In such moments, visual literacy, news literacy, social justice, global politics, and art become part of a rapidly moving whole that arts writers and critics contribute to and respond to. With audiences speaking so directly to art institutions, this raises questions about what the role of arts journalists can and should be. – Nieman
Tag: 02.04.19
Why The University Of California Has Taken A Stand Against One Of The Largest Academic Publishers
Elsevier still made $1.17 billion in publishing in 2017, which is precisely the problem, according to its critics. At its loftiest, academic publishing is supposed to be about disseminating hard-won knowledge. But publishers charge hefty subscription fees, making that knowledge often inaccessible to researchers at all but the wealthiest institutions. Last year, the University of California paid Elsevier $11 million. – The Atlantic
So Your Books Are Balanced. What Does That Have To Do With Your Mission?
“Fiscal responsibility is good business. But it is immaterial with respect to, and when contrasted with, a nonprofit’s impact. Fiscal responsibility, then, has no place anywhere near a mission statement.” – Clyde Fitch Report
The Video Game That Lets You Fight Back Against Jim Crow And The KKK
“[Video game company] Rockstar’s version of American history is not for the fainthearted. The developer took pains to make Red Dead Redemption 2 as historically accurate as possible. Someone at Rockstar was clearly paying attention in history class, because Red Dead Redemption 2 unflinchingly confronts America’s ugly racial history throughout the game.” – Slate
NBC Calls Off ‘Hair Live!’
The real-time telecast of the classic counterculture musical had been scheduled for May 19. In a statement, NBC executives emphasized that “live musicals are a part of this network’s DNA and we are committed to continuing that tradition with the right show at the right time. Since these shows are such enormous undertakings, we need titles that have a wide appeal” — meaning that they’re safe for the kids. — Deadline
‘I Want To Make People Shit Themselves And Throw Up’: Theatre Director Ned Bennett
“Essentially, Bennett is creating a contemporary Theatre of Cruelty, giving the visceral and ritualistic techniques that Antonin Artaud advocated 80 years earlier a pyro, DayGlo twist. … He delights in designs that ‘bombard the audience with information, whether that’s sonic or physical or visual’. This is a director who abhors theatre ‘that doesn’t go beyond the cerebral’ … and for whom theatre has to make itself felt.” — The Guardian
It Appears Author Dan Mallory Is A Liar, If An Entertaining One (What His Case Says About Publishing Now)
There is so much brio in his sheer commitment to his many apparent lies that it’s hard to avoid feeling delighted. He comes off like a classic con artist, as smooth and consistent as his beloved Mr. Ripley. It’s just fun. But… – Vox
Set Your Browser To Private: The British Library Puts Its Collection Of Obscene Books Online
Together with an 18th-century directory of sex workers in the Covent Garden area of London, and the violent erotic works of the Marquis de Sade, the Merryland books are among the 2,500 volumes in the British Library’s Private Case collection. The volumes have now been digitised, and are being made available online by the publisher Gale as part of its Archives of Sexuality and Gender academic research resource. – The Guardian
How To Create A Theatre Culture That’s Both Mainstream And Genuinely Queer?
Ezra Brain: “Even as representation increases, there doesn’t seem to be much evidence of a truly and uniquely queer theatrical culture — which, for this argument, I am defining as a unique set of practices, aesthetics, and philosophies that are recognizable to an average audience member. … To [create such a culture], we must first decide what makes a play queer.” — HowlRound
#MeToo Is A Story For Women To Tell, Not Guys Like David Mamet
Mamet’s upcoming play Bitter Wheat centers on a very Harvey Weinstein-like studio head, and Steven Berkoff is preparing a one-man show about Weinstein himself. Lyn Gardner is not having it: “Because women own this story. Not a couple of middle-aged playwrights whose recent hits have been sparse, and who are fascinated by male ‘monsters’ and want to give them more stage time. They have had quite enough.” — The Stage