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Composer Anthony Davis At 70

Awards don’t help us quantify these qualities, but for a composer who burst onto the operatic scene so spectacularly with X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X at the New York City Opera in 1986, it’s an acknowledgement of his eminence in a world, classical music, that has usually struggled to deal honestly with Black musicians and Black...

Last Summer, Museums Made Promises About Diversity. What Are They Actually Doing?

"Many workers regarded it as a positive step this summer when numerous leading institutions released detailed diversity, equity, and inclusion issues (DEI) plans. But more than six months later, employees are still waiting for progress reports. Artnet News surveyed more than a dozen museums across the country, none of which agreed to share the full amount of money they...

The Comedy Industry’s Alt-Right Problem

"The mobs that descended on Washington, D.C., last month have intellectual roots in many places, going back to the bloody beginnings of this country. But they also have roots in specific areas of modern culture, including Facebook, BuzzFeed, and the increasingly online world of comedy. All the forces that incubated the rioters are still there, unchanged, chugging along as...

New National Museum Of African-American Music Open In Nashville

"The museum tells a chronological story of Black music starting in the 1600s through present day and framed around major cultural movements including the music and instruments brought by African slaves, the emergence of blues through the Great Migration, the Harlem Renaissance and the civil rights movement. … And while there are museums around the country that focus on...

Flory Jagoda, Living Storehouse Of Sephardic Song, Dead At 97

"A Bosnian-born guitarist and accordionist, brought the traditional ballads of her Sephardic ancestors and the melodies of the Ladino language to American audiences through performances and recordings." - The Washington Post

Paramount Battles Truman Capote Estate For Right To Remake ‘Breakfast At Tiffany’s’

"Paramount has a screenplay for a new movie, according to court papers. But Alan Schwartz, Trustee of the Truman Capote Literary Trust, has been shopping a television series, and has gotten seven-figure offers from multiple interested buyers. Early last year, both sides pursued settlement with the idea that Paramount would be involved in the TV production, but in May,...

New L.A. Arts Recovery Fund Has $38.5 Million For Small And Midsize Nonprofits

"The J. Paul Getty Trust initiated the fund, to be officially announced Tuesday, and the California Community Foundation is administering it. Struggling arts organizations with an annual operating budget of under $10 million prior to the pandemic are eligible to apply for unrestricted funds that can go toward programming or operating expenses such as rent, utilities and staff compensation...

Frick Collection Set To Open At Old Whitney Museum Building

"The Frick Collection will open in the Breuer building as the Frick Madison on March 18, the museum announced on Tuesday, beginning a two-year stay in the Brutalist space while its 1914 Gilded Age mansion on Fifth Avenue undergoes renovation." - The New York Times

Facing Another COVID Summer, British Theatres Are Building Outdoor Stages

Social distancing is easier outdoors and there's more air circulation, not to mention the fact that, as one director puts it, "Outdoor arts is more accessible because it's in democratic open spaces." So companies across the UK are getting ready to perform outside their buildings, many for the first time, as soon as weather and health regulations permit. -...

Defying National Government, French City’s Mayor Reopens Museums

"Louis Aliot, the right-wing mayor of Perpignan, a city in the south of France, will let four museums begin welcoming visitors once more, effectively disobeying countrywide COVID-19 safety guidelines that are keeping museums throughout the country shuttered." - ARTnews

What “Hamlet” Suggests About Trump’s Impeachment Trial

Rereading “Hamlet” after the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, I was struck by how fears of insurrection permeate the play. Every age sees itself in Shakespeare’s tragedy, but little did I expect to be reminded of the recent uprising and its poisonous politics when returning to this most philosophical of revenge dramas. - Los Angeles Times

Why The California Attorney General Is Investigating The San Francisco Art Institute

The attorney general does not comment on ongoing audits, but Hyperallergic has acquired documents raising questions about board member self-interest and misuse of tax-exempt bonds that nonprofit attorneys interviewed by Hyperallergic say are within the office’s investigative scope. The documents shed light on the school’s debt-financed expansion into Fort Mason that jeopardized SFAI’s original campus on Chestnut Street and...

Indie Bookstores Invested In Online Sales… And It Has Paid Off

Their embrace of internet sales appears to have paid off, allowing them to meet surging demand spurred by the Black Lives Matter movement and the holiday shopping season, cementing the loyalty of longtime customers while reaching new ones, and succeeding in taking back dollars that were previously lost to online competitors. - Publishers Weekly

Our Inner Critics – Ignore Or Be Guided?

"The inner voice, which is also an inward-turning voice, tends to linger over negative content. What’s more, it can call our attention to processes that run more smoothly in the dark, deconstructing what should be seamless movement into a broken jumble of steps." - The New Yorker

In Seattle, Music Venues Can Now Reopen. Few Are Choosing To Do So

Thus far, only a few local music venues have signaled their interest in reopening under present conditions. In a statement on its website, the Washington Nightlife Music Association — a coalition of independent club owners — said many venues will opt to remain closed, citing safety concerns and a number of requirements, including a 25% capacity limit that “is...

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