“A vague conventional wisdom: Seattle is a mecca for public art… By this logic, public art is Seattle’s gift to the nation. It was that way once. But it hasn’t been that way for years–maybe decades.”
Tag: 06.16.09
Misdirection – Is American Music “Vertical”?
“American music is vertical; European music is more linear/horizontal.” At first this seemed too easy, as well as a trigger for memories of the classic early 1960s sci-fi TV program The Outer Limits; you know: “We will control the horizontal. We will control the vertical.” But since then I’ve kept on thinking about it. Is this somehow true?
Dartmouth College Receives $50M Gift For Visual Arts Center
“An anonymous family has donated $50 million to let the New Hampshire school create a visual arts center. The college did not identify the donor other than to say it was a family with a long history of ‘service’ to Dartmouth.”
In South Africa, A New Dance Company Is Actually Turning A Profit
“In a few months Bovim Ballet, which ends its current five-city national tour at Gold Reef City this week, has certainly proved a point. After premiering at Artscape in January and having had a sold-out season at Oude Libertas in Stellenbosch, South Africa’s newest classically-based dance company has not only been surviving on box office, but making a neat profit.”
Japan Toughens Copyright Law (If Not Scofflaws’ Penalties)
“The Japanese parliament has passed an amendment to the existing Copyright Law that extends further protections to copyright holders and, for the first time, makes it illegal for private users to download copyrighted material that has been uploaded without the rights holders’ permission. The new statute will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2010[,] but contains several caveats that raise the question of how it will be enforced.” (Scroll down.)
Betty Connors, 92, Who Built Berkeley’s Cal Performances
“From 1945 to 1979, Ms. Connors ran the university’s program for presenting music, dance and theatrical events on campus – the first salaried employee responsible for undertaking a job formerly done by a faculty member.” She brought the likes of Rostropovich, Birgit Nilsson, Dave Brubeck and Ravi Shankar to Berkeley, creating what has become one of the leading arts presenters in the U.S.
Women Of The Future
A look at the careers of the Futurists Natalia Goncharova and Sonia Delaunay, who helped change the trajectory of art and design in Europe.
You Think Your Orchestra Has It Bad? Look At The Belgrade Philharmonic
“Serbia’s flagship classical music ensemble, squeezed by the economic downturn, pleaded for help recently from music-lovers. ‘The national Philharmonic orchestra, with 85 years of tradition and a rich repertoire, can now play at your house for a reasonable fee,’ a self-parodying newspaper advertisement declared.”
Women, Especially Over 40, Scarce In Theatre, Film And TV
“Female actors, especially those over 40, are still under-represented on TV, film and in theatre and when they do get a break it is often in a stereotypical role, a conference on the subject heard today. Hundreds of women, from actors to directors to writers, gathered at the National Theatre to hear depressing statistics reeled off: 17% of playwrights are women; 38% of stage roles are for women; 35% of TV roles are for women; of the top 250 films last year only 9% were directed by women.”
Milwaukee’s Skylight Opera Eliminates Artistic Director Job
“The Skylight Opera Theater has eliminated the position of artistic director, held since August 2004 by William Theisen, a Milwaukee native and a popular figure here. The artistic director’s duties will be consolidated under the general director, Eric Dillner, according to an e-mail Dillner sent Tuesday evening.”