“Much as Hamilton gave America’s founding a progressive cool factor and became the quintessential Obama-era musical, [Heidi Schreck’s] What the Constitution Means to Me captures the mood of a time when institutional protections feel shockingly vulnerable and the country is getting an unwelcome crash course in constitutional arcana. (How many Americans knew about the emoluments clause before November, 2016?)” – The New Yorker
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Dance Meets Urbanism — Could Choreographers Help Create Better Cities?
“Ellie Cosgrave, a lecturer in urban innovation at University College London, is collaborating with Theatrum Mundi to look at how choreographic methods could improve urban engineering. Choreographers and engineers have some key things in common, she says: they both design materials and experiences through time and space.” – The Guardian
Robert Ryman, Abstract Painter Who Had A Way With White, Dead At 88
“Over the course of the more than half-century of relentless experimentation that followed, Ryman radically expanded the possibilities of abstract painting, continuously rethinking how it could be made and what it could look like, even while seeming to confine himself to a single color: white. His death … brings to a close one of the singular careers in postwar America art.” – ARTnews
Norton Museum Of Art In Palm Beach Reopens After $100 Million Renovation/Expansion
The project, designed by Norman Foster and his firm, has “add[ed] 12,000 square feet of gallery space, along with new classrooms, a restaurant, a sculpture garden and a 210-seat auditorium.” – South Florida Sun Sentinel
Tomi Ungerer, 87, Artist And Author Who Specialized In Children’s Lit And Weird Erotica
“[He] leaped between genres and mediums, crafting works that included anti-Vietnam War posters, darkly comic children’s books, a mischievous reworking of The Joy of Sex and a cat-shaped kindergarten building in Germany.” – The Washington Post
Stage Manager Sues Royal Opera House For £200,000 Over Falling Curtain
“Gary Crofts, 68, claims that he has been plagued by depression and anxiety since a half-tonne section of stage curtain fell down near him without warning. The incident happened during a 2016 production of Kenneth MacMillan’s ballet, Anastasia.” – The Times (UK)
English Arts Orgs Are Becoming A Bit More Diverse, But Too Slowly: Report
“An annual statistical report, published on Tuesday by Arts Council England (ACE), showed slow progress in representation of people from a black and minority ethnic (BME) background, and barely any progress in the area of disabled employees.” – The Guardian
Fewer Students Are Studying English. Does it Matter?
English has lost more students than other subjects. Undergraduate enrollments on English degrees have also fallen: from an all-time high of around 51,000 in 2011/12 to 39,000 last year, although the proportion of English A-level students who go on to study it at university has hovered around 14% for a decade. It makes sense to view the decline of English studies as part of a bigger, international story about the weakening of the humanities, and its counterpoint: the rise in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths). – The Guardian
How Saudi Arabia Is Trying To Change Its Image Through Culture Festivals
The weekends revolve around the concerts, held on Fridays. There are sometimes other notable events, like hot-air balloon rides. Mr. Bocelli performed on the same weekend as a well-known horse race that drew royalty from around the Gulf region. – The New York Times
Choose: Through This Door The World Is Getting Better. Through The Other Door…
This may not feel like a particularly revolutionary time. But, if we look closely, we can see current economic, social, and political forces pulling us in two directions. One direction will accelerate us forward, the other backwards. We will decide our fate by the revolution we embrace. – The Walrus