“This proves to be a particularly timely question because exactly 10 years ago last month, two of the biggest arts venue headaches of recent times finally opened to the public.” Ike Ijeh looks at those venues and others, including a few that became successes after rather inauspicious beginnings. — Building (UK)
Blog
Upright Citizens Brigade Starts Laying Off Staff As Money Woes Mount
“The [comedy] theater, which has four spaces, including the flagship that opened in Hell’s Kitchen last year, has struggled in its new location, in part because of increased competition and high rents.” — The New York Times
This Is Why Boston Symphony’s Principal Flutist Is Suing Over Equal Pay
When Elizabeth Rowe launched her lawsuit against the BSO, it was reported that she is paid less than the (male) principal oboist. How much less? More than $66,000. Geoff Edgers does a deep dive into both this case and the larger issue. — The Washington Post
Former Director Of New York’s Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet To Head Rambert, Britain’s Oldest Dance Company
Running a contemporary dance institution with such a long history (read: stability) will be quite a change for Benoit Swan Pouffer: Cedar Lake collapsed in 2015 after its sole funder pulled out. — The Guardian
Washington’s National Gallery Of Art Names New Director, First Woman To Hold Post
“Kaywin Feldman, 52, who has been director and president of the Minneapolis Institute of Art since 2008, will succeed Earl ‘Rusty’ Powell III, who is retiring after 26 years. She is credited with doubling the Minneapolis museum’s attendance, improving its digital reach and strengthening its connection to the community through initiatives on equity and social justice.” — The Washington Post
Social Media Has Surpassed Print As News Source For Americans
According to the study from the Pew Research Center, television is still the leading source, with just under half of respondents saying they get most of their news from it; hard-copy print came in last of five. — Smithsonian Magazine
Motion Picture Academy Seriously Considers Letting Oscars Go Hostless
After the Kevin Hart debacle, which they had not expected, the Academy powers-that-be are having a hard time finding someone willing to host the Academy Awards ceremony, and that very much includes people who’ve already done it. — Variety
Brazil’s Publishing Industry In Crisis With Wave Of Bookseller Closures
The country’s two major bookstore chains are in or near bankruptcy and are closing so many stores that many cities will be left with no place to buy books. The head of one Brazilian publishing firm has been reduced to pleading with the public to buy books as Christmas gifts. — The Guardian
Staff Sues To Stop Reconstruction Of St. Petersburg’s Mikhailovsky Palace Museum
“Staff of the State Russian Museum are taking legal action to protest against the imminent $17m reconstruction of its main building, the Mikhailovsky Palace in St. Petersburg.They argue that the project has not been properly vetted and threatens both the 19th-century structure … and one of the world’s most important collections of Russian art.” — The Art Newspaper
How ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’ Helped Spark The Birth Of Modern Islamic Fundamentalism (Seriously)
It was a fateful night circa 1949 in Greeley, Colorado, when Sayyid Qutb — then an Egyptian exchange student, but who went on to become a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood — was scandalized by seeing men and women dance together, with their arms around each other, to this song (he thought it was a little rapey, too), in (worst of all) a church hall. And he drew certain conclusions about America. — Quartz