Recent attention on the condition of Frank Lloyd Wright houses in LA have preservationists hoping that Angelenos will decide “that care of the buildings is a civic responsibility. But in a city where distinctive architecture has been overwhelmingly driven by the resources of affluent owners, it is no easy task. For one thing, while the city’s popular midcentury modern houses have come to represent a way of life that is appealing to many wealthy people, Wright’s crumbling concrete buildings, remain an acquired taste. They bear little resemblance to his earlier and later work, and none of them were designed for conventional family living.”
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America’s Best Orchestras?
Which are the best American orchestras? After a year in which he heard most of the contenders, Mark Swed has some observations about where the new powerhouses are… and what it takes to be the best.
Richmond Shuts Down Performing Arts Center Construction
The City of Richmond has shut down construction on a new performing arts center, saying that the foundation running the project didn’t have the required permits. “The order stunned the foundation, already under intense fire from Mayor L. Douglas Wilder, who has said he won’t release any more city funds for the project because he doesn’t believe the group has the resources to build the project as it had planned, especially now that the estimated cost climbed again this week, by roughly 20 percent to $112 million.”
Treasure Hunters Looking For Nazi Art Threaten Lake
At the end of World War II, the Nazis used military trucks for months and months to dump in crate after crate of stolen art, money and treasure into Austria’s Lake Toplitz. “The Nazis eventually commissioned locals to do the deed, bringing the crates by oxcart, transports which occurred more and more frequently in the frantic last days of the war.” While some of the treasure was recovered after the war, much is still there, and authorities are now worried that repeated search missions are harming the lake.
Even Greenspan Pictures Make Money
An art student painted 20 unauthorized portraits of Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan. Hoping to raise some money, he put them on sale in a gallery in Sag Harbor. “From the moment the Greenspan images appeared, people began wandering in off the street to gaze at the paintings, which capture the Fed chairman’s face in a variety of expressions ranging from exasperation to perplexity to mirthful amusement. Titles of the works include “If You Say So,” “I Gotta Tell Ya” and “Humpf.” Several visitors to the gallery bought paintings, telling stories of how they adored the Fed chairman, how he had saved the world and made them millions.”
Can We Save Our Dying Languages?
“Every two weeks or so, the last elderly man or woman with full command of a particular language dies. At that rate, as many as 2,500 native tongues will disappear forever by 2100.”
A CBC Lockout?
More than 5,000 CBC staff nationwide could be locked out if a labour agreement is not reached by 12:01 a.m. Monday, an event that would severely limit the public broadcaster’s news and current affairs programming.
An International Dance Festival Goes Into Training
Toronto’s “fFIDA now calls itself the fFIDA International Dance Festival, but seems to have forsaken its origins as a festival for professional independents from Canada and abroad. Between the dancers still in training, the recent graduates of dance schools and the choreographer/teachers, much of what goes up at the festival looks like a recital.”
Big Publishing Publishes Big
“More mass-market paperbacks are still sold each day than any other type of book; last year consumers bought 535 million of them. But that number has steadily declined for a decade and is down 11 percent in the last five years, while the overall number of books sold has fallen just 7 percent.” Why the drop? “”We’ve been losing the foundation of our customer base because their eyesight is getting worse, and the books are getting harder and harder to read.” So major publishers are publishing big print editions.
Segregation Flourishes
“Not long ago, people said that globalization and the revolution in communications technology would bring us all together. But the opposite is true. People are taking advantage of freedom and technology to create new groups and cultural zones. Old national identities and behavior patterns are proving surprisingly durable. People are moving into self-segregating communities with people like themselves, and building invisible and sometimes visible barriers to keep strangers out.”