It might be hard to remember these days, but not so very long ago, the city of Chicago was a study in urban blight, rampant crime, and classic big-city stagnation. So what changed in the Second City between the bad old days of the 1980s and today, when Chicago is held up as a shining example of the Great American Metropolis? Much of the city’s turnaround can be traced to the arrival in office of a mayor who was determined to rebuild the city as a cultural destination, and more specifically, as the theater capital of America.
Blog
The Ultimate Narrowcast
“It was the quietest concert of the year and perhaps the noisiest. For long stretches of the Tune(In))) the Kitchen, a four-hour electronic music gathering on Thursday night that was as conceptual as its title, the only sounds in the Kitchen came from people strolling around and sporadic conversations. But the airwaves in the room were alive with abstract sounds. Four simultaneous performances and a channel of video soundtracks were broadcast to the FM radios and headphones of the audience. The musicians worked at tabletop setups, never knowing who was listening.”
Enjoy the Art, But Please Don’t Muss Up The Bed
Visitors to a New York nightclub this season are getting an unexpected dose of art, and a bonus shot of the artist himself. Painter/photographer Peter Tunney spent nearly a month installing his work in the 1000-square-foot space provided by the Crobar club, and then installed his bed and himself in the middle of it all, creating a sort of living exhibition, open to the public. The stunt has been something of a celebrity draw for the club, and has done wonders for Tunney’s work ethic: he is said to have created 100 new pieces since moving in.
FCC Crackdown Sends Stern’s Ratings Soaring
Howard Stern, who has been at the center of the recent controversy over the FCC’s crackdown on broadcast obscenity, apparently isn’t hurting for listeners. The New York-based ‘shock jock,’ who has been dropped from several stations in the past few months, shot to the top of the Big Apple’s morning radio ratings in the latest Arbitron book.
The Hampshire Don Gets His Due
Hampshire College, a small, liberal arts school in western Massachusetts, is one of America’s leading producers of photographers and documentarians, to the extent that the collection of award-winning camera operators who make up the school’s alumni base have come to be known as the ‘Hampshire mafia.’ The school’s reputation has come about largely due to the efforts of one man, Jerome Liebling, who taught at Hampshire for a quarter-century. This weekend, Liebling earns an honor usually reserved for high-rolling donors: the school’s film and photography building is being renamed for him.
Trading Up
“In 1972 the Anderson Fine Arts Center in Anderson, Ind., which has about 25,000 visitors a year, was given “Damage,” one of Mr. Ruscha’s signature word paintings, by the American Federation of the Arts. At the time it was valued at $3,000. Now the Anderson is offering the painting at Christie’s sale of contemporary and postwar art on May 11. It is estimated at $1.8 million to $2.5 million.”
Where Is Fleeing Arts Patron?
Where is arts benefactor Herbert Axelrod? He reportedly fled to Cuba to avoid tax charges. But “Cuba’s foreign minister yesterday denied knowing anything about multimillionaire Herbert Axelrod, who fled here to avoid tax fraud charges. ‘Cuba has never been a refuge for those fleeing justice’.”
Schwarz: Was I too Adventurous In Liverpool?
American conductor Gerard Schwarz says his choice of music when he first arrived as music director of the Royal Liverpool Orchestra may have scared off some audiences. Players of the orchestra recently voted not to renew Schwarz’s contract with the orchestra. “In my first season’s programme, I didn’t think I was stretching the audiences. Obviously, everyone doesn’t agree with me.”
Football Club Hires Poet-In-Residence
“Sarah Wardle, 34, has become poet in residence at Premiership club Tottenham Hotspur, in north London. The published poet and university lecturer produces pieces which are inspired by the club, its ground and the supporters.”
Art By Plastic Surgery
French performance artist Orlan practices her art by altering her body cosmetically with plastic surgery. “For Orlan, plastic surgery isn’t tummy tucks, liposuction, breast reduction or lip augmentation. It’s an expression of the sublime and grotesque, eccentricities carved into human flesh and sculpted in living bone.”