Baltimore Museum of Art Christopher Bedford: “This how you raise awareness and shift the identity of an institution. …You don’t just purchase one painting by a female artist of color and hang it on the wall next to a painting by Mark Rothko. To rectify centuries of imbalance, you have to do something radical.” – The Baltimore Sun
Blog
The Effort It Takes To Appear Real And Effortless On The Stage
Mary-Louise Parker, of Fried Green Tomatoes, Weeds, and Angels in America fame, has returned to Broadway in a play that requires her to be onstage (and speaking) for the entire 90-minute span. How does that work? “‘It requires a lot of technique,’ she said. ‘It most requires it because I don’t want you to see the technique. I want you to feel like there’s a person standing there talking — just talking.'” – NPR
Boston Children’s Theatre Dumps Its Executive Director, Says It’s Time To Clean House
This comes after its longtime artistic director, Burgess Clark, resigned and was then accused of sexual misconduct by many former students. The theatre has canceled its holiday production and said its financial situation is “even more precarious than usual.” – The Boston Globe
The Secret Life Of The Audiobook Star
Sore throat? All the time. Bored with what you’re reading? No doubt. Even when it’s your own work. And let’s not talk about the difference between words authors know how to write and words authors know how to read. – The Guardian (UK)
In The UK, Money Means Co-Productions, And That Means Regional Theatres Will Lose Their Identities
Or at least that’s the warning right now. Bristol Old Vic’s artistic director Tom Morris: “It is harder to make shows that are specific to your audience, though it doesn’t mean it’s impossible, and it’s harder to make shows specific to your region. Not impossible again, but I think we’re at an interesting tipping point.” – The Stage (UK)
How To Follow Up A Number One Bestseller: Throw Away Your Internet
Erin Morgenstern’s second book debuted at number three on the bestseller list after she spent years working on her sophomore venture. How did she work, especially after the events of 2016? She didn’t have internet for a couple of years, and also, well, video games. – The New York Times
Dora Maar, Long Known As Picasso’s Muse, Gets Her Own Billing Now
When Maar died at 89, Le Monde forgot to give her an obit until 10 days later, and The Independent said she’d be remembered forever as Picasso’s muse and his Weeping Woman. Now the photographer is getting her own shows, and they’re big – and meaningful: “The sense is of a curtain being pulled back. Forget those Picasso portraits: here is how Dora Maar actually wanted to be seen.” – The Guardian (UK)
Carol Brightman, The Chronicler Of The Dead, Has Died At 80
Brightman first published an acclaimed biography of Mary McCarthy, and edited the letters between Hannah Arendt and McCarthy, before she started to become fascinated by the world of the Grateful Dead and the band’s fans. “‘Deadheads are everywhere and nowhere,’ she wrote, ‘so much a part of American life as to appear almost invisible.'” – The New York Times
Nan Goldin Leads A Die-In At London’s V&A Over The Sackler Courtyard’s Name
Goldin joined another group at the protest: “About 30 protesters arrived at the recently redesigned £2m entrance in Kensington, London, and placed bottles of pills and ‘Oxy dollar’ bills stained red on the handmade porcelain tile flooring. … To a steady drum beat, the campaigners called out the slogans ‘Sackler money, blood money’ and ‘Abandon the Sackler name.'” – The Observer (UK)
Disney Spent A Lot Of Money And A Quarter-Century Getting The Internet Wrong
Kara Swisher has been writing about companies and the internet for even longer than Disney has been trying to figure out how to deal with the contemporary world. Swisher: “Forget the dashing Mandalorian. Do you remember Starwave? Infoseek? Go? Daily Blast? Spoonful.com? Club Penguin? Tapulous? Maker Studios? I’d like to say I don’t either, but I know them very well. They were among the many failed efforts by Disney that I have covered as a reporter since the mid-1990s, when it became clear to Disney that this internet thing just might be a big deal.” – The New York Times