“In 2015, Italy unveiled a series of reforms that had the potential to transform the country’s storied museums. For the first time, foreign museum directors took the helm at major institutions across the country and all national museum directors were granted more independence than they had had in the past. Now, however, those measures have been rolled back.” – Artnet
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Alaska State Legislature Saves State Arts Council After Governor’s Veto
In late June, Gov. Mike Dunleavy exercised a line-item veto over the $3.87 million in funding for the Alaska State Council on the Arts. An attempt to override that veto in July failed and the Council shut down, but subsequent negotiations between lawmakers and the governor restored that item to the state budget. – Alaska Public Media
A First? Actual Self-Effacing Conductor Takes Helm At Berlin Philharmonic
A self-effacing conductor may seem almost impossible in itself, but in the job held by Wilhelm Furtwängler, Herbert von Karajan, Claudio Abbado and Simon Rattle? Kirill Petrenko — who was elected chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic four years ago but is only now taking up the job — refuses to give press interviews or schmooze VIPs. But musicians absolutely love the man. – The New York Times
Should The Curator Of An Art Exhibition Get A Mention In A Review?
Guardian arts editor Alex Needham started a Twitter tempest with this: “Dear curators, in the same way that I don’t get a byline when I commission and edit a piece, chances are you won’t get mentioned in the Guardian when we cover one of your shows. That’s just how it is.” Naomi Rea explains why Needham has gotten so much pushback. – Artnet
In Response To Lara Spencer’s Mockery Of Boys Doing Ballet, Two Of Dance’s Biggest Male Stars Lead A Giant Class In Times Square
On Monday morning, as Good Morning America host Lara Spencer was trying to make amends for her faux pas of last week, Travis Wall (of So You Think You Can Dance) and Robbie Fairchild (formerly of New York City Ballet, now well on his way to a Broadway career) led about 400 dancers through a ballet workout. – The New York Times
The International Ballet Competition That Feels More Like Summer Camp
“What qualifies as artistry is ultimately a subjective assessment. Winning medals – or not winning them – has little bearing on whether a dancer will progress to a successful career. Even so, the Genée competition maintains high standards. The coveted gold medal is sometimes withheld if the judges decide no one has achieved the required level.” – Toronto Star
Philanthropic Giving Was Down Last Year (But Not On PayPal)
Experts have speculated last year’s tumultuous stock market, combined with tax code changes that doubled the standard deduction without a need to itemize charitable contributions, has led to less middle-class giving. That may be true for the average gift size for PayPal givers, but the company’s data shows that those in the lowest income brackets still tend to give a higher proportional share of their net income, something that’s fairly common across the giving world. – Fast Company
How Film Festivals Are Dealing With #MeToo
This year more than ever, we are seeing a transatlantic schism between film festivals over how to handle these acclaimed directors, each of whom have very different backstories. – Deadline
Is Surfing Being Ruined By Ubiquitous Video?
“One of the true gifts of surfing is the privacy of it. That’s going away, and it’s at a great, great, great hazard to the experience. We’re so infatuated with getting looked at now—look at me, look at me, and look at me!—that we’re losing the magic of surfing being a low-profile activity.” – The New Yorker
Books Are Forever. Is Reading?
“It was never the books as objects that people worried would vanish with the advent of e-readers and other personal devices: it was reading itself. The same change was prophesied by Thomas Edison, at the dawn of the movie age. People fretted again with the advent of the radio, the TV, and home computers. Yet undistracted reading didn’t perish the moment any of these technologies were switched on.” – The New Yorker