Christopher T. Dunworth has resigned as executive director of the brand new Mountain Laurel Center for the Performing Arts in northeast Pennsylvania, raising further questions about the viability of the center, which was to become the summer home of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra this year. “Originally delayed from opening Memorial Day weekend by poor interior roads, the center will make its debut a day later than announced,” and the PSO has halved the number of concerts it originally planned to play there. Dunworth isn’t giving any reason for his departure, and Mountain Laurel officials have already announced his interim replacement.
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Committing To The Arts In Elvis City
The city of Memphis is known mainly for barbecue and Elvis, but lately, the western Tennessee city has been making a concerted push to become what is commonly referred to as a “big-league town.” That means getting at least one major league sports franchise to move in: Memphis swiped Vancouver’s NBA team last year. It means a serious effort to revitalize the downtown area: check. And, according to the folks in charge of Memphis, it means creating major public-private partnerships to support the arts and cultivate a unique musical and artistic scene in the city. Despite the nationwide trend towards slashing arts funding, Memphis is launching “a fund drive to generate $25 million for the Greater Memphis Arts Council.”
Florida Phil Seeks More Time To Resurrect
“The uncertain saga of the Florida Philharmonic goes into federal bankruptcy court this morning, where the musicians union is expected to give its permission for a group of reorganizers to continue its efforts to raise money and generate community support in its bid to bring the orchestra back to life.” There has been no shortage of energy from the volunteer choristers who have been trying to save the orchestra from extinction, but they have yet to raise anywhere near the amount of money they need, and there just doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of community support for the ensemble, which collapsed this spring under a weight of ugly debt.
Buffalo Phil Aims For The Black
The Buffalo Philharmonic is a month away from closing out its books for the fiscal year, and, to the surprise of some, things are looking awfully good. In fact, the BPO, which ran a whopping $1.2 million deficit last year, is on the verge of breaking even in a year when many large orchestras are well into the red and many small ones are shutting down for lack of cash. Key to the turnaround seems to be improving ticket sales, which have jumped 15% in Buffalo from last season to this one.
Making Art Until the Cows Go Home
A new exhibition by a British graffiti artist features live sheep, cows, and pigs painted with various outlandish designs. “The exhibition includes pigs painted in police colours, sheep painted in concentration camp stripes and a cow covered in images of Andy Warhol’s face.” Animal control organizations have approved the exhibit, and the animal are all show animals used to being stared at. Still, it’s probably a good thing that the sheep can’t tell what’s been painted on his back…
Movie Painting Tradition Dying In India
In India there is a tradition of artists painting large murals advertising the latest movies. “Their work is stacked against each other, huge displays in bright epic colours, the faces of heroes and heroines, dwarfing the men on ladders touching up their lips and eyelashes.” But technology and the movie poster are killing this tradion. “No one wants our hand-painted work anymore. Everything is becoming computerised and the cinemas are being made into these multi-plexes.”
Recycle Me
“Is nothing new under the sun? some critics are asking (properly attributing that phrase to the writer of Ecclesiastes in the Bible, of course). Author Joan Didion pointed out in a 1996 speech that when she arrived at college ‘it was immediately impressed on me that all the novels necessary had already been written.’ Does that suggest we’re living in unimaginative times in which lazy artists simply mimic the past or, worse, slip into plagiarism? A quick scan of popular culture could suggest that.”
Emmys Spell “Gaseous Self-Praise”
“They’re b-a-a-a-a-ack. Once again come nominations for the Emmys, television’s annual thundering belch of gaseous self-praise that matters to only the dolled-up, high-fiving industry and the critics writing about it. Like, yes, the one you’re reading right now. Thursday’s nominations set the stage for yet another feelgood pantheon of cosmic hair, high-wattage frozen smiles and red-carpeted designer name-dropping from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.”
How Would You Clean The Last Supper?
Restoration of historic art treasures is in the news these days. The Guardian wonders how its readers might “restore” Leonardo’s “The Last Supper,” providing a digital picture for readers to play around with and submit. The painting was itself the subject of a controversial 22-year “cleaning” completed in 1999
In Praise Of One’s Self (Or Paying Others To Do It)
“Soliciting quotes for the jackets of books ahead of publication is an increasingly important part of the way books are now published. The novel, micro-history or popular science book which arrives on the shelf pre-approved by another writer established in the field stands a considerably stronger chance than the one which does not.”