Category: issues

The absence of the president in the president’s box “is notable for several reasons. The gala is a fundraising event for the national arts center, and having a sitting president in attendance is a significant draw. In addition, the lasting image of the annually televised event features the first couple seated alongside the smiling honorees. This year’s celebration of the performing arts will air at 9 p.m on Dec. 26 on CBS.”

The Takeaway’s John Hockenberry had many complaints against him from his co-hosts, women of color who were eventually forced off the show by his behavior, which the station (WNYC) protected. But there’s more: “There were unwelcome sexual overtures, physical and verbal, directed at the younger women who worked on the show as low- to mid-level producers, assistants, and interns. For the most part, these women did not report their experiences to WNYC management for fear of endangering their jobs. The second group of grievances came from the women of color who served as Hockenberry’s co-hosts — The Takeaway was explicitly founded, in 2008, to bring more diverse voices to public radio.”

What is it that makes the artfulness of critical writing illegible to so many? Why do so many self-identified artists imagine that the creative practice of critical writing is so far removed from their own? The cliché “everyone’s a critic” is a truism. There is criticism — judgment — implicit in every decision we make.

“Think about it for a moment. Will there ever be an editorial fiat decreeing one person write all of the newspaper’s political commentary? A demand from the newspaper’s publisher (and Red Sox owner) John Henry that the Globe’s sports chat be limited to the speculations of one man or woman? Somehow, when it comes to the stage, and to the arts in general for that matter, decades of tradition are being obliterated as if there was no reason for criticism in the first place. Why?”

“The predominance of singular authority has diminished. Wikipedia has replaced Encyclopedia Britannica. With rising healthcare costs, many only consult a doctor after they’ve tried to diagnose and treat themselves via WebMD. And when we have a question, all we need to do is ask the Facebook hive mind. For better or worse, technology has given everyone the opportunity to amplify their own voice, and even the most powerful individual will not be able to compete with the shouting of the masses. This will elevate some voices and diminish others, while forcing us all to better discern who we will trust.”

“How much longer will it be before our arts companies are no longer run by artists? Unless we are all vigilant on this score, I believe it will be not too long at all and I further believe this would be the end of theatre as a true art form, in this country.”

“A Reason To Survive, or ARTS, a nonprofit youth arts education center in National City, was close to being shuttered after its founder and CEO Matt D’Arrigo left his post in June. ‘It’s the classic tale of a founder transition,’ said D’Arrigo, who’s back at ARTS as a part-time consultant until the nonprofit is on stabler ground. ‘But it’s not fully closed, they’ve just scaled operations way back.'”

“It was singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie who, early in 2017 at outset of the Canada 150 hoopla that offended many Indigenous people, counselled everyone to “Keep calm and decolonize.” But what exactly does that mean? After centuries of contact, can you really tease apart the threads of settler and Indigenous culture?”