“Paradoxically, despite the fact that architecture now seems more than ever to be dominated by that flying circus of the perpetually jet- lagged who get to build everything, architecture is one of those areas in which, given the right circumstances, the differences between the metropolitan and the provincial count for much less than they do in most other cultural forms. The new names that are beginning to attract international attention in architecture are as likely to be from Croatia, Iran or China and Ireland as they are from America or Japan.” And now Irish architects are making their move.
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Harvey’s Way
Harvey Weinstein is not a popular man in Hollywood. The Miramax cheif is known far and wide in the industry for being completely ruthless, infuriatingly single-minded, and unconcerned with such niceties as rules and taboos. He has been accused of trading favors and even cash for Oscar votes, but no one can deny that the strategy has worked. However, some in the business contend that Weinstein’s constant overreaching and bullying PR campains on behalf of mediocre flicks are costing his studio’s best films the recognition they deserve.
So You Wanna Be A Choreographer
There’s a lot more to creating a dance than just throwing on some music and making up steps. Choreography is a finely adjusted blend of research, flair, and precision, and the thought of creating a scriptable dance is an awfully daunting one for those who have never seen it done. But if you’d like to give it a try, famed choreographer Mark Morris would be happy to tell you how he does it.
Margaret Atwood Sees Her Word Turned Into Music
Writer Margaret Atwood was suprised when she was approached with the idea of turning her book “The Handmaiden’s Tale” into an opera. “I was aware of the problems the creators of the opera must have faced. The novel has much internal monologue: how would they handle that? How to convey the back-story to the plot? Would the costumes look not strange and ominous, but merely silly?”
California’s Perpetual Museum-In-Progress
The California African American Museum reopens this week after a $3.8 million renovation. This is good news, but the state’s budget crisis has once again put the museum at risk. The CAAM was created 25 years ago, but it has never really had the opportunity to become financially stable, since a heavy reliance on wildly fluctuating state funding has kept it subserviant to the whims of politicians. The latest round of state cuts will see the museum’s budget shrink by 35%, and the CAAM is scrambling to find ways to make up the difference.
Uncovering Vermeer
Jan Vermeer is one of the great enigmas of the art world, and the dearth of real information about his life has only increased the popularity of his work in recent years. A new documentary attempts to tie together the scraps of biographical interest which have been unearthed over the years, and creates a more complete portrait of the Dutch master than any seen before. And while Vermeer’s work tends to reflect quiet contentment, the filmmaker “argues that the artist imagined on canvas a vision of tranquility which eluded him in life.”
Why Wait For The Sky To Fall?
Some striking Houston Symphony musicians have apparently abandoned all hope that their orchestra will continue to be a viable employment option. The HSO strike is now more than two weeks old, and there are no signs that a settlement is near. Four musicians have already won jobs elsewhere, and many more are taking every audition that comes along. A few are retiring, and some are leaving the area to become freelance musicians in friendlier artistic climes. The departing musicians have good things to say about their years in the HSO, but nothing but hopeless resignation regarding the current dispute.
Saatchi’s New Showcase
Collector and professional recluse Charles Saatchi will open a spectacular new public home for his vast collection of contemporary British art later this year, and early indications are that it will immediately become one of the UK’s hottest art destinations. Its proximity to the Tate Modern is also sparking rumors of a not-so-friendly rivalry. But for every visitor who comes for the art, another will come to see if the gallery holds any revelations about the gruff and mysterious Saatchi himself.
Bringing Art To The Hinterlands
“Masterpieces from the Tate collection, including The Rock Drill – an icon of 20th century sculpture by Sir Jacob Epstein which expresses his revulsion at the carnage of the first world war – will be loaned to regional museums through a scheme funded by a £440,000 heritage lottery grant announced yesterday… The loans project, launched in 2000 on a modest budget, has been a spectacular success and resulted in some exhibitions in the regions – notably one on Constable in Sheffield – which were more admired by critics than major exhibitions at Tate Britain.”
Cops And Robbers And Broken Statues
“Fragments of an ancient Roman statue of Apollo, illegally excavated several years ago near the Italian capital, were recovered in London, police said this week.” The fragments were actually discovered in February, but the find was not announced until this week. Authorities had been searching for the artifacts for six years, and had pursued the thieves through at least four European nations. Two people have been arrested in connection with the discovery.