“After his appointment was announced in January, [Eran] Neuman took up the post on a part-time basis Feb. 19. Yet, his discussions with the leadership about his salary and benefits, which are set by Israeli law, continued, according to the museum. Mr. Neuman’s turnaround was a result of “differing perceptions regarding his role and terms of employment,” the museum announced in a cryptic statement this week.”
The Dazzling, Deft, Disastrous Dorothy Parker
“What are we to make today of this famous woman who has fascinated generations with her wit, flair, talent, and near genius for self-destruction?”
Artist Sues Mapplethorpe Estate For $45 Million, Saying Four Photos Are Really His Work
“On Tuesday, the poet, actor, photographer, and makeup artist James R. Miller filed a lawsuit against the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation (RMF), claiming copyright to four photographs that have been shown and sold for decades as Mapplethorpe’s work.”
Michael Shannon On Why Acting Doesn’t Work As Therapy
“To me it’s a job. Whatever my personal situation is, if I can extricate myself from it and say, ‘OK, I’m Bob or Tom or whatever’ then that’s great and you can get lots of attention. But then you come home at the end of the day and find that you’re still a trainwreck as a human being.”
The Worst Composer Hair Of All Time
Behold and shudder.
Neurasthenia Wasn’t Just Some Bogus 19th-Century Ailment – In Fact Some Of Us Might Have It Right Now
We’d probably call it burnout.
Are There Really Qualities In Black Music Or Art Or Lit That Only Black Critics Can Perceive?
Rick Moody suggested as much in a recent New York Times Book Review essay. George Packer – citing Ralph Ellison and James Baldwin – begs to differ. And what if we suggested the same about European art or music?
What The Movie Biz Did To The Director Of ‘Girlfight’
“The arc of her life and career easily reflects the trials faced by so many other female filmmakers. But it is also the singular story of an (at times) painfully solitary artist, someone whose temperament has put her at odds with the lopsided demands of her chosen profession — and, ultimately, allowed her to survive it.”
We’re Obsessed With Innovation, But What We Actually Need Is Maintenance
“In formal economic terms, ‘innovation’ involves the diffusion of new things and practices. The term is completely agnostic about whether these things and practices are good. Crack cocaine, for example, was a highly innovative product in the 1980s, which involved a great deal of entrepreneurship (called ‘dealing’) and generated lots of revenue.”
One Of Broadway’s Ensemble Stalwarts Is Walking Away
“Armed with what she refers to as ‘pedestrian singing’ abilities and ‘passable acting,’ she loved working in the ensemble — standing out in the group as much as possible, but also being protected by the group just the same.”
Gaza Residents, After Decades, Finally Get A To Watch Movies In Public
“As there are no movie theatres in Gaza, the screenings are held at a rented hall at the Red Crescent Society building.”
A Successful BroadwayCon Gets A Bigger Sequel
“The gathering drew 5,000 people this year; organizers hope it will draw up to 15,000 next year. The convention, inspired by ComicCon and a multitude of other pop culture fan gatherings, consisted of panels, workshops, performances and presentations by theater artists and theater industry officials.”
Festivals Are Getting More And More Popular. Here’s Why
“The AIF’s research in 2014 found that 58% of people cite overall experience and atmosphere as the main reasons for their purchase of a festival ticket, and that just 7% said it was the headlining acts. This adds credence to the theory that participation is going to be the prevalent theme in modern festival-going.”
An Arts Foundation Closes Abruptly In Seattle, Leaving Questions
Funding artists is great but when the support happens only through the whim of a single funder, the ground might not be stable…
Is It Really Intelligent To Pooh-Pooh IQ Tests?
“‘IQ tests just measure how good you are at doing IQ tests.’ This is the argument that is almost always made when intelligence-testing is mentioned. It’s often promoted by people who are, otherwise, highly scientifically literate. … In fact, decades of well-replicated research point to IQ tests as some of the most reliable and valid instruments in all of psychological science.”
Podcasts Have Been Around For 15 Years, And They’re Finally Coming Of Age
Yes, it’s been that long: the iPod was launched back in 2001. But – except for a few popular radio shows like This American Life – the first generation of podcasts weren’t always professional quality, and most faded away. But over the past couple of years, the form – led by Serial – had leapt upward in quality, variety, and popularity.
Are Library Cards Going The Way Of The VCR Tape?
“Library cards have always had the same purpose—to keep track of borrowers’ loans—but originally they were invented for a different type of library.”
Where They Keep The Ghosts: Behind The Scenes At The Met Museum
Christine Coulson, chief adviser to the director: “It is a Met that exists just beyond the walls of the galleries, where the staff move through tunnels and hallways like the below-stairs cast of Downton Abbey. It is also where we keep the ghosts.”
A Stone Angel Plunges To The Ground And The Met Museum Has To Pick Up The Pieces
The “painstaking job began the morning just after the della Robbia’s fall, when conservators gathered in its closed-off gallery to begin making sense of the pieces, some of them as tiny as fingernails. “It was a lot like an archaeological dig — all the pieces were collected and bagged and numbered.”
The Loneliest Cities In The World
“One thing is certain: the percentage of those who live alone has increased dramatically. In the US, 27% of people live alone, up from 5% in 1920, and in New York City it’s roughly one third. The same trend is evident in Canada, and even more pronounced in Europe – 58% of people in Stockholm live alone, a figure that is considered the highest in Europe.”
‘Sweeney Todd’ Production Called Off After Necks Actually Get Cut Onstage
It had to happen eventually, we guess. A student production at an elite Auckland secondary school used a prop that was, in fact, a real straight razor covered in duct tape and silver paper.
This Dance Piece Reminds Us All That Adult Men Interacting With Young Girls Doesn’t *Have* To Be Creepy
The project Men & Girls Dance “is exactly what its title suggests: adult male performers dancing with young girls. That relationship, though, has been tainted in recent years. Put the words ‘men’ and ‘girls’ in the same sentence and it’s likely to call to mind suspicions of abuse. This is what Fevered Sleep is hoping to challenge.”
Seven Ways For Actors To Get Better At Handling Rejection
“Some of the most successful actors cite their setbacks and failures as their most formative experiences; experiences that have moved them forward and propelled them to success. … So how can you, as a working actor, become more resilient?”
When You Get A Bad Review, Should You Hit Back At The Reviewer?
These days, “when amateur enthusiasts are as likely to review your work as Fleet Street experts (albeit self-proclaimed) and when most readers, if we’re honest, skim newspaper reviews and skip to the pithier comments, are you entitled to tell the blogger to fuck off as publicly as they rubbish your work when you think they’ve been unfair?” Maybe, suggests Phil Wilmott.
This Poor Arts Center: First The Censors Cracked Down On It, Then The Walls Fell In
Egypt’s leading contemporary arts space, “Townhouse gallery in central Cairo has been shut to staff after a section of the recently renovated five-storey building collapsed on Wednesday. The neighbouring Cairo Hackerspace, a community workspace for engineers, designers and artists, was completely destroyed.” The attached Rawabet Theatre has reportedly come through without damage.