The Denver Art Museum has cast Monet as a sort of Romantic painter, looking for the truth in unalloyed nature – and perhaps finding it. But instead of demonstrating oneness with pure nature, “with a little critical re-framing, Monet’s most celebrated works can testify to the perniciousness at the heart of the structural conditions underlying today’s climate crisis — in particular, the dated binary between ‘enlightened’ humans and an inert and exploitable ‘true’ nature.” – Hyperallergic
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After Only A Year, The Staatsballett Berlin’s Co-Leaders Are Stepping Away
Sasha Waltz and Johannes Ohman had signed five-year contracts to lead the young ballet company (that was, in 2004, created as a consolidation of three opera ballets), but the protests against their tenures started early. Still, they hung in there for a while. “They aimed for a balance of classical tradition and modern dance. In the joint statement announcing their departure, they said that they believed their mission had been a success, citing healthy attendance figures and an honor from the magazine Tanz, which surveyed 25 dance journalists and named the Staatsballett its company of the year for 2019.” – The New York Times
What’s The Deal With Country Music’s Bizarre, Ahistorical Lack Of Diversity? [VIDEO]
Jimmie Allen, who hit the charts with “Best Shot” in 2019, says, “I was excited and a little sad to be the first Black artist to launch a career with a number one in country just because of the year it is.” – BBC
Deborah Duggan, On The Eve Of The Grammys, Says She Had To Push Back
With past colleagues backing her up (that story here), the ousted head of the Recording Academy says that she didn’t want to be the story as the 2020 Grammys get underway – but she couldn’t sit back and let others control the narrative. In her first few months at the Academy, her 44-page complaint alleges, “she alleged discovering voting irregularities, financial mismanagement, self-dealing and conflicts of interest among board members and nomination review committees, and criticized what she called ‘exorbitant’ legal fees paid to a few law firms with close ties to the academy.” – Los Angeles Times
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival Hires A Full-Time Intimacy Director
“In a field that so far has relied largely on show-by-show contracts for intimacy directors, a salaried position with benefits is a significant step. … ‘It confirms that the company has made a promise to keep their actors emotionally and mentally safe — that they have made that a priority.'” – The New York Times
What If Stephen King Were Treated Like A Latinx Writer?
Combining recent controversies – a statement King made about the Oscars and the reaction to American Dirt – author Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez explains what publishing is like for many Latinx writers. “MODERATOR: Hello, ladies and gentleman! Thank you for coming to the event today. As you can see, we have here with us today one of the nation’s leading white voices, the white male ‘writer,’ Stephen – hold on. I’m not sure how to pronounce your last name. Do you say it with a British accent? (Purses lips like the Queen’s arsehole, LAUGHS.) ‘King.'” – Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez
Disruptive Innovation Thinker Clayton Christensen, 67
His theory of disruptive innovation made him a key influence on Silicon Valley powerhouses like Netflix and Intel and twice earned him the title of the world’s most influential living management thinker, died Jan. 23 at age 67. – Deseret News
When Classical Music Was Central
“However difficult to imagine, across those eventful decades, countless people embraced the idea that what happened in the concert hall and the opera house was inseparable from the destiny of the United States and the well-being of the American people.” – Washington Post
So Much For The Grammys’ New Era
Ousted chief Deborah Dugan’s explosive claims threatened to overshadow the star-studded show itself, which is scheduled to air on CBS. Her brutal portrait of the Recording Academy as a chummy cabal of men with expense accounts, conspiring to line their pockets on the backs of musicians, harass women at will and cover it all up, seemed to confirm people’s most cynical fears about the music industry and the Grammys in particular, which have long been criticized as out of touch and lacking transparency. – The New York Times
Research: How New York City’s Arts Work Force Diversity Compares To The Rest Of The City
“Based on responses from our survey, a high share (66%) of cultural workers identify as White (non-Hispanic), compared to just 32% of New York City’s population. In contrast, Hispanics, Blacks/African Americans, and Asians are underrepresented – 10% of cultural workers identify as Black/African American, compared to 22% of the city’s population; 11% identify as Hispanic, compared to 29% of city residents; and 6% identify as Asian, compared to 14% of city residents.” SMU Data Arts