David J. Skorton, who became secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in July of 2015, is leaving in June to become president of the Association of American Medical Colleges. A cardiologist by trade, he said of his decision that “the possibility of trying to contribute something to the national challenges of health care is important to me.” — The Washington Post
Blog
After A Year, Rijksmuseum’s Branch In Amsterdam Airport Is Reopening
The Rijksmuseum Schiphol was the world’s first museum satellite at an airport, with a rotating selection of ten Golden Age paintings displayed (at no charge) for a few hundred thousand visitors each year. Leaks in the roof above had required the space to close last January. — The Art Newspaper
Actor Donald Moffat, 87
“American critics called Mr. Moffat a consummate pro who could play any supporting role from Shakespeare, O’Neill, Ibsen, Beckett, Pinter or Shaw, as well as the lawyers, doctors, husbands and tough guys who are the stock in trade of movies and television — characters that make the stars shine and place the accomplishments of the ensemble above personal glory.” — The New York Times
Once World Capital Of Oil-Painting Copies, Chinese Town Tries Move Into Original Art
A decade ago, the Shenzen suburb of Dafen produced three-quarters of the world’s supply of oil reproductions of famous paintings such as Van Gogh’s Sunflowers. “[But] what was once pejoratively described as something akin to a citadel of copycats is now trying to rebrand itself as an incubator of original art,” albeit with limited success so far. — Hyperallergic
Chunky Move, Melbourne’s Leading Contemporary Dance Company, Names New Artistic Director
Antony Hamilton, a longtime dancer and sometime choreographer with the company, replaces Anouk van Dijk as artistic director. Joining him as executive director is Kristy Ayre, also a former Chunky Move dancer; the two will be joint CEOs. — The Age (Melbourne)
Ontario Gov’t Cuts More Than $7M From Arts And Culture Funding
The Conservative provincial government, under Premier Doug Ford, “has slashed base funding to the Ontario Arts Council (OAC) by $5 million, as well as [$2.25 million] to the Indigenous Culture Fund.” — Global News (Canada)
Florida Orchestra In Tampa Bay Names New CEO
Mark Cantrell “might be the most versatile hire in the organization’s history.” Currently chief of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and a longtime freelance trombonist, he has also been a professional pilot and a competitive sled-dog racer. — Tampa Bay Times
A Dance Is A Dance Of Course, Of Course (Unless…)
Can you copyright the moves? There’s more to the Fortnite video game complaints than copyright infringement. The plaintiffs are also bringing in their “right of publicity,” a different matter that looks at the dance moves as part of someone’s identity, whether the dance is copyrighted or not. – Washington Post
Screen Addiction? Yeah We’re Worried. But Should We Be?
If there’s one thing that gets lost most consistently in the conversation over alluring technology, it’s that our devices contain multitudes. Time spent playing Fortnite ≠ time spent socializing on Snapchat ≠ time spent responding to your colleague’s Slack messages. – Wired
The Book Revolution That Already Happened
We were looking for the Future Book in the wrong place. It’s not the form, necessarily, that needed to evolve—I think we can agree that, in an age of infinite distraction, one of the strongest assets of a “book” as a book is its singular, sustained, distraction-free, blissfully immutable voice. Instead, technology changed everything that enables a book, fomenting a quiet revolution. – Wired