“In 1915, a group of black Civil War veterans began pushing for a memorial and museum dedicated to black service members. A little over a decade later, President Calvin Coolidge approved the construction of a building to serve as a ‘tribute to the Negro’s contributions to the achievements of America,’ according to the Smithsonian Institution. Thanks to the Great Depression, that building never came to fruition.”
Category: AUDIENCE
Thanks To ‘Jane The Virgin,’ TV Is Suddenly Soooooo Interested In Latina And Latino Storylines
“For years, executives at Spanish-language television networks complained that ad spending was not keeping pace with the fast rise of the Hispanic audience. But marketers have started opening their wallets to reach those viewers, and the broader English-language networks are eager for a cut of the cash.”
Houston Symphony Adds Four String Players Primarily For Bilingual Outreach
“The four new musicians will concentrate on community engagement and music education in area schools, neighborhood centers and health-care facilities. They also will perform about 25 concerts a year with the symphony.”
When Will U.S. Museum Directors Reflect America’s Demographics?
“The impending influx of new blood at the top offers museums an opportunity to rethink the job and question many of the assumptions that underlie traditional museum operations: the emphasis on splendid buildings, the primacy of curatorial authority and the balance between rich donors, for whom museums are often personal vanity projects, and the public, who see museums as shared common goods.”
One Way To Get People Interested In Your Museum: Create Game Of Thrones Recaps From The Art
“Getty Media producer Sarah Waldorf and manuscripts curator Bryan Keene have been rolling out recaps of Season Five on the museum’s Tumblr, telling each week’s narrative through items and imagery from its collection of medieval art. The result is a brilliantly fun tour of art and a unique analysis of the real historical inspirations for scenes and settings of the show.”
Spoiled For Choice: 15 Different European Opera Houses Start Streaming Productions … For Free
“The operas — from 15 presenters including the Vienna State Opera, the Royal Opera House in London and the Aix-en-Provence Festival — will be streamed live on the website of the Opera Platform, at www.theoperaplatform.eu. The site said that subtitles in six languages would be available, and each opera would remain available on demand for six months.”
Who Will Miss Dave Letterman Most?
Americana musicians: “‘Dave was celebrating Americana artists before we knew what we were called,’ says Emmylou Harris, one of the scene’s matriarchs, who first performed on Mr. Letterman’s program in 1989.”
Cable TV Execs Don’t Really Know What To Do With This Streaming Thing That’s Eating Their Lunch
“‘We didn’t have to sell the value of television for a long time,’ said one top sales executive for a large cable network group who was not authorized to speak publicly. ‘Now you’re seeing the industry on the defensive because clients are enamored with toys under the Christmas tree.'”
When Audience Members *Really* Want To Give Feedback
“Many audience members didn’t take a class in how to give constructive criticism. Add to that the complete lack of self-awareness, a tendency towards jaw jacking, and an almost manic need to engage, and you have a disaster in action.”
Producers Turn To Indiegogo To Finance Completion Of Orson Welles’s Last Film
“Add a few more twists to the decades-long quest to release The Other Side of the Wind, the unfinished final film of Orson Welles.” Says Peter Bogdanovich, one of the film’s stars, “I think it would amuse Orson to have the fans able to contribute to the completion of the film. As you know, he didn’t like Hollywood very much.”