Almost all cinemas in China — the world’s second-largest moviegoing market behind North America — went dark more than a month ago because of the virus, while all of Italy is now quarantined. Historically, firms in the U.S. have vowed to stay open during various outbreaks, even if business slows to a standstill. – The Hollywood Reporter
Blog
Exhibition Cancelled Because Of … Not Coronavirus, But Slavery
“Four North American museums” — the National Gallery of Canada, Seattle Art Museum, Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, and National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC — “have canceled plans to host a major touring exhibition of masterworks from Liechtenstein’s princely collections out of apparent concern over the royal family’s wartime … use of forced labour.” – The Art Newspaper
When The Collective Good Impinges On Personal Freedom
The First Amendment doesn’t protect your right to eat steak; nothing in the Bill of Rights prohibits a quarantine. Whatever discomfort or vexation arises from these restrictions should hardly be classed as a violation of liberty. Yet that’s not quite right. Very few of us care so much about our rights of speech or conscience to test their constitutional boundaries. There’s a reason people got so angry when Mayor Michel Bloomberg tried to ban the sale of large-size soft drinks; they were defending a right they actually cared about. – The New York Times
A Library-On-Wheels For The Refugee Camps Of Greece
“The Echo library was founded in 2016, at the height of the refugee crisis, and relies on a 15-strong volunteer team alongside donations to stock its shelves and pay for the van’s fuel – costs that come to roughly £13,000 a year.” – The Guardian
Soprano Elinor Ross Dead At 93
A client of Sol Hurok, she sang the major Italian dramatic roles at Europe’s leading opera houses, though much of her work at the Met was as a cover, going onstage at short notice. Her career ended abruptly in late 1979 when she contracted a severe case of Bell’s palsy. – Opera News
Radical Artists Are Running Performance Space New York. Here’s How They Showed A Journalist What They’re Doing.
To mark its 40th anniversary, the East Village venue (formerly P.S. 122) turned itself over to 11 loosely connected artists of various stripes for the whole of 2020. Not even PSNY’s director knows everything they have planned. When Siobhan Burke went to talk to them (at PSNY’s invitation), they met her in matching black garments that obscured their faces, declined to identify themselves, and stuck strictly to a prepared script that included such phrases as “There is no consensus,” “Welcome is a warning,” and “Artist exceptionalism upholds empire.” – The New York Times
National Gallery In D.C. Postpones Show Because It Can’t Get The Art
“The National Gallery of Art has postponed its much-anticipated exhibition A Superb Baroque: Art in Genoa, 1600–1750 because of the global coronavirus crisis.” The nationwide lockdown in Italy means that the more than 100 works in the show can’t be shipped from museums in Genoa and Rome. – The Washington Post
L.A. Opera’s Investigation Finds Against Domingo But Clears L.A. Opera
“[The company] said its investigator interviewed 44 people, yielding 10 [credible] allegations of inappropriate conduct between 1986 … [and] 2019.” The law firm hired by the company also found “no evidence that L.A. Opera ever ignored, failed to address, or covered up sexual harassment complaints.” – Los Angeles Times
U.S. Theatres Are Staying Open (For Now)
“As COVID-19 … spreads inexorably across the U.S., theatres are finding themselves trying to stay both practical and realistic, even as public concerns grow. While many public gatherings are being cancelled, largely as a preemptive measure, theatres have not yet dropped the curtain.” – American Theatre
Berlin Closes All Cultural Venues For A Month
The shutdown, ordered to prevent the spread of COVID-19, mandatory for all state-owned arts institutions and strongly recommended for others, is in effect at least until after Easter (April 12). – The Berlin Spectator