The British government has ordered a temporary hold on the export of a valuable Raphael painting to allow a “last chance” effort to raise money to keep it in the country. “The National Gallery is campaigning to keep it in the UK after the Duke of Northumberland, one of England’s wealthiest land and art owners, accepted a £32m offer from the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.”
Blog
Copyright “Screwup” Made Martha Graham Company Possible Again
The Martha Graham Company is back performing again, only because of “the highest-profile intellectual-property screw-up in history.” Graham didn’t protect her copyrights properly, and after her heir Ron Protas tried to prevent the company from using Graham’s work, it was discovered that some of the choreographer’s most well-known work was now in the public domain. “Graham’s oversight has ultimately proved to be the saving grace of both her company and her legacy.”
Splendor Wins Sundance
“American Splendor” wins the grand prize at the Sundance Film Festival. “The movie tells the story of a Cleveland file clerk named Harvey Pekar, who wrote a famous series of comic books documenting his boring life and discontented psyche.”
In Density We Trust
For some time, many experts have been saying that high-density cities are no longer essential for business success. The internet has made it unnecessary for workers and companies to always be in close proximity. But “creative activities — whether economic, cultural or political — thrive on density. In a global economy, with uncertain markets and changing conditions, the most advanced and speculative sectors need concentrations of resources — talent, management, technological infrastructure and buildings. They need dense environments where information does not simply circulate but gets produced. The geography of the global economy consists of both world-spanning networks and these concentrations of resources, as provided by about 40 global cities.”
A Radical Proposal – Let’s Cut Copyright Terms Back
Long copyrights are choking creativity, and make no sense as incentives to further creativity. “The flood of free content on the internet has shown that most creators do not need incentives that stretch across generations. To reward those who can attract a paying audience, and the firms that support them, much shorter copyrights would be enough. The 14-year term of the original 18th-century British and American copyright laws, renewable once, might be a good place to start.”
Arts Are More Than “Targets,” “Benchmarks” and “Outcomes”
Where is Scotland’s vision for the arts that is creative? As far as the government goes, “the dead hand of Treasury control has fallen on the arts, subjecting it to the same criteria that it applies to every other branch of public spending. A presumption has grown up that culture can answer to ‘targets’ and ‘benchmarks’ in the same way as hospitals and schools, that unless creativity can be measured against ‘outcomes’ and ‘deliveries’ then it does not deserve to be funded.”
Reinventing The National Theatre
Nicholas Hytner appears to be reinventing London’s National Theatre. And doing it quickly. Along with cutting ticket prices, he’s trying to expand the National’s tastes. His “particular hope is that by exploring ‘the gaps between what we now call ‘dance’, ‘plays’ and ‘operas’,’ the National can redefine musical drama. ‘Somewhere along the line, “musical” became a dirty word – I want to clean it up’.”
Moscow Theatre Reopens After Last Year’s Siege
The Moscow theatre that was captured by Chechen rebels last year has reopened for business. “Moscow’s city government provided $2.5 million to renovate the theatre, which now has a new security system and orchestra pit, and will be ready for the first show on 8 February.”
The New Reality – Remaking The TV Landscape
“The recent flood of reality programs such as ‘American Idol,’ `Joe Millionaire’ and `The Bachelorette’ and the number of viewers they are drawing is unprecedented. They are pulling in young people who had drifted to cable or their home computers, revitalizing the ratings fortunes of both ABC and Fox and – in some cases – putting a serious dent in the viewership for well-established comedies and dramas. The shows have become such a cultural phenomenon in this country.”
America’s Oldest Ballet Company Turns 70
“San Francisco Ballet this year marks its 70th anniversary, which makes it this country’s oldest professional ballet company. The great tradition of American ballet today boasts not only the American Ballet Theatre and New York City Ballet, but also vital and unique major companies from Boston to Miami, from Houston to Seattle. San Francisco Ballet paved the way, and, 70 years on, it is still a major force in American culture.”