“Police said the images [depicting human rights violations] were not fit for display because they showed nudity and injuries, and because the show’s organisers could not prove they had consent from all the subjects. But human rights activists won a high court ruling to have the pictures sent back for the exhibition’s opening….”
Tag: 03.24.10
Dancing The ‘War On Terror’
“Americans would rather not consider the suffering of people water-boarded, beaten and deprived of sleep as part of our government’s so-called war on terror. Choreographer Jane Comfort tackles what she calls this ‘collective unwillingness to look’ in An American Rendition, a grimly mocking work of contemporary dance-theater.”
The Arts As Issue In Britain’s Election Campaign
“In an upcoming election in which every vote will count, the arts vote potentially takes on even greater significance. Given the way they’ve been courting the arts since the start of the year, it’s clear that all three parties are aware of this.” Which is why so many luminaries showed up for the release of a new manifesto called “Cultural Capital.”
Staffordshire Hoard Of Treasure ‘Saved For The Nation’
The mother-lode of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver objects discovered on a Staffordshire farm last summer “will remain on display in this country, after they were ‘saved for the nation’ through a combination of local fundraising and a government heritage fund.”
At Least They’re Recording: Alsop and Baltimore To Release Prokofiev Cycle
“One of the bonuses in having Marin Alsop as music director is that she brought a strong connection to the Naxos label with her, and the company was happy to add the BSO to its product line.” Alsop and the BSO are already in the midst of recording a Dvořák symphony cycle; next season they begin a similar project with Prokofiev’s symphonies.
Blanche Thebom, 91 (Or 94), Star Mezzo Of ’40s And ’50s
“During her career, Thebom was prized equally for the rich maturity of her voice, her face and figure (which also received their due in a number of films, including The Great Caruso), her profound acting ability and innate musical intelligence, and even her long tresses (at one time, her hair descended over 6 feet, far longer than her reach).”
‘Old Men Dancing: Wiser and Still Gorgeous (Do Not Resuscitate)’
“Of all the things guys like doing together, dancing – in our society at least – must count among the least likely. Yet a group of middle-aged Peterborough area men have forged rewarding personal bonds and garnered a good deal of admiring public attention doing just that.”
National Gallery Of Canada Eliminates 27 Positions
“Director Marc Mayer confirmed the cuts, a measure he felt was necessary as the Gallery faces a decline in revenue from tourism and rising costs. … Educational programming and the National Gallery of Canada Foundation are taking the brunt of the cuts.”
MPAA Asks Feds To Quash Box-Office Futures Trading
“The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has been reviewing applications from two companies that, if approved, would open markets to trade movie contracts. Buyers and sellers on the markets would place money on whether a movie will sail or sink at the box office.” The MPAA says such trading could be viewed as “legalized gambling on movie receipts.”
Opera In The Supermarket Aisles
“As about a dozen onlookers assembled, tenor Jesus Hernandez hefted a ripe avocado in his palm and stared wistfully at soprano Jennifer Waters as she bent over the oranges. Suddenly, Hernandez … burst forth into the familiar strains of ‘Libiamo,’ the celebrated homage to drinking and love in Giuseppi Verdi’s ‘La Traviata.'”