Everything I See I Swallow, which scored a success at this summer’s Edinburgh Fringe and is now touring regional England, involves “the art of shibari, the centuries-old practice of Japanese rope bondage … It’s the spark for a piece of theatre that speaks to something universal and pressing, about the rights of women over their own bodies, the ramifications of digital life, and that knotty old question: can it ever be empowering for a woman to take her clothes off in public?” – The Guardian
Blog
Does George W. Bush’s Art Deserve A Show At The Kennedy Center?
“By giving these paintings the endorsement of a professional exhibition, in the nation’s capital, with the imprimatur of a major arts center and by extension the federal government (which supports the center’s budget), the art has been put into a different context, where it does not belong.” – Washington Post
Paris Opera Director Stéphane Lissner Named Superintendent Of Teatro San Carlo In Naples
Lissner, who ran La Scala in Milan (2005-2012) before taking charge of the Opéra national de Paris, reaches France’s mandatory retirement age of 67 next year, so his contract there won’t be renewed past its expiration in August 2021. He begins his five-year term in Naples as both superintendent and artistic director that fall. (in French; for Google Translate version, click here) – Le Monde (France)
London’s Old Vic Theatre Promised It Would Double The Number Of Women’s Toilets. It Made All Toilets Gender-Neutral Instead, And Some Women Are Furious
“The push for inclusivity has angered some women who say their comfort and safety is being put at risk – and argue men are still being left with a better deal. Here’s why toilets have become a battleground.” – Reuters
‘The Stage’ Runs Pro And Con Articles On The Old Vic’s Gender-Neutral Toilets, Then Deletes Them In A Panic
“The website issued a statement on Twitter today saying it had taken the articles [about the battle of the loos] down after receiving what it described as ‘strong responses’ from readers, adding they had ‘only polarised the debate further’.” Sareah Ditum, who wrote one of the essays, called the move “gross editorial cowardice.” – Press Gazette (UK)
In Wake Of Racial Incident, Boston’s Museum Of Fine Arts Works To Make Amends
Last spring, a group of black middle school students had an ugly encounter with a few museum patrons and a guard. “Critics rightfully pounced, and the museum moved swiftly to contain the damage. … It might have ended there. But in this city still scarred by court-ordered desegregation and the turbulent busing of minority students to white suburbs in the 1970s, the museum — which welcomes 1.2 million visitors each year — took it as a wakeup call.” – Yahoo! (AP)
Mayhem At New York’s WBAI: Network Fires Staff And Locks Offices As Staffers Go To Court
The city’s Pacifica Radio station, which for six decades has aired leftist-leaning news coverage and alternative programming, has been in chronic turmoil for the past several years, with constant financial crises, heavy employee layoffs, frequent management turnover, and vicious battles over governance. (Not to mention shrinking listenership.) Things came to a head early Monday morning, when, without warning, Pacifica changed the locks, fired the staff and volunteers by email, and started broadcasting a feed from its California stations. Staffers got a judge to block the shutdown and reopen the station, but Pacifica did not comply. (So staffers broke the new locks.) – Gothamist
Looking Hopeful, Long-Troubled English National Opera Appoints New Artistic Director
“Annilese Miskimmon, the Belfast-born opera director who has drawn influence from Sondheim, Shakespeare and the Muppets [and is currently director of opera at Norwegian National Opera and Ballet], has been named as the new artistic director of English National Opera, after a search to replace Daniel Kramer, who announced in April that he would step down in July.” – The Guardian
For First Time, Stirling Prize For Architecture Goes To Public Housing Project
“Goldsmith Street in Norwich represents what has become a rare breed: streets of terraced homes built directly by the council, rented with secure tenancies at fixed social rents. And it’s an architectural marvel, too.” – The Guardian
American Research Universities Association Decides To Expel Canadian Universities… Then Backtracks
Whatever the reasons for its decision, AAU received significant blowback not only from the Canadian institutions but from some of its U.S. members, who argued that it seemed tone-deaf for an association whose core enterprise — scientific research and education — is an increasingly global one. The seeming parallel to the inward-lookingness of the Trump administration didn’t help. – Inside Higher Ed