The 255,000-square-foot train hall is inside the James A. Farley postal building, the grandiose Beaux-Arts structure designed by McKim Mead & White in 1912, two years after the original Pennsylvania Station. – The New York Times
Tag: 12.20.20
Do We Need A New Liberalism?
“Properly understood, liberalism offers an incomparably rich, four-century-long experimental history of a never-ending quest to find the best way for diverse people—and peoples—to live together well in conditions of freedom. It is a theoretical treasure trove and a practical experience bank. How telling, by contrast, that so-called “post-liberalism” cannot even come up with a proper name for itself; its very moniker reveals its epigonic character.” – Prospect
23 Of This Year’s Best Books On Dance
Wendy Perron makes a list and some recommendations: It’s been a good year for dance history. Most of these books explore the past, deepening and broadening what we know and how we know it. – Wendy Perron
This 1953 Column By Walt Disney Talked About Threats To The Movie Industry
As Disney concluded in his column, “We like to enjoy ourselves in crowds, at sports arenas, at picnics, fairs and carnivals, at concerts and in the theatre. … People are always going to demand and enjoy movies in the theatre. Perhaps not as exclusively as they did when public amusements were more limited. But with a big potential share” of people’s entertainment budgets, “we must compete as never before.” – Variety
2020 – The Year Macro-Culture Paused And Micro-Culture Took Over
“When space shrinks and time expands, we suddenly find ourselves traveling inward—binge-watching ’80s sci-fi, creating new online personas, studying Buddhism, covering our bedroom ceilings in cotton and LED strips so it looks like a thundering night sky and/or reflects our storm-tossed souls. Anything to rediscover ourselves. Macroculture may have been voided by 2020, but microcultures boomed. At the very least, everyone’s just a bit more interested in something as a result, and thus more interesting, as people.” – Wired
Stimulus Bill Includes $15 Billion Rescue For Performing Arts Venues
The long-awaited second stimulus package, which still needs to be passed, designates $900 billion of direct payments and jobless aid to Americans crushed by the continuing scourge of Covid-19. It also incorporates the Save Our Stages Act and with it the establishment of a $15 billion SPA grant program for indie establishments. – Forbes
How Are Dancers Doing?
Life for dancers is not great right now, not great at all. A 25-year-old ballerina: “It’s absolutely heartbreaking. Dealing with the changes emotionally has been the hardest part for me. You have to stay motivated without any promise of anything coming up. It takes a lot of mental strength. It’s very isolating.”- San Diego Union-Tribune
Not That He’ll Have Time, But Writers Tell The 46th President What To Read
Apparently, all of the writers, activists, and columnists think the president-elect should read Extremely Serious Books (especially if they’re by men). Can’t someone toss Joe a novel or two? – The New York Times
When A Major Art Collector Dies, The Art World Holds Its Breath
Sheldon Solow, a New York real estate tycoon who had one of the best private colelctions of 20th-century art, died last month. Auction houses in crisis since the pandemic began wonder if the collection will go on the market – or become a private museum. – The New York Times
Awards Season Has Begun, And In LA, Steve McQueen Won Best Film For His A Five-Film Anthology
The LA Film Critics Association also awarded Best Director to Chloe Zhao for Nomadland with Frances McDormand, and Russia’s stark post-WWII tale Beanpole won Best Foreign Film. The rest of the winners – and it’s an interesting list – are at the link. – Los Angeles Times