Like the virus in the rest of the country, the perhaps too-soon begun production restart is not going well. “As the threat of new COVID-19 restrictions looms large, the industry is rushing to crank out film and TV productions this fall, in what could be the last gasp for production in 2020.” – Variety
Blog
What Louise Gluck’s Poetry Tells Us About Beginnings
The new Nobel laureate’s themes remain all too relevant. “Glück examines the human compulsion to retell stories and reimagine scenes; in the face of grief, sadness, and destruction, she asks, how can belief in new beginnings possibly still persist?” – The Atlantic
A Texas Grand Jury Indicts Netflix Over ‘Cuties,’ Showing No Understanding Of The First Amendment
That’s because Texas is, of course, special (in terms of its own laws), but also, perhaps the grand jury didn’t watch the actual film? “The Miller test says that works are protected by the First Amendment if they have what could be characterized as ‘serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value’ when the works were each ‘taken as a whole.'” With Cuties, it would be hard to argue otherwise. – Slate
What ‘Angels In America’ Means During The New Pandemic
The play means something different now than it did a year ago. “The light of Covid-19 turns out to be especially harsh and revealing, turning the play, so concerned with prophecy, into a prophet itself. How, it now seems to ask, can we have squandered in just a few months the decades’ worth of suffering and organizing and scientific advances invested in the struggle against AIDS?” – The New York Times
Portland’s Elk Wasn’t Targeted By BLM Protesters, And Other Public Art Discussions That Matter
Portland’s Barry Johnson has some musings about the Elk, statues of Robert E. Lee, and all of art history. “Art is emancipatory. … It can lead me almost anywhere, even to thoughts about the intent of the artist, the times the artist lived in, the artist’s relationship to those times, the times and art and artists that followed and preceded the art+artist+times I’m focusing on.” – Oregon ArtsWatch
Duncan Grant’s Recently Rediscovered Erotic Art Is ‘A Blast Of Joy’ In Tough Times For The Arts
“What images they are: defiantly subversive and explicit multiracial homoerotica, bursting with passion, flesh, joy, love, freedom and everything else gay people were legally barred from experiencing and expressing at the time. The underlying message of Grant’s paintings is still uplifting in 2020: art will always find a way, whatever the obstacles, hardships and dangers.” – The Guardian (UK)
Kansas City Has A Brand New Classical Music Station
Using foundation and individual funding, the Curators of the University of Missouri purchased 91.9-FM from William Jewell College, which had owned the frequency since the 1970s and had leased it to various groups over the years. – KC Independent
The Climate Change Movement Needs A Bauhaus-Type Aesthetic
“Every movement has its own look and feel. And we need to give our systemic change its own distinct aesthetic—to match style with sustainability. This is why we will set up a new European Bauhaus—a co-creation space where architects, artists, students, engineers, designers work together to make that happen.” – Fast Company
Broadway Will Stay Dark Until At Least May 31
A League statement suggested that producers imagine a staggered reopening, rather than all theaters opening at once. “Dates for each returning and new Broadway show will be announced as individual productions determine the performance schedules for their respective shows,” the statement explained. – The New York Times
Classical Music Is Changing Irrevocably
Both the pandemic and the protests have revealed how deep inequalities run within the music industry, among audiences and performers. There is no going back to normal. – Van