Canada has named a new poet laureate: Pauline Michel, a Francophone who has built an impressive reputation in Quebec, but who is virtually unknown in the country’s English-speaking regions. She has been publishing poems, mainly in French, since 1975.
Tag: 11.18.04
Philly Art School To Sell Off Its Collection
“The Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial, a tuition-free art school and an active part of Philadelphia’s cultural community, will auction nearly all its remaining artwork [this weekend],” raising as much as $100,000 for the school’s endowment. But the school is stressing that the sale, which will include 50 Russian religious icons and a treasure trove of works by local artists, was not precipitated by budget problems, but by a desire to find a home for the works where they can be seen by the public. The school has no exhibition space of its own, and in fact, the existence of its collection came as a surprise to many in the art world.
MoMA – Architecture That Disappears
Richard Dorment is thrilled by the new Museum of Modern Art. “Everything about the building radiates expensive reticence, conservative good taste. Externally, its sheer façade of subdued black granite, aluminum panels, and white and grey glass gives little hint of the wonders inside. But, when you step over the threshold, something extraordinary happens. Taniguchi’s serenely minimalist architecture draws you gently but inexorably forward with the promise of what I am tempted to call enlightenment.”
NY Pub Library Opens Up
The New York Public Library is feeling flush, and ready to restore some of the cuts in service that have been in place since 9/11. “As part of the changes, the library’s landmark building, at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, will adopt a six-day schedule next month, opening on Sundays for the first time since 1970, library officials said yesterday.”
Tuck Wins National Book Award
Lily Tuck wins this year’s National Book Award with her novel The News From Paraguay. “The imagination portion in particular was evident when, in her acceptance remarks, Ms. Tuck confessed that she had never been to Paraguay and did not intend to go.”
American TV Networks Timid Up
American TV networks are becoming more timid about about what they’re shown. Or at least more timid about standing up for their programming decisions. “It is easy to conclude that corporations like the Walt Disney Company, which owns ABC, are so nervous about how the re-election of George W. Bush may empower the Federal Communications Commission that they are falling over themselves to please and appease Washington. And the victors are enjoying the moment.”
Eustis: “The Most Important Job In American Theatre”
Oscar Eustis on his new job running New York’s Public Theatre: “I think it’s the most important job in American theater. And I think it’s the most New York theater there is. It’s quintessential.”
The Culture Wars Are Back (Hold On!)
The culture wars are back, and censorship is already sending a chill throughout the country, writes Frank Rich. “Merely the threat that the F.C.C. might punish a TV station or a network is all that’s needed to push them onto the slippery slope of self-censorship before anyone in Washington even bothers to act. This is McCarthyism, “moral values” style.”
Pacfic Northwest Ballet Has New Artistic Director
Pacific Northwest Ballet has named Peter Boal as its new artistic director. “The 39-year-old principal dancer with New York City Ballet will take over the company on July 1. PNB had announced Boal was its “lead candidate” for the job early last month. Kent Stowell and Francia Russell, who have led the company since 1977, are retiring at the end of the current season.”
Slatkin Out At National Symphony
Leonard Slatkin’s contract won’t be renewed past the 2008 season. “Public information was kept to a polite and restricted minimum. Slatkin’s current contract, which was to expire in 2006, will be extended two years, either as a courtesy to the conductor or to buy the orchestra more time to choose another music director — or, as seems likely, a combination of the two.”