“The experience of the product is bigger than the product itself,” said Donald Chesnut, who became Mastercard Inc.’s first chief experience officer in 2019. “It’s everything around it. How well does it work? How does the product feel?” Some 89% of companies employed a chief experience officer or an equivalent role in 2019, up from 61% in 2017, according to research and advisory firm Gartner Inc., which surveyed nearly 400 large companies in the U.S., Canada and U.K. about their customer experience management. – Wall Street Journal
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The Newseum Does Still Exist, In A Diffuse Sort Of Way
“Pop-up shows at Washington’s two airports and an immersive display in a 12th-floor suite at the Hamilton Hotel offer the first glimpse of its future. The suffrage-themed displays represent a significantly diminished footprint for the long-struggling museum of journalism, which last year sold its building, laid off 88 employees and moved the remaining staff of about 40.” – The Washington Post
Baltimore Symphony, In Debt, With Unhappy Musicians And Losing Its Music Director, Asks For $15M To Expand
Recommendations of the task force, created last spring to examine ways to staunch the BSO’s losses, include obtaining an extra $5.5 million through 2026 from the state government, which last year promised and later withdrew emergency funding of $1.6 million. The BSO also will attempt to increase gifts from private donors by $10 to $15 million over the next three years. The extra cash would be used to create new programs designed to increase the orchestra’s presence statewide and to provide for a 52-week performing season, which has been a demand of — and flashpoint for — the musicians union. – Baltimore Sun
Do Big Regional Theatres Still Need Artistic Directors Who Get Paid Hundreds Of Thousands Of Dollars?
“[A generation ago], it was widely assumed that a theater needed a single, visionary artistic director. … As the years went by, this model became so settled and essential that experienced artistic directors at the biggest theaters were able to command high salaries … of $500,000 per year or more. … But there are signs this longstanding model is beginning to crack.” Chris Jones looks at the reasons. – Chicago Tribune
Have Fun: Smithsonian Releases 2.8 Million Images To Public
Featuring data and material from all 19 Smithsonian museums, nine research centers, libraries, archives and the National Zoo, the new digital depot encourages the public to not just view its contents, but use, reuse and transform them into just about anything they choose—be it a postcard, a beer koozie or apair of bootie shorts. – Smithsonian
Roman Polanski, Saying He Fears ‘Public Lynching’, Withdraws From French Academy Awards
When the director’s latest film, An Officer and a Spy (about the Dreyfus Affair), was nominated for 12 César awards, many people in France and beyond were outraged and threatened a boycott, and the entire board of the César Academy later resigned. While Polanski hasn’t pulled his movie from consideration (the awards ceremony is tomorrow night), he says bitterly that “we know how this evening will unfold already” and he will not attend. – Yahoo! (AFP)
Having Realized That His Apology Included A Confession, Plácido Domingo Tries To Walk It Back
“On Tuesday, [he] apologized to women who had accused him of sexual harassment. … But on Thursday, as some of Europe’s leading opera houses considered canceling future engagements, Mr. Domingo said he wanted to ‘correct the false impression’ his statement had created.” – The New York Times
Author And Explorer Clive Cussler Dead At 88
“[He was a] million-selling adventure writer and real-life thrill-seeker who wove personal details and spectacular fantasies into his page-turning novels. … In real life, Cussler … participated in dozens of searches for old ships, including one that turned up a steamship belonging to Cornelius Vanderbilt. He also had a long history of questionable claims — some admitted, some denied.” – Yahoo! (AP)
Watching ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ With 18,000 Schoolkids At Madison Square Garden
“The classic story of Atticus Finch, a small-town lawyer who defends a black man in a racist town, was told under the championship flags of the New York Knicks (who have played their own tragedy there for years) and the Rangers. And with a new venue and a younger audience came new standards of theater decorum: The middle and high school students groaned when things went badly for the protagonists and cheered shamelessly at insults lobbed at the town’s most virulent racists.” – The New York Times
Marin Alsop Will Leave Baltimore Symphony At End Of Next Season
The maestra will be 64 when she steps down at the end of August 2021 after a 14-year tenure. While she has reportedly been quietly frustrated by the orchestra’s recent struggles, she will remain involved with OrchKids, the music education program for poor Baltimore students that she founded, and will conduct three programs in each of the next five seasons. – The Baltimore Sun