LA City Council unanimously approved two motions that repurpose arts fees paid by developers in support of now-canceled or planned cultural events as small-dollar grants to artists, arts organizations, and live performance spaces that have been negatively affected or threatened by the pandemic. – Hyperallergic
Blog
Only In France? A Traveling Drive-In Art Film Festival
The Drive-In Festival, conceived by a small group of French movie execs, shows one title a day (“popular director-driven films” rather than “blockbusters or new releases”) for a week, charging €10 for adults and €5 for children, then moves to the next city. The proceeds go to distributors and closed cinemas in each locale; they’re happy, but the national exhibitors’ association is objecting. – Variety
San Francisco’s Avenue de Cello
The cello concerts have the added bonus of another San Francisco shelter-in-place trend. Page Street is one of an increasing number of roads closed to through traffic to give people space to exercise, get fresh air or, apparently, listen to cello music while keeping their social distance. – San Francisco Chronicle
Just What Was The “Sweating Sickness” In Hilary Mantel’s Cromwell Trilogy?
“It was known in Cromwell’s time as sudor anglicus, meaning the ‘English sweat,’ and there were five outbreaks of it in England, the first in 1485 and the last in 1551. Victims did, in fact, often die within hours of their first symptoms, developing a high fever and ‘copious malodorous sweating.’ … Because the disease killed so swiftly, and because it had other peculiar features — it seemed mainly to affect English people, even when it travelled across borders, and it was particularly infectious among wealthy young men — superstitions abounded.” – The New Yorker
Bill T. Jones May Be Just The Choreographer For The Age Of COVID
“”This is my second plague,” he said he told his company recently. ‘I know it’s kind of a coarse thing to say. They’re different, but they have things in common.’ Yes, the circumstances of the coronavirus are different, but there’s a sense that the dance world, which suffered tremendous losses during the AIDS crisis, has been through this all before. … [And Jones] is looking exactly like an artist with the experience and wisdom to help others navigate the present moment.” – The New York Times
70% Of Audience Would Rather See New Movies At Home Than At A Theater: Study
“The results — from a survey of roughly 1,000 people in mid-May by sports and events analytics firm Performance Research, in partnership with Full Circle Research Co. — point to just how steep a climb the entertainment industry has in front of it to win back public perception that it’s safe to attend, and spend money on, public events again.” – Variety
Orchestra Musicians Face No Increased Risk Of Transmitting Coronavirus While Playing, Finds Study
If, that is, the players remain one meter apart, per current regulations. The research, commissioned by the Vienna Philharmonic and carried out earlier this month, “involved members of the orchestra each being fitted with an aerosol device inside their noses, which spayed a fine mist into their lungs. They were then placed in front of a black canvas and very brightly lit from the front, then photographed while playing. This made it possible to view the mist and the extent to which it travelled in the air.” – The Strad
Can Cirque Du Soleil Survive The Pandemic?
“Even before the pandemic, the sprawling company was struggling with bloat and creative fatigue after a consortium led by an American private equity firm acquired it in 2015, and accelerated a debt-fueled global expansion spree.” Meanwhile, the performers face ever more uncertainty; as one put it, “There aren’t a lot of LinkedIn listings for unemployed contortionists.” – The New York Times
Dutch Cultural Institutions Start Reopening Process June 1
“With a list of conditions that will leave most venue operators scratching their heads, venues can reopen on the basis that a maximum of 30 people – including staff – are allowed in at any one time and they remain 1.5 meters apart. A reservation system must also be in place, with no walk-in customers admitted. Venue owners must discuss potential risks with visitors before they enter. The maximum number of visitors to cultural institutions will be increased to 100 in the following stage of the plan from 1 July, if the virus is kept ‘under control’.” – IQ Magazine
Italian Museums And Historic Sites Begin To Reopen
Among the venues receiving the public this week are the Galleria Borghese in Rome, the Castello di Rivoli in Turin, and the Duomo in Florence — each with its own limits on visitor traffic, based on the building’s size and layout. Among the best bits of news is that the major Raphael exhibition at Rome’s Quirinale, which shut down only three days after opening in March, will resume from June 2 to August 30. – Artnet