ArtsJournal - Newsside

Why Black English Is America’s Most Important Dialect

WORDS Posted:

“All along, while standard American English was busy convincing everyone that it was a superior dialect, it’s Black English that’s been a true cultural and linguistic force in contemporary society. Standard English is in fact deeply indebted to this so-called impoverished speech. It’s Black English that has left its mark on the popular culture we participate in, sliding seamlessly into the language of art, music, poetry, storytelling, and social media. Perhaps no other variety of speech has been quite so significant, innovative, and influential to the development of standard American English.” – JSTOR Daily

Why The Business Case For Diversity Doesn’t Work

IDEAS Posted:

Why doesn’t the business case work? Recent research suggests that what’s required for transformational action is a moral and legal case. The business case, because it is based in an economic logic, undermines moral arguments and weakens resolve to make anything other than incremental change. Indeed, experiments show that making the “business case for diversity” can increase bias against diverse groups while the legal case can inhibit bias and increase equitable behavior. – Fast Company

The Obama Portraits Have Become, In Essence, Pilgrimage Sites

AUDIENCE, VISUAL Posted:

“Stories of visitors praying or breaking down in tears before the portraits circulated on social media.” (Not unlike Jerusalem or Lourdes.) Says the director of the National Portrait Gallery in D.C., “It’s a form of what I call secular pilgrimage. Much like people go to Graceland or John Lennon’s grave — the response has that quality to it.” – Artnet

Playing Against The Web – How Art Criticism Is Evolving

VISUAL Posted:

The web favors certain virtues—wit, weirdness, bombast, and urgency—over others. In real time, we’ve witnessed critics watch their well-crafted essays sink to the internet’s depths like a stone. As our cameras rolled, a critic at one of the nation’s largest newspapers darted from one editor’s desk to another, trying to understand why a blog post was bombing and, eventually, with a moving show of emotion, broke down. – ARTnews

Meet Seattle Opera’s Scholar In Residence, First Of Her Kind In The U.S.

AUDIENCE, MUSIC Posted:

“As scholar in residence, [Naomi] André acts as an adviser to help Seattle Opera become more inclusive, both for audiences and behind the scenes. … Her most visible role involves a series of free, public community conversations that invite audiences to question problematic social themes and portrayals of marginalized communities in opera while appreciating the artistic elements that continue to hold up.” – The Seattle Times

How Bad Is California’s New Freelance Law For Performers? Let Them Tell You

ISSUES Posted:

“To learn more about AB5’s effect on artists, The Times asked readers to write in. We received more than 120 responses from artists across California — jazz and classical musicians, directors of arts nonprofits, magicians, costume designers, actors, a burlesque dancer and freelance food stylist, among others.” – Los Angeles Times

Making The Leap From Dance Student To Professional Less Daunting

DANCE Posted:

“For generations, dancers have been thrust into professional life at a young age without much preparation or tools, sinking or swimming on their limited industry know-how. Today, some independent programs are presenting unique models that bridge the gap between student and professional life through networking, performance opportunities and more.” Haley Hilton surveys those programs. – Dance Magazine

Threatened By Gentrification, Berlin’s Nightclubs Seek Same Legal-Cultural Status As Theatres And Opera Houses

ISSUES Posted:

“A group dedicated to protecting the German capital’s nightlife took its campaign to parliament on Wednesday, urging more protection as more venues are closed to make way for new-builds and as growing numbers of residents file complaints about noise. About 100 clubs have closed in the past 10 years, and a further 25 are under threat.” – The Guardian

Philly Pops Music Director Abruptly Replaced After Seven Months

MUSIC Posted:

Todd Ellison’s contract took effect last July 1, and on January 21 he and the Pops “separated,” according to a statement from the orchestra. Principal guest conductor David Charles Abell has been appointed music director effective immediately, and he starts on a new three-year contract next July. – The Philadelphia Inquirer

A Second Court Rules That Tate Modern’s Neighbors Should Buy Some Damn Curtains Or Quit Their Bellyaching

VISUAL Posted:

Four owners in a condo building had gone to court for an injunction requiring the museum to screen or block off part of its popular 10th-floor viewing gallery so that “hundreds of thousands of visitors” would stop “relentlessly” looking into their floor-to-ceiling windows. Last year, a judge dismissed the plaintiffs’ suit, saying that they could put up curtains or blinds. The condo owners went to the Court of Appeal, which has now rejected their complaint, adding that the Supreme Court would not hear it. – The Guardian (PA)