“There is a pervasive idea that if you are a great dancer, you are automatically qualified to teach, whether you have training or experience in education practices or not. There is also an assumption that training to be a dance educator is only valuable if you’re working with children — that you don’t need it when teaching anyone over the age of 16.” Alexandra Cook, community programs director with Mark Morris Dance Group, learned the hard way that these assumptions are not true. – Dance Magazine
Tag: 06.22.20
Defund The Western Humanities Canon?
“I could not help but wonder about the institution of the Western canon. Were my colleagues and I right to think that the institution to which we had given much of our professional lives could be reformed? Was our particular culture as teachers of Western culture compromised to the core? If it was, must we then, well, defund the teaching of the canon?” – The American Scholar
The University Is Ripe For Unbundling
“What online services lack in quality, they make up for in convenience—and as they get more popular, they’re only going to get better, which in turn could unbundle the prevailing model of higher education.” – The Atlantic
How To Decide Which Statues To Take Down?
Much of the social media debate has been over whether a historical figure who took a morally objectionable positions must be understood as “a man of his time.” The response of activists has often been along the lines of “Hitler was a man of his time too.” Here both sides are mistaken. – Bloomberg
MoCA Cleveland Director Resigns After Controversy
In the statement announcing her resignation, Jill Snyder did not refer to the apology, saying, “I came to this decision with the understanding that the world at large, and our museum in particular, are in a powerful moment of disruption and possibility.” She added, “I embrace this as an opportunity to advance the movement for change that is now sweeping through our culture.” – The New York Times
Muti Opens Live Summer Festival In Italy
The 78-year-old renowned conductor said the coronavirus had ‘’destroyed music,‘’ with shuttered venues depriving the world of ‘’spiritual food” as it faced a pandemic that still threatens uncalculated economic repercussions beyond the lives lost. Even during two world wars, Muti noted, theaters stayed open to provide cultural relief except during the worst of the bombings. – Chicago Tribune
Press Release Claims Seattle Art Museum Is Dissolving
The release, sent from an email address that appeared to be the same as that used by the organization’s public-relations department, looked like the real thing — but it was fake. – Seattle Times
Culture Is A Major NY Industry. What Happens When It Shuts Down?
According to the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, film, TV, theater, music, advertising, publishing, and digital content in New York provide 305,000 jobs, and an annual economic output of $104 billion. What happens when the very things that bring so many people to New York are forced to shut down? When we’re banned from congregating in sanctuaries of art, drama, dance, comedy, literature, and music, where does the culture go? – National Geographic
A Netflix For The Performing Arts?
“Doing digital isn’t a quick-fix Band-Aid for anyone,” says Kathleya Afanador, Marquee’s co-founder and head of content. “It’s a fundamental layer of their overall business that needs to be prioritized.” – Washington Post
Thousands Of Arts Educators In London Are Losing Their Jobs
Arts lecturers tend to be employed on casual contracts. With universities closing in-person classes, these lecturers are being laid off en masse. – The Art Newspaper