- 50 Arts Events Not To Miss In 2003 What 50 arts/cultural events should you simply not miss in 2003? London's Observer does the rundown... The Observer (UK) 01/05/03
- All ****ed Up And On The Cover This week, London's Guardian newspaper asked five artists to produce cover art for the paper's features section. To illustrate a story on the nastiness of reality TV, Turner Prize winner Gillian Wearing produced a graffiti-like three words which would be considered rude in most newspapers. Here's the cover... The Guardian (UK) 01/07/03
- Dutoit Speaks - Of Martha And Montreal On a visit to guest-conduct the Minnesota Orchestra, Charles Dutoit speaks for the first time about his tumultuous departure from the Montreal Symphony, and about his ex-wife, pianist Martha Argerich. "Basically, Martha doesn't play in America, except when I ask her to. Otherwise, she wouldn't play at all. I think there are only three pianists on this level," he said, also citing Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli and Vladimir Horowitz. The Star-Tribune (Minneapolis) 01/05/03
- Explaining The Younger Generation The young-20s attitude is something of a puzzle to older people. "This generation created a new definition of 'smart.' Intelligence lies in one’s ability to spin pop-culture references in order to show how others have fallen prey to the media and are stupid. This cynical, reactionary response serves as a basis for 'intelligent' humor and entertainment. This construct validated our apathy because we felt smarter than the system and, thus, unmotivated to be a part of it. As media stories became more and more ridiculous and commercialism became more and more oppressive, this construct seemed to work. But, now, we are at war..." And we're paralyzed. The Simon 01/03
- Studying The Arts To Death In the 80s and 90s, culture advocates have authored more and more studies to measure the "impact" of the arts on society. What does the money buy? How many does it employ? What kinds of social "goods" are being achieved? "There is now a mass of primary data claiming to measure the impact of cultural policy." But "the rise of statistics has paralleled an extension of government control over the arts, and the tendency to value culture for its 'impact' rather than its intrinsic value." Surely this can't be good for the service of art... Spiked-Culture 01/06/03
