Alexander Sokurov (Russian Ark, Faust, Father and Son, Mother and Son) set up the Primer Intonatsii (Example of Intonation) foundation in 2013 to aid young Russian filmmakers. But the organization has had trouble getting and maintaining funding and suffered what Sokurov called “unfriendliness and aggressiveness,” including an embezzlement investigation, from Russia’s Ministry of Culture. (Yes, Sokurov is a critic of Vladimir Putin.) – The Hollywood Reporter
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A Tiny Russian Town Of Artists Has Made Icons For Centuries. Now Its Livelihood Is Failing
It survived the Soviet Union, changes in taste, the rise of cheap knockoffs and fakes. But the modern world might prove too much. – The New York Times
These Two Guys Mean To Become The Kings Of Temporary Theatre Venues
Tristan Baker and Oliver Royds first became business partners in 2015, when they designed and built the pop-up theatre in London that housed Phyllida Lloyd’s all-female Shakespeare trilogy and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights. “Out of that experience came Troubadour Theatres, their new company … [which has] developed a reusable, modular construction kit that can turn an empty site into a huge temporary auditorium in 12 weeks.” – The Stage
Our Arts Patronage Problem – The Scandals And Those Who Fund
Keeping track of all the scandals around museum patronage in the United States in the last few years is no easy feat. There are scandals over real estate money, prison money, oil money, funding by climate change deniers, funding by supporters of far-right causes in general, Koch Brothers funding, and more. And as they multiply, the scandals begin, more and more, to become less about individuals and more about the system. Sometimes voiced out loud but mainly behind the scenes, the question for museums is: Where will the money come from? – Momus
A Fierce (And Weird) Battle Over Who Gets To Be New Hampshire’s Poet Laureate
“At issue is a controversial nominee for state laureate, private negotiations with a governor who says he’s ‘not a poetry expert,’ and a bit of verse that an elected official described to me as ‘a misogynistic poem about sex with Condoleezza Rice on Air Force One.'” – Slate
Does The Shed Suggest New York Is Looking For Something Different In Its Arts?
“It seems there is a divergence in our artistic landscape, where we value trend and zeitgeist as highly as artistic growth and creative development. The Shed serves as a manifestation of this tension between art and spectacle, highbrow and lowbrow. My suggestion is that we view the construction of the Shed as a call for change on an artistic level—a sign that audiences and funders are ready and searching for new ideas and, more importantly, a new approach to exacting those ideas.” – Howlround
Should Books Include Credits The Way Movies Do?
Trapeze, an Orion/Hachette imprint, is starting to do just that. David Barnett observes that almost 60 people were involved in the publication of his new novel: “the editors, the marketing and PR types – but also the smaller but crucial roles: the proofreaders who make sure you haven’t started calling Maisy Maisie in chapter 12, the all-important cover designers, the team behind the audiobooks, …” – The Guardian
Mezzo Sarah Connolly Withdraws From BBC Proms And English National Opera For Emergency Breast Cancer Treatment
“She had been due to star in the ENO’s Orpheus and Eurydice, which is choreographer Wayne McGregor’s opera directing debut, this October. Alice Coote will step in to play the role of Orpheus, while Julie Boulianne will now take her place at the BBC Proms, singing Berlioz’s [L’Enfance du Christ]. – BBC
Examining The Ethics Of Partnering In Dance
Ilya Vidrin was a competitive ballroom dancer until the day he fractured his back while partnering. “In the years since, the incident has led him into a deep exploration of the less tangible elements involved in partnering: motivation, trust, interpersonal chemistry and implicit agreements.” His studies, including a PhD, have led him to form what he calls the Reciprocity Collective, with which he’ll be offering a “partnering and science lab” at Jacob’s Pillow. – Times Union (Albany)
Will Other Museums Follow The Louvre In Removing The Sackler Name? Probably Not, And Here’s Why
Other institutions have said they’ll stop accepting Sackler money, but none have said they’ll drop the name from any existing buildings. “That is because removing a name, even one that has become culturally toxic, is an enormously complicated decision, mined with legal, financial and moral concerns. Here are some of those issues.” – The New York Times