“Designed by the Nigerian architect Kunlé Adeyemi, the [Makoko] Floating School [in Lagos] was the winner of multiple awards for architecture and urbanism, attracting great international attention and acclaim. … At 10.30am on [last] Tuesday, the Floating School collapsed during a heavy seasonal thunderstorm.”
The Murky Mess Of Museums’ Image Rights
“Of course it would be a beautiful thing if there could be a standard, but the reality is that there’s so many different considerations that cultural institutions have to take into account, based on their collections or jurisdictions or educational missions.”
The World’s First International Sex Advice Expert (She Was Also A Suffragette) Insisted On Female Pleasure
With her 1918 book Married Love (Downton Abbey fans may recognize the title) “prompting a tidal wave of correspondence,” Marie Stopes became “the closest thing to an expert on sexual equality that the early 20th century ever had – despite, as all evidence suggests, her being a virgin herself.”
Visual Artists In England Now Have Their Own Union
“Artists’ Union England (AUE) has been formally certified as the first trade union representing visual, applied and socially engaged artists in England. … The founding group of visual artists initially launched the union in May 2014, but obtaining [certification] was a three-year process that began in 2013.”
The Books That Hamilton And Burr Checked Out From The Library (That Library Still Has Them)
The New York Society Library, founded in 1754, “not only still keeps records of all the books that Burr and Hamilton borrowed (and, mostly, returned) but also has many of the books themselves – not merely the same titles, but the exact same books that Hamilton and Burr handled and thumbed and read and learned from. What’s more, it turns out that, by a series of benevolent bequests, the library also has a few choice and telling letters from Burr and Hamilton and even from Eliza Hamilton.”
J. Reilly Lewis, Founder And Director Of Washington Bach Consort, Dead At 71
“Ebullient, multitalented, warm and open to a fault, Reilly, 71, was a key figure on the Washington music scene for decades: the leader of the Cathedral Choral Society as well as the founder and leader of the Washington Bach Consort, and a crack organist to boot.”
The New Yorker’s Film Blogger Has A Completely Different List Of The 21st Century’s Best Foreign-Language Films
Richard Brody: “As it says in the Good e-Book, ‘There is no end to the making of lists, and too much Googling will wear you out.’ Yet one list, published on Wednesday, got me going at once, and the results are below.”
Want To Play In A School Orchestra? Better Live In The Right District
“Parents in less affluent districts may not be able to provide that extra support. Schools legally can’t charge students to participate in extracurricular activities such as band or sports, so everyone should have equal access. But more affluent parents can help pay for private lessons and additional coaches, giving their students an edge.”
Pittsburgh: Literary Metropolis (Yes, For Real)
“For years the city was a Rust Belt punch line to those too ill-informed to experience the tough beauty of the place. And yet economics can be destiny, which is why it’s heartening, surprising, and in some sense worrying to see Pittsburgh discovered now by national magazines and newspapers which are always looking for the next location, a new Portland or Austin where arty people with expendable cash can drink craft beer and go to pop-up art galleries.”
Hamilton Is Too Expensive For The 99 Percent, But Broadway Has Some Less Expensive Alternatives
“Start off by figuring that if you have a reasonable life expectancy, you can wait for ‘Hamilton’ ticket prices to settle and sink. (This is not, contrary to what you might think, a star-driven show.)”
Why It Matters (Remember The Bush Years?) That The Dixie Chicks Are Touring Again
“The rise and fall of the Dixie Chicks, with its extreme highs and lows, seems practically scripted for maximum drama.”
Artist Francoise Gilot On Her Life, Her Art, And Her Time With Picasso
“For most of her life, Gilot has been waiting for the world to catch up with her. She has always pointed out that it does her a great disservice as an artist to identify her as ‘Picasso’s lover’ or ‘a friend of Matisse’.”
Will Prince’s Paisley Park Become Something Like A Sexier, Funkier Graceland?
“Prince was already working on making it a museum, gathering memorabilia from his career, including his motorcycle from ‘Purple Rain.'”
Is Friends Of The Parks Going To Drop Its Lawsuit About The Lucas Museum In Chicago?
“Being publicly squeezed by everyone from the Emanuel administration to Chicago business and community groups hungry for the jobs and tourist dollars that the Lucas Museum would bring, the park advocacy organization finds itself being painted as the obstructionist in the museum saga.”
Figurative Painting Is Not Only Not Dead, But Moving Forward. Just Ask These 20 Women
“The current landscape of contemporary figurative painting is particularly strong, not only due to the commercial market for it, but perhaps more so the way that artists are portraying people in response to salient topics and issues of the 21st century—from race, gender, and war, to privacy, social media, and love.”
The Military Precision Required For Chicago To Celebrate The 30th Anniversary Of Ferris Bueller
“The original parade went down Dearborn Street, but for logistical reasons this one isn’t going to. Attendees won’t be emailed the location until a few hours before the event. This is the idea Blanchard and the city came up with to control the crowd and prevent freeloaders from camping out in the best seats.”
Harry Potter Play In London Drops Planned Use Of Live Owls
“The decision follows an incident during Tuesday’s first show when an owl escaped into the auditorium.”
Perishing Punctuation: The Period Seems Headed For A Full Stop
Thanks to instant messaging and the character limits of Twitter, the use of one of the most basic items of English grammar seems to be falling out of fashion. And when a period is used, especially in text messages and tweets, it can take on unfriendly overtones that may surprise older folks.
Jaap Van Zweden Renews In His Other Job, An 8,040-Mile Commute From The New York Philharmonic
The Dutch conductor, who finishes at the Dallas Symphony and starts at the New York Philharmonic in 2018, has extended his contract as music director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic through 2021-22.
How A Rural Community Orchestra Held It Together Through The Australian Floods
James Harvey, principal tuba of the Lismore Symphony in northern New South Wales, recounts how he and his fellows braved downpours, gales, and a building evacuation to perform for hundreds of appreciative small-town listeners.