“Ruth Eckerd Hall has a new chief executive who likes to think big. In his first major fundraising effort, Zev Buffman seeks not only to upgrade the popular performing arts center but also to energize a stalled project to renovate the downtown Capitol Theatre.”
Category: issues
Top This, Toreadors! Swiss Town Hosts Cow-Fighting Tournament
“Each spring, [Aproz] is gripped by cow-fighting fever as dozens of the local Hérens cows vie for the coveted title of ‘Queen of Queens.’ The matches aren’t exactly gladiator-style brawls – the action is largely limited to head-butting, heavy breathing and abundant slobber. … The finals draw national TV crews and thousands of spectators.”
How France’s New President Wants To Boost Culture
“During his campaign, Hollande emphasized the importance of culture, suggesting several initiatives on topics as varied as arts education and illegal downloads.”
The Power Of Fan Culture
“Any writer working today who can’t answer the question, “What fandom am I writing for?” may as well pack up their pens and paper and settle into that call centre job. It doesn’t have to be SF fandom. In fact, preferably not, as we’re already swamped with refugee literary writers desperately trying to make out they’ve always been geeks at heart. In this age, fandom’s are the only true arbiters of taste.”
Theatre Critic And Bianca Jagger Battle Over Snapping Photos During Einstein
At last week’s UK premiere of Einstein on the Beach at the Barbican, critic Mark Shenton went off (“in full Patti LuPone mode,” he says) on a fellow patron who took flash photos throughout the show. That patron turned out to be Bianca Jagger, who brushed him off. Shenton also accuses Barbican staff of refusing to control Jagger.
Indonesian Muslim Group Says Lady Gaga Promotes Devil-Worship
The Islamic Defenders’ Front (FPI) says that the singer is not welcome in their nation, where she is scheduled to give a stadium concert in Jakarta on June 3. Says an FPI spokesman, “Lady Gaga insults all religions. Even Christians in Korea opposed her. She is promoting the worship of Satan
Alabama Arts Executive Pleads Guilty To Embezzlement Charges
“Laura Harris Phillips embezzled $98,000 from the Carnegie [Visual Arts] Center. She also took $41,000 from the Alabama Museum Association, where she served as treasurer.”
Plans For London Black History Archive Set Back As Construction Firm Fails
“Ambitious plans to create the first permanent home for a unique archive, covering centuries of black history in Britain, have been hit by the collapse of the building firm working on the Heritage Lottery Fund-backed £6.5m project.”
Do U Wnt 2 C R&J 2Nite? Then Texting Won’t Really Do
22-year-old student Alex Edwards “has transposed the whole of Romeo and Juliet’s famous Act II, Scene II into text abbreviations and produced it as Were4 rt thou Rmo? It’s a flip-page book with the text versions alternating with Shakespeare’s actual words; currently a uni project limited edition, but hopefully more widely available soon. Interestingly, the point is not to celebrate or promote the world of texting, but to show newcomers to Shakespeare how beautiful and powerful the original writing is.”
Frieze Doesn’t Give A Crap About Workers (Or Artists, Really), And That’s Wrong
“How many different people do you have to shake to get art institutions and businesses to wake up? Our actions as employers affect the quality of life of others. We know this, in general art professionals vote for socially responsible policies, and yet our own labor practices are amongst the very worst across all disciplines. “