“Musicians from the West End production of War Horse are in dispute with the National Theatre after the organisation terminated the performers’ contracts and replaced them with a pre-recorded soundtrack.”
Why Trey McIntyre Went To, And Stayed In, Boise
“When I first came here they said you’ll disappear off the dance map. The opposite was true – we got a lot of attention. It just requires more creativity. … Being surrounded by other artists and companies [in a big city] is more of a challenge than being away.”
Stop Comparing The NSA To Orwell’s ‘1984’
A better parallel, suggests Noah Berlatsky, is Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?.
Study: Teens Who Read “Banned” Books Are More Civically Engaged
“Among a sample of South Texas teens, those who read ‘banned books’ were more likely to be engaged in civic activities such as volunteer work.”
Richard Serra’s In A Desert (And Doing His Best Work Ever, He Says)
“This is the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done,” says Richard Serra, talking about his latest work. “It’s a piece that I’d really like to be seen, and I don’t know if it will.”
Would An Arts Boycott Of Russia Have Any Impact?
“One reason this can work is that Russia really cares about art, music and literature. It has a great cultural tradition that is both truly popular and profoundly serious.”
The Science Behind Why We Laugh
“There is something almost akin to madness in how and when we laugh. It’s not as simple as a basic reaction to something funny.”
We’re Number One! We’re Number… 39?
“While the U.S. enjoys the second highest per capita GDP of $45,336, it ranks in an underperforming 16th place overall. It gets worse. The U.S. ranks 70th in health, 69th in ecosystem sustainability, 39th in basic education, 34th in access to water and sanitation and 31st in personal safety.”
So Netflix Is The Future Of Media. But Can It Survive The Business?
“With its online streaming service, Netflix is serving up the future of television and movies. That’s undeniable. The question is whether it can hang on to that future as the pressure increases. Here’s what it’s facing.”
Why The Vienna Philharmonic Is Worthy Of Opera’s Million-Dollar Prize
“Our ultimate criterion is supreme musical excellence, over a period of time, preferably in the opera house as well as in the concert hall, and here there can be little argument – the VPO consistently produces playing of the utmost musicality and technical assurance, with my own vote being cast on the strength of blazingly vivid memories of performances at the Salzburg Festival over the last 15 years.”
Bolshoi Ballet Director Talks About Recovery From Acid Attack
Sergei Filin can now see (just) well enough to judge a competition (which he’s doing this week). Of healing at the troubled Bolshoi, he says, “It’s primarily myself who has to heal, because I bore the main blow myself. … I think it’s those people who were creating this atmosphere for all these months which finally resulted in this terrible attack [who need a remedy]. The theater itself is quite healthy.”
Gabriel García Márquez Leaves Hospital
The 87-year-old Nobel laureate “returned to his Mexico City home on Tuesday after a week-long hospitalization for pneumonia, but officials said he remains in ‘delicate’ condition.”
UK Appoints New Culture Secretary (Very Quickly)
Not 24 hours after Maria Miller resigned over an expenses scandal, prime minister David Cameron appointed merchant banker and Treasury official Sajid Javid, 44, as the new Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and Minister for Equalities.
What’s Maria Miller’s Legacy As Britain’s Top Culture Official? (Not A Lot)
“BBC arts editor Will Gompertz said the arts community had been ‘largely ambivalent to a culture secretary who, it suspected, wasn’t particularly interested in culture’.”
In Hong Kong, Painting Just Sold For $3.7M May Have Been Thrown In Trash
“Cleaners at the city’s Grand Hyatt hotel are suspected to have dumped a painting that had just sold for more than HK$28 million with rubbish that was then taken to a landfill.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 04.09.14
Breaking News: Disgusting Developments In Detroit
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts | Published 2014-04-09
In Favor of Genetically Modified Organizations
AJBlog: Audience Wanted | Published 2014-04-09
Civic Footprint
AJBlog: Engaging Matters | Published 2014-04-09
German opera chief quits over 3m cuts
AJBlog: Slipped Disc | Published 2014-04-09
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Funder United States Artists (USA) Moves From LA To Chicago
“Every year, USA awards grants of $50,000 each to 50 artists from eight disciplines, from architecture and writing to visual art. Since 2005, 350 artists have been the lucky (OK, meritorious) recipients of this largesse, in part thanks to a nearly threefold increase in the organization’s endowment in nine years, as well as the backing of some serious philanthropists such as the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation.”
Do Artists Still Need Galleries?
“Many galleries are signing artists and not doing enough to promote their work.” And in today’s hyper-charged art market, there are many alternative ways of promoting your own art such as working with a manager or hiring your own staff to take on the roles traditionally performed by galleries.
Munich Prosecutors Release 1000 Art Works Seized In Cornelius Gurlitt Apartment Raid
Officials had “seized some 1,400 items, including 1,280 artworks, from Cornelius Gurlitt’s apartment in 2012 while investigating a tax case. Gurlitt’s lawyers appealed the seizure, arguing that the art wasn’t relevant as evidence for prosecutors’ suspicions of import tax evasion. He also said that seizing the entire collection was disproportionate.”
Vienna Philharmonic Wins $1 Million Birgit Nilsson Prize
Birgit Nilsson Foundation president Rutbert Reisch said the choice of the orchestra fit the award’s criteria for artists “who have made the biggest contribution to classical music.” The Birgit Nilsson prize adds to the list of honors accorded to the Viennese ensemble, which is recognized as one of the world’s greatest.
UK Culture Secretary Resigns Over Expenses Scandal
“In a letter to the prime minister, … [Maria] Miller said the controversy over her expenses had ‘become a distraction from the vital work this government is doing’.”