John Carey’s new book “What Good are the Arts?” argues that the majority should not have to pay for the entertainment of the educated minority. “What, he explains, really gets him about Covent Garden, is the ‘luxury’ of it. He also feels it’s wrong that the majority should pay for the pleasures of the educated minority. When there is no way of proving that so-called great art has any transcendental value, Carey feels, it is hard to argue that it should be made available at the tax-payer’s expense, as in his view it offers no demonstrable moral or spiritual benefits to society. This even leads him to question the state subsidy that makes the National Gallery entrance free of charge.”
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Fogel: Orchestras Must Change
American Symphony Orchestra League president Henry Fogel says orchestras will have to change to survive. “Complex program notes, musicians in white ties and tails and dowagers who hiss if one claps at the wrong time all keep newcomers out of the concert hall, he noted. After recently seeing a conductor wag his finger at concertgoers who applauded too soon, he wondered ‘how many more times those people will actually pay money for tickets so they can be humiliated’?”
Philly Opera Racks Deficit, Cuts Staff
The Opera Company of Philadelphia has recorded its first major deficit since 1995. “The company ran a $400,000 deficit on an $8.6 million budget for the fiscal year that ended May 31. As a result, the company has let go Susan S. Ashbaker, a key member of the music staff for 16 years; plus the director of marketing, director of development, and two lower-level staff members.”
Checking Out The Source Of The Gift
Focus on the possible misdeeds of philanthropist Alberto Vilar has got arts organizations and colleges thinking about how they accept gifts. “Nationwide, gifts tarnished by scandal represent a tiny share of campus philanthropy, but the dollar total is rising. In 2003, The Chronicle of Higher Education estimated that campuses had received more than $100 million from firms or individuals investigated, accused or convicted of white-collar swindling.”
Scotland – Accessibility Threatens Quality?
Scotland is undergoing a debate about the accessibility and quality of its support for the arts. Is one incompatible with the other? “We must not confuse accessibility with the lowest common denominator. You should aim to put out the best art exhibitions, the best musical performance, the best book festival and then you make that accessible. My belief is that this shows the greatest respect of all to the individual to whom you are trying to create access, to say ‘we have the best here’.”
Taking A Closer Look At Benefactors
“In an era when megamillionaires are made faster than ever, fund-raising experts have grown more cautious about whom they anoint as board members and about ensuring that pledges are in hand before money is spent. Yet at the same time, arts groups say, there is no sure-fire way to predict or guard against a reversal of fortune. And as corporate and government aid declines, cultural institutions need to take what they can get.”
Doubt, Spamalot Win Tonys
“Doubt,” John Patrick Shanley’s drama of suspicion and certainty has won this year’s Tony for best play. “Monty Python’s Spamalot” wins best musical.
Blue Men Got The Blues In Toronto
The Blue man Group is opening an outpost in Toronto. But there are problems. “With the first preview set for Tuesday night, the major focus is not on the show itself, but on the boycott against it waged by Toronto’s three major performing arts unions — Canadian Actors’ Equity Association, the Toronto Musicians’ Association and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. Inflammatory rhetoric is now the order of the day, lawsuits are being threatened and the unions are planning continued action once the previews start.”
Rushdie – Campaigning For Freedom
As president of PEN/America, Salman Rushdie is campaigning for the American government to loosen laws on banning importation of some literature. “It seems somewhat ironic that Rushdie should survive a period of life-threatening danger, living in 30 houses in nine years, and wind up in the land of the free only to discover that he must start campaigning for freedom all over again.”
Art, Innovation, & The Mysteries Of The Brain
Why do some artists continue innovating and broadening their horizons throughout their careers, while others stall out after a big hit or two, and spend their declining years living off the fumes of that momentary success? “Everyone can name artists who thrive beyond what is considered their prime: Bach, Rembrandt, Hitchcock, Stravinsky, Matisse painting from his wheelchair. But equally there are those who feel that at a certain point packing it in is the graceful thing to do.” The reasons behind such artistic progression may go deeper than one might imagine: in fact, it may have much to do with the way the human brain evolves over the course of a lifetime.