“When the Museum of Modern Art hired Kathy Halbreich, the respected director of the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, to be its associate director, art-world insiders wondered if MoMA was seeking a successor to Glenn D. Lowry, its longtime director. But on Tuesday afternoon the Modern’s board approved a new five-year contract with Mr. Lowry.”
Tag: 02.15.08
Documentary Rising
“Not so long ago, the documentary feature category was among the snooziest at the Oscars, the target of jokes that said you couldn’t lose by making a film about the Holocaust… This year all five nominees are politically charged, four are about war, and amazingly, only one feels like homework.”
Piano’s “Uninspired” New Museum
Nicolai Ouroussoff isn’t a fan of Renzo Piano’s new Broad Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. “It had been viewed as a way of cleaning up what many saw as a muddle of mismatched buildings… [But] as a monument to the civic aspirations of Los Angeles, Mr. Piano’s design is remarkably uninspired.”
Recognizing A Musical Visionary
The founder of Venezuela’s remarkably successful “El Sistema” music education program has won the $50,000 Glenn Gould Prize. “Dr. Jose Antonio Abreu took the triennial award in a unanimous decision. He is the first to win the prestigious prize without having had a major career as a performer or composer.”
Jacksonville Symphony Prez Out Following Lockout
Weeks after the end of a bitter lockout of the Jacksonville Symphony’s musicians, the organization’s president and executive director has resigned. Musicians had been harshly critical of Alan Hopper during the lockout. The JSO’s board chair says that the decision to leave was Hopper’s.
The Future Of Movies – 3D?
The movie industry is “touting 3-D as its best shot at combating increasingly sophisticated home-theater systems. But the industry has to overcome some hiccups — including technical and distribution hurdles — before the technology meets its full potential.”
Video Game Soundtracks – The Next Big Thing
Computer and video game music might not have reached the same level quite yet, but soundtracks are now starting to get separate releases. Not only that, but composers with established reputations are starting to write them.