The aphorism is that if America sneezes, the rest of the world catches a cold; if Ultra and SXSW cause a domino effect, and music festivals in the UK and Europe are shut down, the economic impact could be enormous. Worse still, most festivals will not have the correct insurance to cover their expenditure and projected losses if the government or local councils order them to cancel. – The Guardian
Tag: 03.08.20
One Artist’s Advice To Young Artists: Skip Sports And Go To A Museum
Indeed, cartoonist Chris Riddell thinks younger artists should follow their passion by “bunking off” school, if necessary, to get their true arts education. – The Observer (UK)
Britain Isn’t Doing A Great Job Of Saving Its Victorian Buildings
That’s partly because of a craze for exploring abandoned buildings – and partly because the buildings were abandoned in the first place, attracting people who have done everything from kick down walls to set massive fires. “Buildings under threat need strong security. … They need maintenance. They need alarms and lighting. Most of all they need concerted imagination and help to be brought back into the community quickly.” – The Observer (UK)
Yorkshire Artists Invigorate Their Area With Radical Art Thanks To An Art History Professor
Why is Leeds University a hotbed for feminist art and artists? Well, it’s down to one woman: “Griselda Pollock, professor of social and critical histories of art at Leeds University. With a world reputation and 22 books to her name, she has just been awarded the 2020 Holberg prize for arts and humanities, worth £500,000. … She has been key over the past four decades to the region’s emergence as the UK’s leading feminist art hub. She now hopes the prize – of 6 million kroner, funded by the Norwegian government – means she has an international platform from which to continue her work, and consolidate her legacy. ‘I was afraid that once I retired, the waters would close over,’ she says.” – The Observer (UK)
Italy Shuts All Theatres, Museums, And Cinemas In Bid To Control Virus Spread
Though bars, restaurants, and gyms remain open, as long as managers can guarantee that people remain at least three feet away from each other at all times, the country’s entire cultural capital is locked down (as is, of course, all of Lombardy, and the cities of Milan and Venice). – NPR
New Interest In Iranian Art, Partly Because So Many Artists Are Living In Exile
Artists who fled the 1979 revolution with their families – especially if they were young – are seeing a renewed interest in their work from British and US buyers. But there’s “a growing gap between artists of the diaspora and those living in Iran, where economic hardship, sanctions and a collapsing currency mean that artists are unable to buy colors or canvases, or to have their work exhibited by Tehran-based gallerists at international fairs.” – The New York Times
A French Sex Columnist Says It’s Not Possible – Or Desirable – To Separate The Art From The Artist
Maïa Mazurette says the times have changed because our context has changed: “Not only does the recognition of our sexual, artistic and worldly continuity allow us to protect ourselves, to come together, to connect with ourselves and with others, but it frees us from obsolete hierarchical codes that want art to shine above everyday life … while sexuality would be relegated to the underground and the obscene.” – Le Monde
On International Women’s Day, The Art World Asks Whether Feminist Shows Can Change The World
As everyone who’s glanced at anything Guerrilla Girls-related knows, collections across the U.S. are less than welcoming to women and nonbinary artists. A new initiative seeks to change that. One curator says, “It’s diving into our history and examining who was and wasn’t collected. … It’s taking a critical lens to our own collecting practices.” – The New York Times
What The Likely To Spread Festival Cancellations Mean For Movie And Music Makers
As festivals in the US, France, Italy and elsewhere cancel because of fears of COVID-19, producers struggle to stay positive. Kelly Oxford, whose movie Pink Skies Ahead was supposed to premiere on opening night of SXSW, wrote, “While I’m devastated at losing this world premiere at a festival I love, I’m happy that the health of others is still more valuable than anything and we are protecting each other.” – CBC