“Over the past few weeks, news of scams against visitors to the city have been ricocheting around the European press, with complaints that tourists’ naïveté and limited language skills have led to them being parted from their money in dishonest if not openly illegal ways.” Mayor Luigi Brugnaro is publicly siding with the overchargers – and even mocking the complaints on social media.
Blog
Fired Oregon Bach Festival Director Was Under Investigation For ‘Discrimination [And] Harassment Based On Sex And Race’
A document from the University of Oregon, which operates the festival, showed that, when he was fired in August, former director Matthew Halls was the subject of two complaints. One was the widely-reported joke, made to an African-American singer, that someone who overheard it interpreted as racist; the second was that “Halls does not call on [women] during rehearsals and favors the men. … It is the responsibility of those in power not to perpetuate old patriarchal systems.”
Walker Art Center’s Director Steps Down After Difficult Year And Tensions With Board
“In a surprise announcement Tuesday, the Walker said [Olga] Viso, who has led the internationally known center since 2008” – with a considerable record of achievement, it must be said – “will leave by year end. Four sources close to the board characterized her resignation as the end result of a monthslong process fueled by unusually high turnover among Walker staff and demonstrations against the Scaffold sculpture that delayed the gala opening of the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden last spring.”
Lincoln Center Festival To Shut Down; Mostly Mozart, Now Revitalized, To Expand
“When Jane Moss arrived at Lincoln Center 25 years ago to shake up its programming, many people thought that the days of its well-loved but staid Mostly Mozart festival were numbered. The creation of a rival summer festival – the multidisciplinary Lincoln Center Festival, which was run by others – in 1996 only added to the rumors of its pending demise. But in the end Ms. Moss, and Mozart, are the survivors.”
Louvre Abu Dhabi’s Treatment Of Migrant Workers Has Gotten Better, But Has It Improved Enough?
“In a gesture of inclusiveness that is rare in the region, the workers who had built the Jean Nouvel-designed museum on Saadiyat Island were given their own party. … Yet questions remain over the welfare of these and other construction workers, mostly migrants from the Indian subcontinent, on the island.” Annual reports by PricewaterhouseCoopers note improvements, but the results are still – well, mixed.
Michel Chapuis, One Of 20th Century’s Greatest Organists, Dead At 87
He held some of the most prestigious positions his profession had to offer – at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Saint-Séverin in Paris, and the Chapelle Royale at Versailles – and he was a pioneer, as performer and scholar alike, in reviving the organ repertoire of the 17th and 18th centuries, notably on historical organs. His large discography includes one of the most admired sets of J.S. Bach’s complete works for organ. (in French; Google Translate version here)
BalletX Is Getting A New Home, And 40 New Works Will Be Created There
The company is breaking ground for its first permanent studio, a former furniture store and auto repair shop in South Philadelphia that will be called the Center for World Premiere Choreography. BalletX director Christine Cox is serious about that name: in addition to space for morning dance class and rehearsal, the Center (which is expected to open over this winter) will provide space for choreographers to work, and Cox promises 40 new ballets over the next ten years.
The Cannes Lions, The World’s Leading Advertising Awards, Get An Overhaul
“Under pressure from advertising holding companies who have come to see it as too expensive, Cannes Lions owner Ascential unveiled a sweeping revamp of its flagship festival today, introducing dozens of changes aimed at simplifying and modernizing the event as well as, critically, keeping costs down for attendees.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 11.14.17
External Connections
Fundraising, sales, education, and engagement. All are concerned with making connections between an arts organization and individuals (and groups) outside the organization. The first two have long been focused most on people who … read more
AJBlog: Engaging Matters Published 2017-11-14
Strange Interlude: Al Jazeera Interviews Me About the Berkshire Museum (with video)
I was as surprised as you probably are that Al Jazeera, with its focus on international news (particularly as it relates to the Arab world), was interested in talking to me for a segment about … read more
AJBlog: CultureGrrl Published 2017-11-14
Dreams so real
Regular readers of this blog know that Giorgio Morandi is one of the modern artists whose work I love most … and I’ve long dreamed of … read more
AJBlog: About Last Night Published 2017-11-14
Why Philosophy Should Be Part Of Science Education
Why do college students so often treat philosophy as wholly distinct from and subordinate to science? In my experience, four reasons stand out.