Opened 27 February and running through to the end of May, a new exhibition, Reconstructions: Architecture and Blackness in America, challenges and seeks to dismiss the legacy of Philip Johnson, the modernist master who did so much to start and cultivate MoMA. Presented in a gallery dedicated to Johnson’s memory, the participants’ introductory manifesto obliterates an inscription in his honor. – The Guardian
Modernist Architect Hugh Newell Jacobsen Dead At 91
“His residences had signature touches like 45-degree pitched roofs, clean lines, minimal ornamentation, masterful use of lighting and windows, and décor that included his own furniture and fabric designs — a body of work that earned him many honors, including induction into Architectural Digest‘s AD100 Hall of Fame in 2017. – The New York Times
Black Composer Says Tulsa Opera “Decommissioned’ Him Over Line ‘God Damn America’
For a program commemorating the centennial of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre (the one in which the area known as “Black Wall Street” was destroyed), the company commissioned composer Daniel Bernard Roumain to write a piece, including his own text, for mezzo Denyce Graves. Roumain submitted a work titled They Still Want to Kill Us, with the final line “God Bless America, God Damn America.” Company artistic director Tobias Picker asked that the word “damn” be changed, and when Roumain refused, Picker promised to pay the composer’s fee in full but removed his work from the program. (Unmentioned is the likely response of the Tulsa audience, and the company’s board, to the line.) – OperaWire
The Art World’s Pivot To Digital (How’s It Working Out?)
While a recent report revealed that 2020 witnessed a global downturn in art sales overall, online sales surged, making up a quarter of the market’s value.Although a number of fairs are holding onto tentative summer and fall dates in the hopes that in-person events will be feasible, there are some who are continuing to forge ahead with digital programming — in lieu of or in addition to — their usual offerings. – The New York Times
Twyla Tharp @80
The choreographer’s eclectic inspirations wind like a scenic highway through American culture, from ballet to figure skating, from Frank Sinatra to Philip Glass. – Washington Post
Will The NFL’s New Media Deal Kill Local TV?
“The loss of broadcast exclusivity is going to accelerate cord cutting as younger viewers gravitate toward the streaming platforms. The loss of coveted younger viewers will reduce total local TV viewership. Still worse, as local TV stations fall into an inescapable vortex toward irrelevance to advertisers, it will become tougher and tougher for them to negotiate with their cable and satellite overlords.” – Shelly Palmer
How Artists, The Arts, And The Culture In General Are Surviving After A Shutdown Pandemic Year In The UK
In some cases, artists will never work again; some venues have shut down; and the cultural life of Britain has taken a beating. Artists including Ai Weiwei explain how the year worked, or didn’t. – The Guardian (UK)
England’s Man On A Mission To Bring Museums Into The 21st Century
Gus Casely-Hayford has a vision for the new V&A East. “The space itself will be accessible in every possible way. We’ll build around it digital technologies, so you can both engage with the collection while you’re there and leave something of yourself behind, like comments. So it becomes not just a repository of objects, but of people’s thoughts and feelings and dreams.” – The Observer (UK)
Children’s Book Illustration Is Art, And James Ransome Also Wants More
James Ransome just won the Gold Award. He’s “well-known and loved for his illustrations, especially for his many children’s books. But at age 60 he recently earned an MFA, and is developing a parallel career as a painter. His Gold Award was for Who should own Black Art — a painting and book jacket — and his acceptance speech acknowledged some of his influences, including his mentor, Jerry Pinkney, a member of the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame.” – NPR
Looking Back At The Oscars Of Two Decades Ago
The final pre-9/11 Oscars (can that be real?), the Oscars where Gladiator beat Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and where Marcia Gay Harden won (deservedly! but perhaps cursedly?) for Pollock … what else should, or could, have happened? – Los Angeles Times
Making Change Sometimes Means Becoming A Member Of The Establishment
Julie Mehretu, who has a solo show opening at the Whitney: “There is a deep consideration of who you show and who comes to the museum and how do you shift that. There is a lot that has to be challenged.” – The New York Times
The Agony Of Waiting For Relief To Come
Arts venues are dying while waiting for their entertainment venue relief. Not great: “A far longer than expected build-out of the application process by the Small Business Administration — which only had its new head, Isabel Guzman, confirmed by the Senate last week — has meant serious delays in the disbursement of funds. And a buildup of anxiety, debt and the prospect of permanent closure for arts entrepreneurs.” – Washington Post
Van Gogh Died Penniless, But His Paintings Paid For His Sister’s Mental Health Care Decades Later
Van Gogh died in 1890. By 1909, Anna, the oldest Van Gogh sister, “wrote of selling a picture that he had given Willemien, enabling her to pay for medical costs: ‘I remember when Wil got the painting from Vincent, but what a figure! Who would have thought that Vincent would contribute to Wil’s upkeep in this way?'” – The Observer (UK)