What Ballerinas Want In Shoes For Off-Hours

“‘We can’t walk barefoot, ever,’ explained Sara Mearns, a principal dancer at the New York City Ballet. Megan Fairchild, a principal dancer at the same company, echoed that sentiment: ‘We get up out of bed in the morning and put shoes on. We don’t go anywhere without something that’s shock absorbing.'” (includes video)

Top Posts From AJBlogs 01.10.17

What’s fear got to do with it?
In 2014 the Wyncote Foundation commissioned Lutman & Associates to research digital adoption by legacy cultural institutions. … When I spoke about the report at conferences and meetings, arts leaders’ responses were frequently that they knew they “should be” engaging digitally, but they feel overwhelmed about beginning. Surprisingly, the most frequent response from arts leaders was not excitement, but instead fear. … read more
AJBlog: Speaker Published 2017-01-10

Talk with Them
We have recently upgraded to a new used car from a very (very) old used car. … Now, you might well ask, why am I writing about this in Engaging Matters? Anyone get there yet? Here’s the deal. … read more
AJBlog: Engaging Matters Published 2017-01-10

Brace For More Bad News From The Metropolitan Museum
It’s coming – possibly Wednesday or Thursday of this week, though I doubt there will be any “announcement.” Rather, employees will learn of the museum’s financial outlook at a town hall meeting in the museum. … read more
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts Published 2017-01-10

What About The “Art Strike”? It’s Not So Simple
A group of artists, critics and gallerists have called for an art strike on Jan. 20. Inauguration Day. … They have every right to do so, and I have no quibbles if they want to. These are extraordinary times. But I do quibble with the idea that museums should join in – at least public museums. … read more
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts Published 2017-01-10

 

A Story Of Opera And Passion And Personality And The Drive To Create An “Empire”

Producing art is a personal thing. Producing inspired art is a very personal thing. So meet Beth Morrison, who has a passion for contemporary opera and is doing something about it. As in producing it.

Morrison is not your typical moneyed patron. “I didn’t come from money and I didn’t have money and I wanted to live in New York!” she says. She runs her empire from a two-bedroom walk-up apartment in Flatbush, Brooklyn.

One bedroom in the apartment is for sleeping. The other is a workspace for her eight employees. “I’ve always run the business from my home, maybe much to the chagrin of my board,” she says. “For me, the decision is always really clear: I could spend $30 to $40,000 on an office space every year, or I could put that into a commission.”

She’s got the essential impresario gene:

Morrison says she follows her guts and her ears in her work. “I won’t do anything unless I’m mad crazy about the music and the composer and really feeling like they’re contributing something to the field that is different,” she says.

In a way, she’s the antithesis of institutional art. She works on a shoestring, makes things happen in makeshift ways, and relies on her gut for essential artistic judgments. There’s something authentic about her productions in a way that institutional art sometimes lacks.

As an aside – I love the NPR headline about the Morrison profile: “Meet The Producer Who Runs Her Opera Empire From A 2-Bedroom Apartment.” Empire? Seriously? It’s lovely to think that there could actually be something like an opera empire in this day and age.

UK Culture Secretary Says Creative Industries Will Be At The “Heart” Of UK Business Policy

“The creative industries are and will be at the heart of this government’s work on industrial strategy. It’s one of the major growth areas in the country and I want to assure you that I, Greg, the prime minister and others understand just how important our industries are to the UK economy.”  She emphasised the 1.9 million jobs in the creative sectors and the £87.4 billion the industries generate.

Book Sales Rose In 2016, Led By A Familiar Character

“Led by Harry Potter’s newest incarnation in a West End play, Rowling’s first screenplay and titles by diet and fitness guru Joe Wicks, annual book sales in the UK rose to just over £1.59bn in 2016, from £1.51bn in the previous year, according to the annual sales roundup from data specialist Nielsen BookScan. The number of physical books sold also rose, from 190m in 2015 to 195m, in the 12 months to December 2016.”

Mobile Booksellers Are Promoting A Reading Revolution In Ethiopia

“The people credited for expanding the readership of books in Addis are the mobile vendors. They walk around with books in their hands stacked all the way up to their neck, approaching any and everyone to buy a book of them. There are close to 1000 mobile vendors roaming the streets of Addis.”