In the years following Ader’s disappearance, rumors began to swirl that it was a deliberate act that was part of the artwork. But, Anderson Ader denies this. She said her husband was making plans for the future, for the work he would do when this piece was complete, and he had no intention of disappearing for good. – The Daily Beast
Blog
Maybe Arts Organizations Aren’t Set Up Structurally To Become More Diverse?
“Certainly we need to continue to push for diversity in all our organizations. But I do believe we need to recognize the structural limitations of our field as those limitations impact our strategies.” – Barry’s Blog
Plea For A Great Detente: Science And Philosophy
Once upon a time, it was not just that philosophy was a part of science; rather, science was a branch of philosophy. We need to remember that modern science began as natural philosophy – a development of philosophy, an admixture of philosophy and science. – Aeon
Academia Is Addictive, Dysfunctional, And A Total Mess. Are We In End Days?
“Academe, as anyone knows who’s tried to leave it, is like a partner who is wrenchingly hard to quit. When it was good, it was amazing. God, the highs! The horizon of your happiness seemed unbounded. But the partner turned out to be a nut job who demanded nothing less than all of you. Move to a different city every year, they stipulated. Subsist on bread crumbs. Completely debase yourself. They constantly evaluated your “performance.” On a whim, they dressed you up in a sailor suit and beat you.” – Chronicle of Higher Education
New Frontiers in Arts Research: My panel remarks at the IU Center for Cultural Affairs Symposium
I’ll let my comments speak for themselves but will leave you with this reflection — “A good society contains many different artists doing many different things. A bad society coerces artists because it knows that they can reveal all kinds of truths.” — from Iris Murdoch which was on my mind when I wrote my remarks. – Diane Ragsdale
Time Pauses For Valentin Silvestrov
Milton Moore, who has been reviewing music, classical and otherwise, since the ‘70s, today starts in this space a more-or-less monthly column about contemporary and “alternative” classical music. First up: the music of Valentin Silvestrov. – Scott Timberg
Something American orchestras don’t want known
Continuing from my last post, with what should be in a book on the past few decades’ history of American orchestras … One main focus of the book would of course have to be orchestra finances. Along with the long-term decline in ticket sales, which of course affects the bottom line. – Greg Sandow
Propwatch: the suitcases in ‘Death of a Salesman’
We see them early on in the heavy-hearted revival at London’s Young Vic. Willy lumbers in with two cases. One, a smart, wooden box, presumably packed with sample goods. The other, a battered and scratched suitcase, must carry his personal stuff. – David Jays
Saturday night special
The humble McDonald’s cheeseburger — the plain one, not the Big Mac — as madeleine. – Terry Teachout
Why People Were So Charmed By The Kid Who Exclaimed “Wow” After Mozart
“One of the oddities of this whole business is the unmistakable note of relief in so many discussions about it. In the odd cult of people who spend many nights sitting in front of symphony orchestras, there’s a lot of talk, sometimes amused and sometimes exasperated, about the more infrequent visitors who don’t know the rules.” – Maclean’s