In many ways, the unveiling of the new SFMOMA caps a period of transformation that speaks to forces at play in many U.S. cities — the rehabilitation of what had once been dilapidated urban cores. But the museum is also indicative of the role that high culture can play in that process. With its very presence, a museum can help shift the dynamics of a neighborhood.
Tag: 06.07
An Expanded Idea Of Critics
“Gone are the days when a single, negative review in The New Yorker or The New York Times could doom a Broadway show. The newspaper critic’s old bully pulpit has been overrun by a thousand bloggers and millions of thumb-pecking texters, whose readers probably know and trust them more than they know and trust any newspaper reporter.”
The Novel’s Unique Story
“All kinds of stories invite us to imagine the characters they portray, and involve ourselves in their fortunes and their follies; but to engage with novels we need to go one step further and imagine the people telling the story, or even identify with them. The art of reading a novel involves a dash of experiment, conjecture, even risk.”
The Cleveland Conundrum
The Cleveland Orchestra is one of the very best (some would say the best) ensembles in America, but things have not been fiscally healthy at Severance Hall for some time, and orchestra insiders are privately acknowledging that the city may not be large or wealthy enough to support a major orchestra without serious outside help. Seeking new residencies in other cities is part of the recovery plan, but it isn’t exactly going smoothly so far.