A performer “of powerful, regal demeanor,” Tomlinson was a member, in turn, of Dance Theater of Harlem, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and New York City Ballet. He was most celebrated for his performance in the Balanchine-Stravinsky ballet Agon, which he learned from its originator, Arthur Mitchell, at DTH and from Mr. B. himself at NYCB. – The New York Times
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Europe’s Famous Serial Art Thief Has Been At It Again
“Stéphane Breitwieser, the serial art thief who raided museums around France, Switzerland, Germany and other countries on the continent from 2004 to 2011, has been arrested again in his native region of Alsace. He had been under surveillance since 2016 when he offered a 19th-century paperweight on eBay.” – The Art Newspaper
In The Get-A-Life Department: Instagram Users Lose Followers And Freak Out
So what happened? Instagram has now tweeted that the follower loss was not the result of a fake user account culling, but instead due to a glitch they are still looking in to. – Fast Company
After 112 Years, The Oregon College Of Arts And Crafts Is To Close And Be Sold. But Why?
Every great city has a vibrant arts and craft culture, and schools and colleges are a critical. In Portland, our art and craft worlds have suffered an ongoing erosion. Go to a public school and see how few wood shops are left. The loss of the Museum of Contemporary Craft was a major hit. If we let the college close, the many donors inscribed on the wall in the college’s Vollum building — and thousands of additional donors — will completely lose their investment in this nationally recognized school. – The Oregonian
Movie Industry Weighs In On Oscars’ Decision To X Televising Cinematography Awards
Russell Crowe, not nominated for anything this year, chimed. “The Academy is removing cinematography, editing and make up from the televised show? This is just such a fundamentally stupid decision, I’m not even going to be bothered trying to be a smart arse about it,” the actor, who won an Oscar for Gladiator, said. “It’s just too fucking dumb for words.” – New York Magazine
Human Debate Champion Finally Beats IBM’s Artificial Intelligence Machine
A human has finally notched up a win against our future robot overlords. Champion debater Harish Natarajan triumphed in a live showdown against IBM’s Miss Debater AI at the company’s Think Conference in San Francisco on Monday. – Engadget
Russia Is Cutting Itself Off From The Rest Of The Internet (Temporarily). But Is This Prelude To Something Bigger?
Ostensibly the goal of the legislation is to protect the Russian internet from the US, which has an offensive cybersecurity strategy and lists Russia as one of the major sources of hacking attacks. However, many observers think the creation of a Russian intranet is a further step towards a goal of duplicating the Great Firewall of China to restrict the access of the country’s internet users to content deemed harmful by the authorities. – The Guardian
Oscars Cut Televising Some Categories In Pursuit Of Ratings. What’s Next?
Michael Philips: “If ABC and the Oscars keep this up, by 2028 we may be watching a 90-minute infomercial with no host, no technical or design awards, no sense of craft or history, and a whole helluva lot of ‘Avengers’ cast members, whoever they are by then.” – Chicago Tribune
Why Was Zhang Yimou’s Latest Film Pulled From The Berlin Film Festival?
“The phrase ‘technical reasons’ is both a euphemism and a reality for Chinese filmmakers, none of whom can ever be said to have completed their movie until regulators sign off on every detail. … In the case of One Second, it is possible that the subject matter, rooted in Mao Zedong’s 1966-76 Cultural Revolution, was the problem.” – Variety
James Turrell’s Roden Crater Set To Open After 45 Years And New Funding (Including $10M From Kanye West)
Roden Crater is located in the Painted Desert region of Northern Arizona, and has been under construction for 45 years. In the early 1970s, Turrell spent the night in the bowl of the extinct volcano in Arizona. Since then, he has set about buying and turning the crater into a celestial observatory connected to a series of spaces and installations. – ArchDaily