The newly announced government budget for the state of Victoria includes Aus$1.4 billion (US $1.03 billion) for the expansion and revamp of the Southbank arts district in Australia’s fast-growing second city. Phase One of the project will be the construction of the National Gallery of Victoria Contemporary (situated adjacent to the original NGV), planned to be the country’s largest contemporary art museum. Later phases will include improvements and additions to Arts Centre Melbourne, the main venue for all of the city’s major dance, classical music and opera organizations. – ArtsHub (Australia)
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A Grand Unifying Theory Of Culture?… (Meh)
“In the same way that Darwin’s theory explains how life follows pathways of adaptation via natural selection, cultural evolution proposes that human cultures develop and transmit deep understandings and values across generations. There are many pathways of cultural evolution, Henrich contends, and no single human culture. To better understand the world and Europe’s influence on it, we need to recognise that European culture is, in Henrich’s key acronym, “weird”: western, educated, industrialised, rich, democratic.” – The Guardian
Why Do So Many Books With Trump In Them Not Name Trump?
Why are novelists not naming this man? The reasons will naturally vary author to author, but it is not fear or superstition, as far as I can tell. – The Guardian
Men’s Books, Women’s Books… Where Do Readers See Themselves?
“Men and women both write every possible kind of book—and yet, when you toss a book out into the marketplace, it will generally find more readers of one sort than the other. Publishers know this and market accordingly. And, if I’m honest, I did get some early indications of where on the spectrum my own book would fall. Over the years, I noticed who brightened up when I described what I was working on and whose eyes tended to glaze over.” – The American Scholar
Judge Rules Seller Of Fake Hals Must Pay Sotheby’s
As one of the judges said of this costly procedure, the law has “to fall on someone“, as “obviously it did not fall on the forger“. – The Art Newspaper
Yo Yo Ma Reflects On Life And Music
Music is not one thing. It’s something that people react to. But your question — “Is that good or bad?” — it depends on circumstances and individuals and timing. The invention of something starts out being more or less value-neutral. – The New York Times
Houston Grand Opera Managing Director To Depart; Company To Reorganize Leadership
Currently HGO is overseen by artistic and musical director Patrick Summers and Perryn Leech as managing director, with both reporting to the board of directors. The company’s new leadership structure will result in a new general director who will serve as a single point of leadership, to whom Summers will report as HGO’s artistic and musical director. – Opera News
Could The Pandemic Decentralize The Dance Industry?
Maybe — but, says Dance/NYC’s executive director, “In order for decentralization to be sustained, it must come with intentional investment and organization. … You need cities that invest in the arts as dignified work that should be paid.” – Dance Magazine
The Holy Grail of the Beat Generation
When Neal Cassady died in 1968, Carl Solomon recalled a conversation he had about him with Allen Ginsberg: “He told me about this fabulous hipster he knew. And I, defending something or other in my head, said deprecatingly, ‘Kinetic.’ Meaning that he was a man always in motion, jumping from one exciting thing to another.” – Jan Herman
Does Nudging Someone Really Change Behavior?
“Nudge theory has taken the world by storm (with organizations and governments using these techniques), and so you might be forgiven for thinking that these behavioural interventions get it right most of the time. Well, as is often the case, things do in fact go wrong in the world of nudging.” – 3QuarksDaily