Author: ArtsJournal2

Fanny Waterman, Who Presided Over The Leeds Piano Competition For Decades, 100

She was the driving co-founder of the competition, which succeeded beyond her wildest dreams. “The idea of presenting an international music competition in 1960s Leeds, a gritty industrial city in northern England, seemed risky. But Ms. Waterman, a Leeds native who learned perseverance from her poor Russian immigrant father, believed in the vitality of her hometown and was certain she could draw support for the venture.” – The New York Times

By The Pronouns, Who Designs And Directs In Major Regional Theatres?

Well … yes, it’s mostly he/him types. But also, 2020 was a real career killer. “Most designers, just like most artists in the field, have no work right now. They are hanging on by their fingertips. They have been forgotten or ignored by most of the theatres that called themselves ‘artistic homes’ for the artists. Many theatre designers I know are considering leaving the theatre—not just until it comes back, but forever—or have already left for good.” – HowlRound

Staggering Economic And Career Cultural Losses Thanks To The Pandemic

Take star violinist Jennifer Koh as an example: “nine months into a contagion that has halted most public gatherings and decimated the performing arts, Ms. Koh, who watched a year’s worth of bookings evaporate, is playing music from her living room and receiving food stamps.” More than fifty percent of actors and dancers, and more than one fourth of musicians, are entirely out of work. And then there’s the broader category of arts and culture creatives. What will happen? – The New York Times

Barry Lopez, Award Winning And Influential Environmental Writer, 75

Lopez wrote Arctic Dreams (for which he won the National Book Award) and many other works that deeply synthesized reporting and essay form and science writing. He had recently lost land, housing, and archives to one of Oregon’s dreadful Labor Day fires. “Lopez was still being lauded in his final days, with an induction into the American Academy of Arts and Letters and with the literary organization Sun Valley Writers’ Conference announcing this week that it had awarded him its inaugural Writer in the World Prize, which recognizes and honors a writer whose work expresses a ‘rare combination of literary talent and moral imagination, helping us to better understand the world and our place in it.'” – Oregonian

Pixar Finally Has A Black Director For A Film

The legendarily white dude company also finally has a Black writer for a Pixar film: The same person as the director, playwright Kemp Powers, for the movie Soul, out on Christmas Day (on Disney Plus, of course). Powers was hired to help make the main character work. But he’s not exactly proud of his “first” status: “It’s an embarrassing mantle. … Why did it take so damned long?” – Washington Post

How Are Dancers Doing?

Life for dancers is not great right now, not great at all. A 25-year-old ballerina: “It’s absolutely heartbreaking. Dealing with the changes emotionally has been the hardest part for me. You have to stay motivated without any promise of anything coming up. It takes a lot of mental strength. It’s very isolating.”- San Diego Union-Tribune