Category: issues

Stanley Fish: “The basic opposition, the one without which the First Amendment could not get off the ground, is the opposition between speech and action. … It comes with, and indeed marks out, the territory, and the main task of professionals in the field is to determine just where the line between speech and action should be drawn. … [And] there is no principled way to draw that line.”

“Many of the city’s museums and theaters went dark over the weekend” as the mammoth snowstorm struck, but the Newseum remained open, and “despite the snowdrifts and lack of public transportation, the show did go on at a few area venues.” So did some rehearsals.

“The projects include the long-awaited new building for Theatre for a New Audience; a renovation of the Strand Theater building; [and] a third theater venue for BAM…. But the nascent arts neighborhood has had so many setbacks, it’s easy to question whether these projects will be completed as scheduled, especially during a major recession.”

Arts givers in 2009’s top 10: Michael Bloomberg (No. 4), Louise Dieterle Nippert (No. 5) and Eli and Edythe Broad (No. 7).

Newly appointed to the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, Chuck Close and Jhumpa Lahiri “will become the first visual artist and writer on an advisory panel weighted with actors and business people.”

“Mr. Broad dominates the arts here with a force that has no parallel in any major city. Los Angeles would literally not look the same had Mr. Broad not chosen it as his home 40 years ago, and his business-focused method of managing his giving has earned him a reputation as both a genius and a despot.”

“Should UC increase its use of online classes? Could bachelor’s degrees be earned in three years? Should campuses eliminate small departments that are duplicated elsewhere? Enroll more out-of-state students to raise revenue? Boost research ties with private industry?”

“At the turn of the last century, Pasadena’s love of the arts was part of what historian Kevin Starr called a “genteel tradition,” which included a Shakespeare Club and a Grand Opera House. But these days, Pasadena’s art scene is in flux.”

“Universities have introduced the changes partly because of surging numbers of applications — with a rise of nearly 12% expected in national figures to be released this week.”

“In those days it was taken for granted that the upward mobility of middle-class Americans extended to cultural matters, and that anyone, educated or not, could appreciate highbrow art so long as it was presented in an accessible and engaging way.”