All of this is true: "An effort to keep the industry alive has major stars taking to the virtual stage and much-lauded past productions available for streaming. These productions can’t compare with the energy of a full theater, but what they make up in accessibility is something that can’t be underestimated." - The New York Times
Not for nothing - for a new museum of contemporary art. But ... really? "'We invited the Department of Cultural Affairs,' Carrie Wood, a member of a campaign to save the mural called Keep Santa Fe Multicultural, said of the planned peaceful gathering that took place last weekend, 'but they didn’t respond to our email, or even take the time...
Or they might, soon. London needs "infrastructure week," but for real, and for much longer than a week. Take Hammersmith. "It’s obvious whom to blame: politicians are guilty to varying degrees of buck-passing, posturing, point-scoring, broken promises and inaction. The problem is that they are in different parties and different authorities." The results are disastrous. - The Guardian (UK)
Boyer signed on with Disney as a sketch artist in 1960 - and never left. "Boyer was made a Disney Legend in 2005, the equivalent of membership in the company’s Hall of Fame, with a window on Main Street in his name. Not bad for someone who put himself through Chouinard Art Institute as a janitor on a 'working...
Artists need studios, and usually studios with light ... and churches often have that. "Places of worship are typically built to outlast their parishioners. The steepled Protestant churches in upstate New York are often the oldest buildings in their towns — repositories of local memory, even as their congregations have dwindled." - The New York Times
The new show demonstrates just how drastically far food shows have come - but reminds us of how far that had to be, especially when we can always rewatch Nadiya Hussain's GBBO flavors making Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry squirm. "It’s hard to imagine that a show like Nadiya Bakes could have existed in the same way even just...
Burga's best-known work, 1981's Perfil de la mujer Peruana, confused many people in its day. She and a psychotherapist friend "interviewed 290 middle-class women between the ages of 25 and 29 in Lima to obtain statistics on their political leanings, their bodies, and their identities. The presentation of their findings took the form of drawings and diagrams, as well...
In short, and in no surprise to anyone who has studied the history of the U.S., or indeed lived that history: "Judas and the Black Messiah makes an urgent case for why the FBI, and, by extension, American law enforcement, must change priorities. Violence from white extremists poses a far greater threat to the country’s safety than activism from groups...
Of course, "The British weather does not always help. A valiant 'drive-through' production of La Bohème staged in a car park by English National Opera last year did encounter problems owing to high winds: sometimes the elements cannot be entirely outfoxed. Nevertheless, the more sagacious arts organisations are looking ahead to alfresco possibilities." - The Guardian (UK)
This story is convoluted, and needs careful reading to understand what's going on not only in musicology in the U.S. but also across the world. To quote the article, "How this ends is not clear." - The New York Times
Director Iram Parveen Bilal (I'll Meet You There) explains: "I'm the daughter of a physicist mother and a chemistry professor father. ... We were told from the get-go that education is your passport. And when I came to Caltech, I realized that even though I was good at science, it came naturally to me, it wasn't ticking the passion...
No, it's not that many mediocre men are threatened by smart women (timeless!) or that mismatched marriages can destroy those in the marriage (also timeless!). It's about plague. - LitHub
In 2016, when the Seine flooded its banks, museum workers toiled 24 hours a day to haul thousands of artworks out of underground storage for their protection. Cut to now: "For more than 16 months, a stream of trucks has quietly hauled treasures from the museum’s central Paris basement, and other sites, to the Louvre Conservation Center, a fortress...
The problem isn't earned income lost to tourism (that is, no tourism). The problem is the trustees. "Met trustees established a special fund to deal with the pandemic crisis. So far, according to the museum’s spokesperson, the board has raised 'just north of $25 million.' That is, in a word, pathetic. Since the pandemic began, America’s billionaire class has...
First there was Ratatouille: The Musical or Ratatousical, which raised more than a million dollars for actors, with the no doubt bemused blessing of Disney. Then TikTok went sea chanty. Now? It's Bridgerton: The Musical. (Bridgertousical?) "Barlow and Bear's frequent postings on social media have drawn lots of attention, including from Bridgerton cast members. And the pair says they've been approached...
