“When teachers were hired for their inborn ability to “nurture” schoolchildren, many derided or disregarded their intellectual capacities. Now we’ve created a system that is so firmly tied to scholastic achievement—as narrowly defined by standardized tests—that no serious scholar would want to teach in it.”
Folks Do Not Like Pantone’s New Color Of The Year
Marsala. Pantone describes it as “a naturally robust and earthy wine red color”. The Cut describes it as “a color that makes you want to go to Olive Garden or order Tampax in bulk” – and the online commentariat has lots of equally unappetizing assessments.
So, A ‘Punk Rock Water Ballet’ – What *Is*That?
“The landscape evokes danger with the possibility of death yet still upholds elegance and class.”
Polish Intellectuals Are None Too Pleased With The Threat Of Russia
“It is the fear that Europe is not reacting forcefully enough to the crisis in Ukraine, the fear that Putin will advance not only to the Donets River, but soon also to the banks of the Vistula. And it is the fear of Putin himself, who just a few days ago made reference to the ‘centuries old common history’ that connects Poles and Russians.”
Nope, Humans Do Not Come Equipped With A ‘Language Instinct’
“While language acquisition might be uncannily quick, there isn’t much that’s automatic about it: it arises from a painstaking process of trial and error.”
Inside Frank Gehry’s Design For The Massive, Expensive New Guggenheim Abu Dhabi
“Even when construction was frozen in Abu Dhabi, curators in New York were forging ahead. Instead of calling the museum global, which they say connotes money rather than art, they describe it as transnational.”
Michael Hofmann’s Grim Assessment Of Contemporary Poetry
“Discouraging, isn’t it? It’s just a fact that there are never very many poets around at any given time. I think poetry is always one or two poets away from extinction anyway. “
Growth Industry: Boston College Has Big Plans For Its Museum
“Boston College plans to relocate its McMullen Museum of Art, doubling its exhibition space by moving into a Renaissance Revival mansion that for decades served as the home of Boston’s cardinals, the college said Thursday.”
Study: Does Artists’ Creativity Go Up During Times Of War?
“It is possible that war impacts (an artist’s) emotional state in a non-linear way. and some wars may result in a psychological blockade of the creative process.”
The Ticket Prices You’re Paying Are Changing (Sometimes Daily)
“It’s game changing. There’s a lot of publicity given to what happens on Broadway, the fact that they can charge hundreds and hundreds of dollars for a ticket, but for theaters like ours, the ability to adjust prices both upward and downward means that you can stimulate demand when you’re doing a new play or a play that maybe didn’t get good reviews but people still have an interest in.”
What This Year’s Oscar Competition Says About The Current Documentary Business
“Long a quietly aggressive race, the documentary competition has been growing more rambunctious as nonfiction film has evaporated from theaters.”
Minnesota Orchestra’s News It “Only” Lost $650K This Year Is Greeted With Relief
Revenue in the year ending Aug. 31 reached $20.8 million and expenses totaled just under $21.5 million. Smith said the budget for the current fiscal year is about $29 million, compared with several years in the recent past when expenses reached as high as $32.4 million (in 2009). The decrease in musicians’ compensation accounts for $1.7 million, he said.
Toronto Symphony Reverses Reverses And Finishes Its Year With A Surplus
“The deficit era is over,” new CEO Jeff Melanson said in an interview before the TSO’s annual general meeting where it was announced the orchestra posted a modest surplus of $222,349 on revenues of nearly $24 million. It’s a considerable improvement over last year’s deficit of $1.2 million and $800,000 the year before.
Why Theatre Should Take Risks
“Failure is an inevitable part of risk-taking, and you discover things along the way. But of course, failure and success and risk-taking all mean different things in different places and different contexts, too.”
Report: The State Of How We Pay For The Arts
“The average organization brought in nearly $8 in contributed support for every dollar spent on fundraising. Fundraising expenses generated a similar level of total contributions over the years regardless of annual shifts in the mix of organizations.”
Movie Stars Talk About Acting On Broadway
“As much as Broadway now relies on Hollywood actors to bring in the crowds, so A-listers increasingly view stints onstage as integral to a rich career. Here, seven award-winning actors” – Bradley Cooper, Glenn Close, Jake Gyllenhaal, Patricia Clarkson, Martha Plimpton, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Alessandro Nivola – “on their new roles.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 12.04.14
Rush Post: Financial Health Of the Arts Industry
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts Published 2014-12-04
Another hot book
AJBlog: Sandow Published 2014-12-04
Brubeck A La Russe
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2014-12-05
Words I’ve Waited to Read My Whole Life
AJBlog: PostClassic Published 2014-12-04
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Wheat People vs. Rice People: Why Are Some Cultures More Individualistic Than Others?
A group of sociologists argue that the difference between the analytic, independent-minded societies in Europe and the Americas and the more interdependent, self-effacing societies of Asia has its roots in the way they cultivate their staple crops.
Is Getting An Oscar Really Worth All The Expense And Trouble It Takes?
“How does all the money that goes into these campaigns – estimates run at more than $100 million for the season – measure against the revenue they supposedly generate?” The Times‘s new Carpetbagger blogger “put the question to studio heads, directors, actors and producers, some of whom agreed to chat on the record, others off (several confiding that awards season was something they dreaded and loathed).”
Maybe It Wasn’t North Korea That Hacked Sony
As one cyber-security expert puts it, “State-sponsored attackers don’t create cool names for themselves like Guardians of Peace and promote their activity to the public.”
Even Microsoft Is Giving Up On Barnes And Noble’s Nook
“Barnes & Noble said on Thursday that it had reached a deal with Microsoft to buy back its stake in the Nook division, which the bookseller is planning to split off into a separate, publicly traded company at some point before August.”
U.S. TV’s Great Sitcom Recession, And Four Ways To Pull Out Of It
“Even as TV transforms itself in real time, broadcasters have still managed to find a way to restock their shelves with new drama hits … By contrast, the last time the networks launched an enduring, game-changing comedy smash was way back in 2009” – Modern Family. Only two sitcoms are among this fall’s 20 most-watched series. “This paucity of half-hour hits has left networks insiders ‘confused’ and reeling.”
Here’s What’s Wrong With How We Teach Students Today (It’s A Values Issue)
“The primary responsibility of teachers is no longer to encourage good behavior in future citizens, as Horace Mann insisted. Instead, it’s to ensure that they get the right answers on a high-stakes test.”