“The fact is that the arts agencies are garnering more support today than they enjoyed in the past. Today the NEA gives grants to every Congressional district in the country. Advocates argue, that although the grants are small, they should be looked at as investments that have a multiplier effect given the requirement for recipients to raise matching funds from other donors. Rep. Leonard Lance (R-NJ), co-chairman of the Congressional Arts Caucus, focuses on that when he lobbies his colleagues to continue supporting them, telling them that the agencies create jobs in tourism, restaurants, and hotels.”
My Life With Oliver Sacks
“Not long after I moved to New York, Michael Jackson died. O had no idea who Michael Jackson was. ‘What is Michael Jackson?’ he asked me the day after the news – not who but what – which seemed both a very odd and a very apt way of putting it, given how much the brilliant singer had transmuted from a human into an alien being. O often said he had no knowledge of popular culture after 1955, and this was not an exaggeration. He did not know popular music, rarely watched anything on TV but the news, did not enjoy contemporary fiction, and had zero interest in celebrities or fame (including his own). He didn’t possess a computer, had never used email or texted; he wrote with a fountain pen. This wasn’t pretentiousness; he wasn’t proud of it; indeed, this feeling of “not being with it” contributed to his extreme shyness. But there was no denying that his tastes, his habits, his ways – all were irreversibly, fixedly, not of our time.”
Ford Foundation Prez: The Arts Aren’t Frill – Why We Need To Fund The NEA
Darren Walker: “The fact is, America’s economy depends on the arts. As of 2014, the United States Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates, our nation’s creative sector contributes nearly $730 billion to our GDP—a larger share than 44 states. It supports 4.8 million jobs, from schools to galleries, theaters, and beyond. And it supplies an enormous trade surplus that continues to grow year after year; America’s culture remains among our proudest exports. Moreover, the arts catalyze all of this benefit with relatively small public and philanthropic investment.”
Why Do People Try To Destroy Art In Museums?
Basically, it boils down to three reasons (minus the random disturbed person with a screwdriver): It’s famous; it’s politically charged; it’s sexually explicit.
The Public Memorial For Carrie Fisher And Debbie Reynolds Became A Musical Revue And Dancefest, And Here’s How
“Emotion flowed openly once the memorial got underway, particularly when the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles rose from seats in the audience and began singing Cyndi Lauper’s ‘True Colors’ en masse. Troupes of dancers from the Debbie Reynolds Dance Studio — she founded the North Hollywood venue in 1979 — performed with umbrellas and yellow raincoats to honor the star.”
Conducting John Adams’ ‘The Gospel According To The Other Mary’
Conductor David Robertson: “For example, I love the way in which he sets the line ‘A new sepulcher.’ In the background he has this slow tintinnabulation of cowbells and plate gongs, which seem to invade the whole space with an otherworldly, numinous visionary quality, as if already pregnant in this scene is the possibility of rebirth — even though we’re talking about a sepulcher.”
They’ve Found The Oldest Suriving Oil Paintings In Australia, And You’ll Never Guess What They Depict
Do we even need to say it? Yes, it’s kangaroos.
Ai Wei Wei Has A New Public Artwork For New York
His work – gates and fences in the city itself – will serve as a comment on the new American mindset. He says, “We are witnessing a rise in nationalism, an increase in the closure of borders, and an exclusionary attitude towards migrants and refugees, the victims of war and the casualties of globalization.”
Why Is Hollywood Leadership In Such Flux Right Now?
Because the business model is changing. “You could bring in genius people to run these studios, … and I don’t think the overall problems are going to change.”
Top AJ Blog Posts For The Weekend Of 03.26.17
Squatting at The Bunker in London
‘Home Truths: An Incomplete History of Housing Told in Nine Plays.’ The play cycle runs from April 17 through May 13. … read more
AJBlog: Straight|UpPublished 2017-03-26
Mr. P.C. Found
You must have been wondering—haven’t we all?—what happened to Mr. P.C.’s Guide To Jazz Etiquette And Bandstand Decorum. The jazz world’s indispensible source of advice has become harder to find, but not … read more
AJBlog: RiffTidesPublished 2017-03-25
The love of community
This Arts Advocacy Day, the stakes are much higher. As we work to make the case for the arts, we wonder, is our data keeping pace? We’re using love (or breakup) letters as a creative and … read more
AJBlog: Field NotesPublished 2017-03-24
Apollo Meets the Higgs Boson
Emily Coates’ Incarnations premieres at St. Marks’ Church, March 16 through 18. Emily Coates’ Incarnations (dress rehearsal). Apollo leads the Muses. L to R: Iréne Hultman, Emily Coates, Sarah Demers, and Yvonne Rainer. Photo: Alexis … read more
AJBlog: DancebeatPublished 2017-03-24
It’s Steve Kuhn’s Birthday
Pianist Steve Kuhn, born in 1938, is celebrating his birthday. Let’s celebrate with him as he, bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Billy Drummond play Charlie Parker’s “Confirmation.” Kuhn’s unaccompanied introduction explores a … read more
AJBlog: RiffTidesPublished 2017-03-24
They’re gonna need a bigger helicopter
In today’s Wall Street Journal I review the Broadway revival of Miss Saigon. Here’s an excerpt. * * * “Miss Saigon,” in which Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, the makers of “Les Misérables,” turned “Madame … read more
AJBlog: About Last NightPublished 2017-03-24