Category: issues

“This spring Katherine G. Farley, the chairwoman of Lincoln Center, has been involved in developing two projects in China: a consulting deal in which Lincoln Center will help the government build a performing arts center in Tianjin and a construction project in which her company, Tishman Speyer, is building offices and residential projects next door.”

“Earlier this month, the Internal Revenue Service announced that 275,000 nonprofit corporations, clubs, and charities had lost their tax-exempt status. Poof! Just like that, 6,500 of them in Massachusetts.”

“As we strive to introduce new audiences into theatres and concert halls, maybe the old rules need shaking up. After all, the ritual of the curtain call is already changing due to the growing presence of technology.”

“Dutch music is under threat, from its orchestras to its opera houses, its new music ensembles to its small-scale touring outfits.” The three largest institutions – the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Dutch National Ballet and Netherlands Opera – face minimal cuts, while smaller outfits such as the National Touring Opera and the Netherlands Dance Theater face cuts of 60% or more.

Robert Watts: “I secretly feared that my frumpiness lowered the quality of my teaching and cost me a certain amount of respect among my students. I feared that among my students were those who … thought: If I learn this stuff, do I have to grow up and look like him?” (And guess what happened when he started wearing suits in class.)

In a special column in her hometown newspaper, the star mezzo writes, “This is the Sunflower State that I have proudly boasted about across the world, fearlessly defending it even in the face of harsh quizzical looks from the most skeptical of folks (‘You live where?‘). … Now, for the first time, I feel shame.”

The Tribune asked a dozen “of Chicago’s savviest cultural players to answer three questions: What would you most like to see happen culturally in Chicago in the next six months? How would you measure success six months from now? What’s the biggest change you hope will have taken effect four years from now?”

“The foundation is searching for other ways to finance the upkeep of the memorial, but … if none can be found visitors would be asked to pay entrance fees comparable to ticket prices at other major museums in New York City.”

Mark Lawson: “I spend much of each week sitting in audiences – theatrical, cinematic, operatic – and there has clearly been a sharp shift in the etiquette. Sometimes the most quiet and attentive patrons I encounter are to be found during my footballing afternoon off from the arts.”

Righthaven sues on behalf of Stephens Media copyrights, and U.S. District Judge Roger Hunt ruled that such a litigation tactic was impermissible because a “copyright owner cannot assign a bare right to sue.” (.pdf) The decision, and a similar one in Colorado, has thrown a monkey wrench into the litigation-based business model, which the Electronic Frontier Foundation has declared a “sham.”