Category: issues

Inspired by seeing the Liberace biopic Behind the Candelabra and The Hangover Part III in the same evening, J. Bryan Lowder considers the question, “Does ‘gayface’ really deserve to be placed in the same awful category as racial impersonation, and if not, what makes it different?”

“Network members will share resources, discuss the impact of urban policies and economic developments on cultural centres, and assess trends in technology and the creative industries.”

“Go to any technology conference these days, and you’re likely to find VCs who say that there are entire sectors they refuse to invest in, just because the waters are so troll-infested. Google and Apple might be able to do interesting things in wearable computing, for instance, but a single lawsuit could easily wipe out a startup in the same space — even if it was entirely frivolous.”

“Philanthropy can and should view the arts as a way to accomplish its wider mission. Broadening and expanding the vision about how we categorize the arts and putting them front and center on the necessary and core list, not the optional list, is an important first step.”

“The new Mariinsky Theatre is a site of pilgrimage in St. Petersburg. Ballet and opera enthusiasts are coming in droves to witness first-hand the modern productions and admire the amber onyx encasing the concert hall. But what is going on behind the scenes? We went there to find out.”

“The former Arts Council chairman, Dame Liz Forgan, has criticised Britain’s wealthy elite, accusing them of failing to contribute sufficiently to the arts.”

“The Department for Culture Media and Sport has denied rumours that discussions are taking place to potentially disband the department and ‘hive off’ its responsibilities to other government divisions.”

“Under the [Conservative-Liberal Democrat] coalition it quickly became clear that DCMS had one major priority, to deliver a successful Olympics. Now it seems to be a department without a major role within the coalition’s plans.”

“More than seven months after plans to dissolve the Arts Center of North Texas were put into motion, the three owner cities have still not come to an agreement over how to best carry out that task. … The project is jointly owned by Plano, Frisco, and Allen [in metro Dallas-Ft. Worth], but all momentum stopped in May 2011 when Frisco voters decided to pull out of the project.”

Judith Martin: “English readers in the early 17th century assumed Tom Coryate, a professional jester turned travel writer, was joking when he reported that Italians did not attack their food with hands and hunting knives as did normal people, even normal royalty. Those finicky Italians wielded forks, a nicety that did not become common in the rest of Europe for another two centuries.”