It’s been 20 years since Robert Redford took over the Sundance Film Festical. Since then, the festival has “morphed from the “granola Sundance” of the 1980s into the “cell-phone Sundance” of the 1990s and now, as the shoestring cinéastes of the early days, true anti-studio aesthetes like Jim Jarmusch, Victor Nuñez and Allison Anders, were shoved aside by Hollywood heavies looking for the Next Big Thing among talented newcomers.”
Tag: 01.16.04
Theatre – A Tale Of Two Cities
“The Sydney Theatre Company’s second theatre, an 850-seat building at Walsh Bay, opened last weekend with the additional gift of $2.5 million to create a full-time ensemble of actors.” That’s doing it right. So what about Melbourne?
Local NPR Member Stations Still Need Help
Yes, National Public Radio just got a gift of $200 million. But “the truth is that the Kroc gift will have no effect on the financial needs or the fundraising efforts of NPR’s 750 member stations. Instead of receiving financial support from NPR, these stations have to pay for NPR programming.” And the gift might even have a negative impact as donors assume public radio is now awash in cash.
American Indian Museum To Open
The National Museum of the American Indian will open on the National Mall in Washington DC in nine months. The Smithsonian’s newest outpost will have “an unmatched collection of artifacts and displays designed to set the record straight on the history and contributions of native peoples. That will culminate a 20-year push to establish a museum on the Mall that would enshrine 10,000 years of Native American life and culture as a central chapter of history.”
Fringe Books For Edinburgh
A writers’ group in Edinburgh has announced plans for a fringe festival for books next summer. “They would aim to piggy-back on the growing success of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, with its 550 authors and £7 tickets. They would offer slots to writers or poets, published or unpublished, and keep ticket prices low or non-existent.”
Tax Breaks For UK Art Donors?
Britain’s museums are struggling financially since they dropped admission charges last year. So ho can the government help? One idea is to “introduce tax breaks for individuals and companies who donate to national and regional museums, which could cost the Treasury £30m a year in lost tax revenue.”
The Meaning Of Cage
As a major festival of the music of John Cage begins, musical luminaries talk about Cage’s influence on music. “I do believe the future, let’s say 25 to 50 years from now, will place Cage as the most important composer of the 20th century. This is not sticking my neck out.”
Death Of The CD Single?
Experts predict that within three years CD singles will no longer be made. “With broadband becoming far more common, it is easier to simply download a track than go out and buy it, the industry argues.”
A Poetically Difficult Year
It’s been a rocky year for Poetry magazine after the magazine learned it was bequeathed $100 million. “Poetry’s first order of business was to form a foundation to satisfy IRS regulations. But later developments seemed not just to suggest growing pains but to hint at the old adage that money ruins everything. Joseph Parisi, who had edited Poetry for 20 years, was named executive director of publications and programs of the new Poetry Foundation in May 2003, but by summer’s end, he had resigned. Then the foundation filed a lawsuit against a bank in Indiana for mismanagement of two of its trusts…”
Waiting For A Facelift
The Walker Art Center is arguably the dominant institution in Minnesota’s arts scene, which is quite an accomplishment for a relatively small, quirky modern art museum housed in a decidedly dated modernist building. There are more glamorous museums in the Twin Cities, but Minnesotans love the Walker, with its claustrophobic stairwells, leaking skylights, and bare, unadorned concrete decor. On Valentine’s Day, the Walker will close for a year-long renovation and addition which will forever change its distinctive look and cramped feel. The renovation is a good thing, says Mary Abbe, but she’ll miss the old Walker.