 123,000 square feet. “This analysis demonstrates that Los Angeles County taxpayers, who are footing a hefty portion of the bill for the $750-million project, are being robbed of their museum and collections,” says architecture critic Joseph Giovannini, co-chair of The Citizens’ Brigade to Save LACMA. – CityWatch LA
COVID Has Orchestras Rethinking The Need For Music Directors
What we are seeing is a breakdown of trust between musicians and maestros, a schism that will lead, post-Covid, to a downgrade or downfall of the music director. There has been, over half a century, a tremendous evolution in the role from Toscanini-like autocracy to a chummy collegiality in which maestros achieve harmony by consensus and drink beer after concerts in the musicians’ bar. But when the chips are down, as they often are, it is still the music director who makes key decisions and leads the fights for extra funding, a new concert hall and social justice. – The Critic
Are You Stuck Missing Galleries And Museums?
No worries, London will bring the art to you – and to everyone else, as long as you can get to the central city. “Details have been announced of an art programme on a spectacular scale, involving 2,000 sq metres of 8K resolution, 360-degree screens near Tottenham Court Road tube station.” – The Guardian (UK)
Johnny Depp Loses Libel Case Against British Tabloid
After the tabloid The Sun called Depp a “wife beater,” the actor sued. But the judge in the civil lawsuit ruled that “the great majority of alleged assaults of Ms Heard by Mr Depp have been proved to the civil standard.” – The Guardian (UK)
Magicians Sure Wish They Could Wave A Wand And Make This Virus Disappear
Meanwhile, they’re performing stage tricks from home for kids, also at home, who are often rather tired of screens. “The shift has been particularly jarring for people of this specialty, who’ve long argued that magic is best experienced in person.” – The New York Times
A Site Built To Compete With Amazon, But For Indie Bookstores, Makes Moves In Britain
Bookshop opened in the U.S. in January, hoping to build its site slowly while helping independent bookstores in the States. Five weeks later, cue COVID-19 shutdowns. “By June, Bookshop sold $1m worth of books in a day. The platform has now raised more than $7.5m (£5.7m) for independent bookshops across the US.” Now it’s starting to partner with independent bookstores in the UK as well. Why not? Amazon certainly threatens their existence as well. – The Guardian (UK)
Taking Choreography Offline
Or at least part of it. In a new work, Zoom participants bang pots and pans in their kitchens, and then received the “score” as a PDF to complete on their own. For choreographer Yanira Castro, “It’s hopefully a gift that’s like, you can do this if you want. But “being present with the page” is also a form of performance. – The New York Times