Category: issues

Amanda Hess: “We are desperate for an outlet, and [online] finger-pointing is one of the few hobbies still accessible to those sheltering in place. Joggers have been accused of ‘manspreading’ their droplets across public airways. An infant was scolded for appearing maskless outdoors. Somebody called the cops on a guy for playing the trumpet, describing it as an ‘instrument that uses saliva and wind.'” Then there’s the iconic image of this phenomenon: the photo of sunbathers on Manhattan’s Christopher Street Pier. – The New York Times

More than just a logistical feat, the phone call has become a singular measurement of how worried, desperate and vulnerable cultural organizations have become since the virus hit. And just as notable, how much they are actually acting these days like the “arts community” to which they often aspire. – The New York Times

“For many artists, writers and composers who have been rewarded prestigious residencies to isolate themselves in remote places and sometimes in punishing climates, it is a coveted situation. But if, as Matisse put it, ‘creativity takes courage,’ the extra isolation during a pandemic can start to wear away at even the most stoic artists.” – The New York Times

Actor Daniel Dae Kim, one of the first celebrities (after Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson) to reveal that he had tested positive for the coronavirus, is one of the narrators for a new series that chronicles the centuries-long history of Asian Americans in North America. Kim: “What will it take for us to be considered American? I think that’s a central question of this documentary, as you see even today elderly Asian-Americans being beaten and taunted in the midst of this virus.” – The New York Times

The foundation has only pledged $25,000 for COVID relief. “The Poetry Foundation’s IRS filings between 2016 and 2018 suggest the Foundation averaged about $213 million in assets that weren’t tied up in real estate or restricted. In 2018, the Foundation reported that it spent about $4 million on education, public programs and prizes; nearly $1.5 million on its website; and $1.2 million on Poetry Magazine, after accounting for $703,000 in revenue.” – Chicago Tribune

“The best analogy I can provide is the changes we’ve seen in travel since 9/11. Once it was clear that security screenings were here to stay, new airports were designed with that reality in mind. There is no finer example than the airport in Indianapolis where space for screening was designed into the original plan and has contributed to the airport being chosen as one of America’s ten best year after year. Contrast that with Newark Airport where security has been shoe-horned into hallways and gate areas that were not designed for it and aren’t the least bit conducive for it either. Nearly every performing arts venue of any scale in the world is the equivalent of Newark Airport.” – Dance Enthusiast

He said the coming months should be ones of “learning and culture,” as opposed to travel and leisure. (France has also imposed limits on international travelers for the summer months). He added that artists would need to invent new forms of culture, saying that “nothing prevents us from inventing something else, in smaller forms with no public or little public.” – Artnet

Kara Swisher: “I am not trying to be glib here, because solving the problem of how to deal with speech across the largest and most unwieldy communications platform in human history … may be beyond the capabilities of anyone .. given that Facebook and [Mark] Zuckerberg have purposefully created a system that is ungovernable.” – The New York Times

“We will ultimately return to enjoying such collective experiences – as they “appeal to the human nature” – but only after most people in the country have either been infected with the disease (herd immunity), or inoculated (vaccines or combinations of drugs) in some way. In “the near-term”, he says, “it’s just not going to happen. I think this year is basically a write-off, if I’m honest with you,” he adds. – BBC