As usual, there’s grumbling about documentaries that are left out of Oscar contention. “There’s an inherent conflict between how the academy determines eligibility and how most documentary filmmakers make money. Because European television has government money and spends it on films that tackle controversial subjects, American documentarians often look there for financing, in exchange for the chance to show the film on the air. To be considered for an Oscar, however, a documentary must have made its debut in theaters and played for at least a week in New York or Los Angeles, and films that appeared only on television – or even those that appeared on television before moving to theaters – are disqualified.”
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UK’s Best Concert Hall – In Glasgow?
Glasgow’s City Halls have been under renovation for four years. “The main concert hall is now a comfortable auditorium with an acoustic even better than before. Indeed, it is easily among the finest in the UK. The main beneficiary is the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, which has moved into the building and will use the hall as its base.”
Fossil Museum Criticized For Lamentable Collection Practices
Seattle’s Burke Museum is coming under fire for its collection. “A team of outside experts that examined the museum’s collection concluded last week that the excavation site of many specimens was so poorly described in museum records that the bones and fossils have little scientific value. The team also questioned whether the museum had the proper permits to collect fossils from federal, state and tribal lands.”
Vancouver Art Gallery’s Big Plans
The museum has outgrown its current building and plans to build someplace new. “The gallery, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, seems to have its sights set on a world-class facility that would reflect its ambitious programming and reputation in the contemporary arts. That is why the master planning summary included photos of the Denver Art Museum, the Guggenheim and the Mori Art Center in Tokyo.”
Where Will The Conservatives Take Canadian Culture?
‘Trepidation’ is probably the best word to describe the feelings of Canada’s arts leaders as they await the ascension of the country’s new Conservative Prime Minister, Stephen Harper. “Yet the last time Conservatives did take the reins, under Brian Mulroney, cultural nationalists recall it as a golden age… This time, the cultural industries are watching to see how the Conservatives face three tests. The first involves honouring Canada Council funding promises. The second involves federal-provincial turf issues. The third concerns whether they’ll top up the huge arts and heritage building projects now under way in Toronto and other cities.”
Ailey Archives Going To Washington
“In early February, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will announce that it is giving its extensive archives to the Library of Congress… The collection of papers, films and audiotapes includes 8,500 black-and-white photographs of Ailey dances and 4,000 programs from 1958 to 2004.”
Can You Copyright Stage Direction?
An ongoing legal dispute between a New York director and the theatre he was working for could wind up having wide implications for the theatre world at large. The director, who was fired after disputes with the producer and the playwright, “claims in his complaint that his staging contributions… constitute a copyrighted work of intellectual property, owned by him, and that the defendants must therefore pay for infringing the copyright,” since the show went on after the director was let go.
Art & Commerce: An Unholy Alliance?
Frank Gehry’s much-praised concert hall in Los Angeles is about to become the focal point of a promotional campaign for vodka, and it is hardly the first L.A. structure to have its facade hijacked for commercial purposes. Gehry insists that he’s vaguely flattered by the spirit company’s interest, but the architect’s aquiescence doesn’t really alter the larger question: “When a prominent work becomes a backdrop for blouses or set decoration for soda, does commerce dishonor art or can both come out ahead?”
Brokeback Wins At DGAs
Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain continued its romp through Hollywood’s awards season, snapping up the top trophy at the prestigious Directors’ Guild Awards this weekend. Other winners included Clint Eastwood (for lifetime achievement) and documentarian Werner Herzog.
Anybody Want Their Name On A Bathroom?
As backers of Miami’s new $450 million performing arts center make their final funding push, the time has come to decide on a name for the place, and as has become commonplace, the naming rights are being offered to anyone willing to pony up a cool $30 million. “If [that] seems a little steep, the PAC Foundation is offering more modest sponsorship opportunities, including the Ballet Opera House stage. A glossy brochure labeled ‘Legacy: Yours & Ours’ lists dozens of building parts that could be yours for the branding, ranging from the powder room and lavatory in the Sanford and Dolores Ziff Ballet Opera House ($100,000) to the projection booth in the Carnival Symphony Hall ($250,000).”