While the first superhero movie directed by and starring a woman soars to a début weekend that beats Iron Man‘s first outing, one FOX News host said, “Some are calling it less American, Dion, because, well, her outfit isn’t red, white, and blue.”
Category: issues
Shonda Rhimes Says There Are Two Ways To Cast Shows
With “Still Star-Crossed,” a new, multicultural tale of lovers (and power) set in Romeo and Juliet’s Verona, Rhimes has done the research – and it’s a choice she’s had to defend. “There’s racist casting and there is normal casting. … Normal casting to me is a process that strives for representation and in many cases, strives to simply portray the world as it actually is instead of as falsely non-inclusive. And sadly, sometimes that involves removing the whitewash that exists on history.”
In Britain’s Election, The Parties Are Taking Culture Seriously
“Labour will create a £1 billion Cultural Capital Fund to invest in and upgrade the UK’s cultural facilities. It will be among the biggest ever arts infrastructure funds to boost arts, music, theatre, literature and more. We’ll create an arts pupil premium worth £160 million a year, to allow every primary school child in England the chance to learn an instrument, take part in drama and dance and have regular access to a theatre, gallery or museum.”
Why Eliminating The NEA Would Hurt Rural Americans Most
“In reality, the NEA has an outsized impact in rural communities and less densely populated states, where funding from private foundations and wealthy philanthropists is harder to obtain.” What’s more, “the NEA’s outsized impact on rural areas and less densely populated regions is reinforced by the way it distributes the funding it provides directly to states.”
Florence Declares War On Tourists Eating Sandwiches
“Eat a sandwich on the steps of our cathedral and we’ll turn a hose on you. That’s the warning from Florence this week, where Mayor Dario Nardella is sick of visitors picnicking on the steps the Cathedral of Santa Maria Dei Fiore.”
Charles Isherwood Argues That The Age Of Trump May Be Good For The Arts
The precipitously departed theater critic of The New York Times resurfaces in the pages of Town & Country: “History isn’t a flawless guide, but periods of economic and political dislocation can actually inspire an efflorescence of culture.”
Noose Found At Exhibit In National African-American Museum
On Wednesday, some visitors to the National Museum of African-American History and Culture “found the noose on the floor in front of a display titled, ‘Democracy Abroad. Injustice at Home.'” It was the second noose found on Smithsonian grounds this week.
Why Are Americans So Resistant To The Idea Of State-Funded Culture? (A European Wants To Know)
“In Western Europe, support for the arts is in great part the result of centuries of patronage culture. Cultural policy there is as much the product of longe durée tradition as it is about the post-war concept of welfare. And for countries like France, the arts inform its self-conception as a great nation. In the 1980s, the French government appointed a minister for Rock and Roll, to try to fix the country’s flagging presence in that field. By contrast, private interest has always had a large stake in the cultural policy of the United States.”
Foundation Aims To Remake, Save Maine’s Poorest Town With Art
The Libra Foundation has since October spent $750,000 buying a dozen houses, a community center and a general store along Monson’s main drag — as well as a farm on North Guilford Road, said Erik K. Hayward, Libra’s senior vice president. The plan is to convert the houses into artist residences and the center into studio space. The store would sell art and produce from farms in Piscataquis County, which the U.S. Census Bureau rated as Maine’s poorest in 2015.
Why Some People Find Audience Participation Completely Terrifying
Basically, the fear is the same as that of public speaking – except, as Christine Ro explains, that one of the best tools for combating the fear of public speaking isn’t available for audience participation.