“In Goethe’s 1810 treatise on color he wrote, ‘red-yellow gives an impression of warmth and gladness.’ He added that ‘the feelings they excite are quick, lively, aspiring.’ His idea that visual attributes, like color and form, cause universal responses in viewers has influenced art theory ever since. But a study published earlier this year in the PLOS ONE journal contested the idea that everyone experiences the same emotions when viewing abstractions.” – ARTnews
How Can Online Journalism Get Ad Revenue Back? Maybe By Tossing Its Cookies
That’s what worked — shockingly well — when Dutch public broadcaster NPO tried it: when it eliminated cookies, and thus the means to target ads to particular users, revenue soared. Here’s why contextual advertising (what NPO sold instead) brought in more money than targeted advertising — and why, says one American ad pro, this would not (yet) work in the United States. – Wired
Pulitzer Prize-winning Author Shirley Grau Has Died At 91
Grau, who won the 1965 prize for her fourth book, The Keeper of the House, wrote “stories and novels [that] told of both the dark secrets and the beauty of the Deep South.” – Los Angeles Times (AP)
Meme Me – How Memes Work
The chaotic creativity of remixed internet memes and the new linguistic structures that rapidly evolve from them allow us to express certain states of mind and have others immediately get it and respond in kind. This has been called an “asynchronous, massively multi-person conversation.” – JSTOR
Helen Jones Woods, Trombonist With Groundbreaking All-Women Jazz Band, Dead Of COVID At 96
“In addition to their pioneering role as women on the jazz circuit, the International Sweethearts of Rhythm were an interracial band in the era of Jim Crow. Their extensive itinerary through the South, where they traveled by sleeper bus, reportedly inspired jazz piano giant Earl Hines to call them ‘the first Freedom Riders.’ They also toured Europe, playing in occupied Germany for American soldiers — both white and Black, though not at the same time.” (After the band broke up in 1949, Woods, who was biracial, joined the Omaha Symphony — and was fired after her first concert when management saw her Black father pick her up.) – WBGO (Newark, NJ)
Kristy Edmunds: Why We Need Artists To Help Fix Things
“With the calamities facing the world, rebuilding what has been is no longer our most pressing goal — reimagining the future moving forward is. The ever-changing present requires the arts to accelerate our well-practiced ethos of compassionate vision, intellectual honesty and moral ingenuity. These are urgently required for shaping the road ahead.” – KCET
When Fans Of A Show Become Its Owners
Fans come to see themselves not just as the audience for, or patrons of, a given “intellectual property” but (to paraphrase the old WestJet slogan) as owners too. This feeling of ownership is often vindicated by the franchises themselves, which deliberately pander to the hopes and expectations of their core audiences. – The Walrus
An Opportunity To Diversify Your Theatre
“The reluctance to produce shows with casts that are all or largely non-white disproportionately affects shows written by Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) playwrights and composers. And the problem ripples outward beyond writers and actors. Predominantly white institutions (PWIs) all too often seemingly forget about directors, designers, stage managers, and dramaturgs of color entirely.” – Howlround
The World’s Nightlife On Hold. (And Yet…)
The problem is that urban nightlife — no matter how risky — isn’t something that just allows itself to be canceled. The need to socialize, relax, mingle, hear music and dance is a powerful force, especially among young people in cities. If regulated venues are shuttered, unregulated ones take their place. “In cities where there are no legal alternatives,” the VibeLab report concludes, “dangerous illegal alternatives are found.” – Bloomberg
What A Profound Design Revolution Curb Cuts Were
“The need for accessible streets and sidewalks has utterly reshaped the contemporary cityscape, and the most profound change is also the most modest: the curb cuts that you’ll find now at many street corners in cities all over the world. The revolution in street corners seems like an obvious civic good now, a common‐sense softening at the edges of the built environment, a simple solution to buffer the concrete shape of a world built with homogenous users in mind. But it would not have happened without disability activists’ long, hard fight.” – Bloomberg
How Instagram Is Changing The Job Of A Critic
Being unable to see real works of art in person for months has made me realize just how much I have come to depend on seeing works online—and how I get more from that experience than I’d been willing to admit. I have not felt much desire to delve into the online offerings of galleries and museums, but nonetheless I have been seeing lots of art onscreen—it’s just that I’ve been getting it straight from the artists, mainly via their Instagram accounts. I’ve liked that. – The Nation
Meet Canada’s New $2 Coin
The artwork appearing on the toonie honouring his legacy is known as Xhuwaji, Haida Grizzly Bear. Reid painted it in 1988 on a ceremonial drum belonging to the Sam family of Ahousat, B.C. – CBC
Reality Dating Shows And What They’ve Done To America
“To find out, we chose one reality dating show that debuted every year from 2000 through 2020 — shows that were particularly popular, controversial, influential or taught us something unexpected. … [And] we talked to dozens of people [involved with them]. … Sometimes, these series are surprisingly hopeful. But mostly, they are disturbing. Deeply disturbing. But no matter how many people decry that the shows are fake and/or feel like the downfall of society, the impact has been extremely real.” – The Washington Post
Leon Fleisher: More About The Struggle Than The Triumph
The truth of Fleisher is in his own questions, his dogged pursuit of answers (from spiritual healers to experimental treatments) is more interesting than the answer itself. You can’t help but listen to “Two Hands” (the title itself suggestive of juxtaposition; a distant cousin of “on the one hand…”) without hearing simply the music. It’s about the truth behind it. To quote Fleisher, “You will never get the answer until you listen to what you do, and ‘til you really hear the music and make a decision, make a choice for what you want to hear, for what you think the music is saying. It’s all so much more in your hands than you think.” – Van
How Remote Work Will Remake American Cities
If white-collar workers are told the downtown office is forever optional, some will take their superstar-city jobs out of superstar cities. That much is obvious. But these shifts, even if they are initially moderate, could lead to more surprising and significant changes to America’s cultural, economic, and political future. – The Atlantic
Pointe Shoes: A Brief History
“With their ability to elevate a dancer both literally and metaphorically to a superhuman realm, [they] are the ultimate symbol of a ballerina’s ethereality and hard work. … The shoes carry an almost mystical allure: They’re an endless source of lore and ritual, with tips, tricks and stories passed down over generations. [Here’s] how a delicately darned slipper introduced in the 1820s has transformed into a technical tool that offers dancers the utmost freedom onstage today.” – Pointe Magazine
‘Not To Put Any Pressure On You, But The Entire American Theater Is Depending On You To Be Really Smart’
That’s what Actors’ Equity president Kate Shindle said (via video call) to the cast of the Berkshire Theater Group’s Godspell, the first live-with-audience musical Equity has approved since COVID struck the U.S. Michael Paulson reports on the elaborate measures the production has in place, onstage and off. As Shindle put it, “People are going to look to you to know that theater can happen without anybody getting sick.” – The New York Times
Eric Bentley, One Of 20th-Century Theatre’s Most Important Critics, Dead At 103
“[He] was among that select breed of scholar who moves easily between academic and public spheres. His criticism found its way into classroom syllabuses and general-interest magazines. And more than dissecting others’ plays, he also wrote his own and had some success as a director. He adapted work by many of the European playwrights he prized, especially Bertolt Brecht, whom he first met in Los Angeles in 1942.” – The New York Times
England’s Theatres Reeling As Christmas Pantos Get Cancelled
“Dozens of pantomimes across the land have been cancelled or postponed due to uncertainty about easing lockdown restrictions for theatres. … Though it is only August, pantos take months to prepare and many venues and producers have been unable to commit to spending money on shows that might be scrapped.” Local theatres depend on these holiday shows every bit as much as American ballet companies depend on Nutcracker — and so do local communities. – The Guardian
UK Report: TV Watching Surged During Lockdown
Its annual study into UK media habits suggested adults – many stuck indoors – spent 40% of their waking hours in front of a screen, on average. Time spent on subscription streaming services also doubled during April. At the height of lockdown, adults spent an average of six hours and 25 minutes each day staring at screens. Screen time overall was up almost a third (31%) on last year. – BBC
Stripped-Down Salzburg Festival Opens
While the 2020 Salzburg Festival may not have such a global audience, it has commanded the world’s attention by forging ahead against all odds. New regulations notwithstanding — including compulsory masks, half-full theaters and no intermissions — it often felt like business as usual: a bustling festival for a wealthy and elegant audience amid the grandeur of the Alpine landscape. – The New York Times
Can Neil Young Really Win A Lawsuit Against Trump Playing His Music At Rallies?
“If he has withdrawn those two particular songs from BMI’s political license program, then the Trump administration does not have a license to play them at a political rally and they have a good case that they will more likely win.” – Rolling Stone
Pete Hamill, The Ultimate New York Newspaperman, Dead At 85
“[He] became a celebrated reporter, columnist and the top editor of The New York Post and The Daily News; a foreign correspondent for The Post and The Saturday Evening Post; and a writer for New York Newsday, The Village Voice, Esquire and other publications. He wrote a score of books, mostly novels but also biographies, collections of short stories and essays, and screenplays, some adapted from his books.” – The New York Times
The Edinburgh Fringe And The Post-COVID Future
“With the fringe cancelled this summer, Edinburgh hopefuls are eyeing 2021 – but will it be back next year? And if so, what will it look like and what size will it be? Artists and fringe leaders tell Lyn Gardner about the value of the festival and how this could be a chance to remake it for the future.” – The Stage
Turning The Edinburgh Fringe Virtual
“For the first time in its 73-year history, the Edinburgh Fringe will not take place as an official live event in 2020. But this has not deterred companies and venues from developing creative online solutions. They speak to David Pollock about adapting to the pandemic, crowdfunding and the appetite for change in the sector.” – The Stage