“The sixth annual Laura Bush National Book Festival Sept. 30 in Washington, D.C., will give new U.S. poet laureate Donald Hall his first public platform since he was named to the ceremonial post last month.”
Blog
Ireland Poised To Outshine Scotland At Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is coming up, but it’s Irish theater companies, not their Scottish colleagues, who are in a position to showcase their work. “What should set alarm bells ringing is not only that Scotland is failing to make the most of an international festival on its doorstep, but it’s also lagging behind in the promotion of Scots artists abroad.”
The Art Of Sound (Or Is It The Sound Of Art?)
“Much of today’s sound art wasn’t possible until recently, for lack of appropriate technology. ‘Sound art is one of the simplest and most complex things. By moving air, you can make people get very emotional’.”
Kabul Bookseller’s Wife Applies For Asylum
Suraya Rais, the wife of an Afghan bookseller depicted in the international bestseller The Bookseller of Kabul is applying for asylum in Europe because she claims the book has endangered her life.
Steinem: Where Are The Women In Radio?
Gloria Steinem says the male-dominated radio industry is producing programming women don’t want to hear. “Female listeners are down in almost every music and talk format, a seven-year decline that spans all ages and ethnic groups, she said. ‘Only public radio has shown a 25 percent increase in women’ during the past six years, she added.” Steinem sits on the board of GreenStone Media, a radio network owned by and aimed at women.
Guthrie Ends Transitional Year In The Black
“The Guthrie Theater announced Monday that it had a happy ending to its 2005-2006 fiscal year, finishing in the black for the 10th straight year, despite an expected drop in attendance as the company ended its tenure at one venue and began in another.”
Ruling: Tate Broke Law In Buying Ofili Work
Britain’s Charity Commission has ruled that the Tate Museum broke the law when it cought a £600,000 work by Chris Ofili. “Most major art institutions are set up as charities. By law, trustees cannot receive monetary benefit from their charity without express permission, usually from the commission. The Tate failed to seek permission, not only in the case of the Ofili work, The Upper Room, but in 17 previous purchases of work by artist-trustees going back 50 years.”
Sotheby’s Sales Gaining On No. 1 Christie’s
“Sotheby’s first-half art sales totaled $1.96 billion, according to the company’s Web site. They were helped by Pablo Picasso’s ‘Dora Maar au Chat,’ which took $95.2 million at a New York auction in May. Christie’s estimated total was ‘in excess of’ $2.09 billion.”
NYer “Talk” Rejects Find A Home
It’s really difficult to get a piece published in the New Yorker’s “Talk of the Town.” “The section receives upwards of 100 pitches and submissions weekly, while only greenlighting about 10 unsolicited contributions per year.” So one frustrated contributor-wannabe decided to build a website to publish rejected “Talk” pieces, in something he calls a tribute to the real thing…
Pondering The Value Of A Really Expensive Klimt
“Adele Bloch-Bauer I” (1907), by Gustav Klimt, sold last month for a record $135 million. “Is she worth the money? Not yet. Paintings this special may not come along for sale often, and the hundred and four million dollars spent for a so-so Picasso, “Boy with a Pipe,” two years ago indicated that irrational exuberance could be the booming art market’s new motto. But Lauder’s outlay predicts a level of cost that must either soon become common or be relegated in history as a bid too far. And the identity of the artist gives pause.”