“A federal appeals court has decided that a lower court erred in 2007 when it ruled in favor of the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in a bitter dispute between the museum and the artist Christoph Büchel over an immense, unfinished installation.”
Tag: 01.29.10
Does Catcher In The Rye Speak To The Twitter Generation?
“Does the Holden Caulfield version of alienation speak to a generation connected on Facebook?” A group of five contributors – teachers, authors and an editor – consider the question on the New York Times’s Room for Debate blog.
‘One Of The Most Enjoyable Municipal Conspiracies Ever’: How Salinger’s Neighbors Protected Him
To the citizens of Cornish, NH and nearby towns where J.D. Salinger lived, shopped and went to the movies, the author was no recluse. He went to church suppers, visited the general store and chat amiably with his neighbors’ children. So they guarded him as one of their own, and cheerfully misdirected nosy fanboys and journalists who came to town to bother him.
Auntie Mame Suddenly A Bestseller In Italy (Go Figure)
A new translation of Patrick Dennis’s 1955 novel, which inspired a Broadway hit and two Hollywood film adaptations, is the surprise sensation of the Italian fiction market. “Even after 15 reprints and sales of 280,000 copies since May (30,000 during the pre-Christmas rush), publishing pundits are still puzzling over the book’s popularity.” Says the translator, “We’re completely mystified.”
Head Of Troubled Melbourne Recital Centre Departs Hastily
“The inaugural chief executive of the trouble-plagued Melbourne Recital Centre, Jacques de Vos Malan, has resigned only three months after his contract was extended for two years. The extension [had] surprised Melbourne’s musical community because the [centre’s] first year of operations … was marred by a $1.5 million {Aus] operating loss, the departure of its artistic administrator and a drastically reduced concert program.”
How Low Are Classical Album Sales? This Low.
“The dirty secret of the Billboard classical charts is that album sales figures are so low, the charts are almost meaningless. Sales of 200 or 300 units are enough to land an album in the top 10. [Hilary] Hahn’s No. 1 recording, after the sales spike resulting from her appearance on Conan, bolstered by blogs and press, sold 1,000 copies.”
What Shakespeare’s Audiences Snacked On
The Elizabethan equivalent of movie-house popcorn was evidently oysters -“oysters by the cartload, crab and other shellfish like mussels, whelks and periwinkles. Dried raisins and figs, hazelnuts, plums, cherries and peaches were also consumed in great quantities, according to experts who excavated The Rose and The Globe theatres.”
Arts Funding: Good Politics As Well As Good Economics
The British Columbia government slashed arts funding last year, and the province’s arts community expects the cuts to remain in place. But some advocates are adding another point to the usual argument that arts funding has a multiplier effect on the larger economy. “More importantly, despite what some politicians think, it’s good and shrewd politics to support the arts. That’s what Prime Minister Stephen Harper found out in Quebec.”
A First At Prix De Lausanne Competition: More Boys Than Girls
“This year sees more boys – 36 to the girls’ 34 – taking part for the very first time in the event’s 38-year history. … In all, 70 dancers from all over the world and aged between 15 and 18, have gathered in Lausanne for the week-long [ballet competition], which “rewards potential rather than present accomplishment.”
Bloomington, Ind. Eliminates Staff At Arts Center
“The Bloomington Area Arts Council has laid off the entire paid staff at a financially struggling arts center. The five employees at the John Waldron Arts Center were told about the layoffs Wednesday. The center is expected to remain open, staffed by volunteers.”