“How important should artistic authorship be in the world of architecture? For most of the last 500 years, imitation was the sincerest form of architectural flattery. The pattern was established during the Renaissance, whose architects were trying to re-create the buildings of ancient Rome. The fact that most of these buildings lay in ruins meant that designers had to do a lot of creative reconstruction, but that didn’t alter the principle of learning from—and copying—the past. Invention was necessary, but it was not the most important factor.”
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Keillor Shuts Down Blogger T-Shirts
Attorneys for Garrison Keillor have shut down sales of T-shirts being sold by a Minnesota blogger that say “A Prairie Ho Companion,” claiming the shirts infringe on Keillor’s trademark. Keillor’s attorney said the cease and desist order is meant to protect the name of Keillor’s ‘A Prairie Home Companion’ public radio show and upcoming movie by the same name. He’s got a copyright interest in the name and he just wants to protect it — nothing personal”
Canadian Chain Boycotts Bob Dylan
The record chain HMV Canada has removed all of Bob Dylan’s recordings from its stores after the singer made a deal to sell his new album exclusively at Starbucks. “A spokesman for HMV Canada told the Hollywood Reporter they were no longer stocking or displaying Dylan’s albums. The chain has previously boycotted CDs by Alanis Morissette and The Rolling Stones to complain at exclusive deals. When HMV Canada removed The Rolling Stones from its shelves in 2003, president Humphrey Kadaner said: ‘Any artists that choose to exclude HMV as a retailer for selling the product, this will be our response’.”
A Case For Zadie
Stephen Metcalf appeals to the Booker jury on behalf of Zadie Smith’s “On Beauty.” “It is written by an exquisite writer, who has mistaken her admirable pooh-poohing of a lot of foolish publicity for a free pass to get by as an overcelebrated mediocrity. Therefore, Dear Committee, I plead with you to assist in removing the cameras and quote-mongers from Zadie Smith’s life and help prevent her from blowing up into an even larger global literary darling, prone to even more gratuitous Hamlet-like maunderings, and let the woman… develop into her appointed greatness.”
The Tate’s Mini-Tours
The Tate has put together mini-collections within its buildings to offer “themed” tours for visitors. “Visitors can also curate their own tours by visiting Tate’s website and selecting paintings according to any theme they choose.”
Profs: Student Quality Lacking
A new survey of American college professors reports that the profs are generally unhappy with the quality of students coming in to theikr classes. “Just under half of all instructors — 49.6 percent — said they were. In addition, only 35.5 percent of all professors said they believed that faculty members at their own institution felt that students were well-prepared academically, although that number has actually increased from 28 percent in 1998.”
Priorities: Rebuilding A Modern City
Rebuild New Orleans, sure. But how? “Among the questions facing architects are whether the city’s footprint should be irrelevant, given that so many residents may not return; whether surviving industries should be pivotal to what is built; whether preservation should trump other priorities; and whether bold new architecture can or should rise from the muck and devastation. Many experts also warned against moving too quickly, arguing that being away from the city could help residents clarify what was most valued and should be reclaimed.”
Dancing In The Streets
A New York group has “commissioned five choreographers to present 5- to 10-minute works under stuntlike conditions: they were informed after midnight Sunday, by e-mail, of the performance’s location” – on the streets of New York. “They have until Saturday to come up with a dance.”
Penguins Join The Culture War
Conservative groups have turned the documentary “March of the Penguins” and “its stirring depiction of the mating ordeals of emperor penguins into an unexpected battle anthem in the culture wars.” This is “the motion picture this summer that most passionately affirms traditional norms like monogamy, sacrifice and child rearing. This is the first movie they’ve enjoyed since ‘The Passion of the Christ.’ This is ‘The ‘Passion of the Penguins.’ In part, the movie’s appeal to conservatives may lie in its soft-pedaling of topics like evolution and global warming.”
Gioia: Arts Essential To Rebuilding Gulf Coast
NEA chief Dana Gioia says that rebuilding the arts of the Gulf Coast is essential to rebuilding the region. “People have to recognize that the arts are a major industry and need to be at the table for the recovery plan. There is no way for these local economies to recover unless we invest in the cultural life. Culture was Louisiana’s second-biggest economy, right after oil. These organizations have suffered enormous losses.”