“We might think of design as a marriage of form and function. Yet the ratios often shift to produce the absurdity of, say, a Philippe Starck lemon squeezer – great styling, but the juice goes everywhere. Design has a job to do, and now more than ever. We are learning to integrate it into our lives with a greater sophistication and understanding. And the more the consumer responds to the product, the better designed it becomes.”
Tag: 02.25.03
Massachusetts Bracing For More Arts Cuts
Massachusetts’ governor will propose a state budget this week, and arts groups are fearful. Last August, former acting Gov. Jane Swift slashed the Massachusetts Cultural Council budget by 62 percent – from $19.1 million to $7.3 million – the most drastic cut to an arts agency nationwide. The agency eliminated 27 percent of its staff positions, dismantled eight of its 13 grant programs and cut funds distributed through the remaining programs by about 62 percent.” Now the state faces a $3.2 billion deficit, and further cuts are being planned throughout the state…
Philadelphia Museum Of Art Expands
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is starting construction of phase I of a long-range $200 million expansion which will take 15 years. The first phase expansion, when it opens in 2006, will, in essence, become a new wing of the city’s largest museum.” The museum hopes its long-term expansion will “boost its attendance from around 800,000 visitors each year to more than 1 million. The museum has raised $171 million of a $200 million capital campaign to pay for the construction, increase its endowment, and expand its programs. It hopes to raise the rest within 18 months.”
Leadership Void – Arts Jobs Go Begging
“Filling the top jobs at major cultural institutions has become increasingly difficult. The pool that you fish in is a very small pool, and that pool is shrinking. As the jobs become more difficult, there is a shrinking group of people, and the pool is not being replenished by people coming up from the ranks. At the same time, these posts have grown in visibility and importance to the local economy.” Oh yes – the salaries to run the big organizations are tiny compared to corporate America.
History Through London’s Statuary
For hundreds of years Central London was the center of public sculpture. More recently, of course, “many people, including some serious art historians, have thought it’s artistically retrograde and uninteresting.” A new book maintains that the statuary tells the history of the city. “What is incredible about the sculpture in the Square Mile is its sheer diversity. It reflects the different roles of the City: the preoccupation with the sea because London was a major world port and the heart of the Empire; journalism, publishing and the media because of Fleet Street; the trades because of all the markets; finance because of the banks and the Stock Market.”
The Decline And Fall Of A Major Artist
Twenty-five years ago Graham Sutherland was one of the most-praised artists in Britain. “At that point Sutherland was undeniably top of the heap. So why is the centenary of his birth, which falls this year, being celebrated in such a niggardly fashion? How did this disastrous decline come about? The first answer is that he died at the wrong time. At his death in 1982, at the age of 79, preparations were well advanced for a major retrospective at the Tate. It became his memorial show and was given surprisingly short shrift by most critics. You could see why. It was undeniable that Sutherland had been rather resting on his laurels in his final years…”
Viñoly: Architect To The World
By any account, architect Rafael Viñoly was something of a prodigy. He’s racked up a series of high-profile projects around the world, and has developed a reputation for sensitivity to the needs of the project. “You don’t simply accept the client’s program at face value, as if your job is to be some kind of short-order cook. What you really want to do is figure out the underlying needs, which the client may never have fully understood. Then you work to define the program. You are not going to get a pre-cooked meal but something especially prepared.”
War Fears Discourage Movie Shooting
“Concerns about the prospect of a war in the Middle East have forced most major productions shooting overseas to take out supplemental insurance to guard against the possibility of a war-related shutdown or terrorist incident.” Some – like a new production of “Fiddler On The Roof” have canceled shooting altogether.
Working On A Piece Of Lincoln Center
A fix-up of New York’s Lincoln Center is said to cost $1.2 billion. Many are skeptical the money can be raised and the designs agreed upon by the arts center’s many constituents. So maybe another way to get the project underway is to take a piece of it and make it real. With that in mind, plans are being developed to open up West 65th Street and make it more accessible and inviting. Even this plan costs $150 million, and in this fundraising climate…
Terrorism Fears Limit Museum Artwork Loans
Fears of terrorism are affecting museums’ willingness to loan artwork for exhibitions. “Since 9/11, European institutions have become reluctant to lend their prize works of art to New York museums without new assurances of beefed-up security and increased terrorism insurance. For places like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the cost of such insurance has escalated so dramatically that it threatens to break budgets just as these institutions are struggling with dwindling sponsorships and cutbacks in public funds.”