Four sites in Washington DC are being considered for the Museum of African American History and Culture. “Many supporters of the museum and President Bush have said the museum should be on the Mall. The new museum would be part of the Smithsonian; officials there have estimated it would cost $300 million to $500 million. The study says costs could range from $356 million to $1.4 billion in 2006 dollars. The building is expected to be 350,000 square feet — roughly the size of the National Museum of the American Indian.”
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Are DVD’s The New Political Pamphlets?
DVDs have become an effective way of getting political messages out. “DVDs are cost-effective in terms of marketing. If theatrical is prohibitively expensive, DVDs are a great way to get out a political message. You can get free media play in such conservative strongholds as the blogosphere and talk radio.”
Embattled Getty Expands Board
The Getty Trust expands its board from 12 to 16. “The newcomers — Stewart A. Resnick, William E.B. Siart, Mark S. Siegel and Peter J. Taylor — bring a long list of financial and educational credentials at a time when critics have accused the trust’s sitting board of inattention. But the newcomers’ lack of arts expertise and diversity prompted board member Ramon Cortines to step down from his role on the board’s nominating committee.”
America’s Crumbling History
A new report says that heritage items in America’s museums are deteriorating and require urgent conservation care. “Millions of items in American public collections that may be lost unless they receive urgent preservation attention. In a study to be released on Tuesday in New York, Heritage Preservation, a Washington-based conservation group, reports that many such collections are threatened by poor environmental controls, improper storage, inadequate staffing and financing and poor planning for emergencies like floods.”
Italy Vs. Marion True
“Italian prosecutors began to make their case on Monday against Marion True, a former antiquities curator at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, and the American dealer Robert Hecht, who are being tried on charges of dealing in looted antiquities…”
NBC Says It Will Sell Shows As Downloads
NBC is joinging the rush to video podcasting. The network follows ABC in making some of its series available for download. “The shows, taken from NBC, the USA Network and the SciFi Channel, include current and older programming, the companies said.”
UK Art – Not Insured
None of the thousands of artworks owned by the British government is insured. “Culture Minister David Lammy said the government carries its own risk for the works dating from the 16th Century to the present day. The collection includes pieces by John Constable, Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud and works are shown in hundreds of government buildings worldwide.”
Marks Takes Over Orlando Ballet
Bruce Marks has been named interim director of Orlando Ballet. Marks’ appointment follows the unexpected death of Orlando Ballet Artistic Director Fernando Bujones on Nov. 10. Marks became the first American principal dancer at the Royal Danish Ballet and remained there for five years. He was named artistic director of Ballet West in 1976, and then was appointed artistic director of Boston Ballet in 1985.”
The Opera, Backstage
“The sheer complexity of running a major opera house puts opera companies on the cutting edge of operations, with every step of the process scrutinized to maximize time and money, both precious elements in eternally short supply. Logistics, originally a military concept, is the science (and art) of getting the right people and equipment in the right place at exactly the right time. Since opera is a real-time performance, that means getting musicians into the pit, the audience seated, the lights down, the sets ready and the singers on and offstage at show time.”
Basel Miami – A Riot Of Color
What was hot at this year’s Art Basel Miami fair? “One began to discern certain strands. One was for the artist simply to exhibit the most unnoticed of objects just so that one noticed them. Willys de Castro hung two wooden sticks on a wall. Anna Maria Maiolino had framed some torn squares of white plasterboard. After seeing those, one certainly looked at things such as taps in the bathrooms with more curiosity — but not for long.”