We can easily get addicted to harsh reviews. “The appeal of negativity to the reader, that mysterious quality which makes the pan and the broadside irresistible, should alone warn the cautious critic of indulging in bouts of vitriol too freely, or too frequently. Harsh criticism has an intoxicating effect on writer and reader alike: both ought to be wary of its influence. Like any drug, censure has its benefits, its attractions and its resounding pleasures. But it is also dangerous.”
Tag: 01.18.18
So You Can’t Make It To Sundance? Streaming Can Make You Feel Better
Where did Dee Rees, Ava DuVernay, Karyn Kusama and other directors get their big festival breaks? Sundance, of course.
Museums Are Having An Admissions-Price Crisis
Perhaps for all visits to cultural institutions by those of us who want to see those institutions thrive and carry on into the future, it’s time to reconsider—not just the math, but the underlying reasons why we believe museums matter, for all of us, regardless of our ability to pay for admission.
Smithsonian Struggles With Design For Space Around Its Building
“The project involves restoration of the Castle and the Hirshhorn, the addition of an underground visitor center with amenities including restrooms and food service, and upgraded and centralized mechanical systems. The Haupt Garden, which is the roof of the subterranean Quadrangle building, would be replaced and the building’s entrance pavilions would be moved closer to the Mall.”
Tate Britain Plans A Rehang Of Its Entire Collection
Alex Farquharson, the director of Tate Britain, is planning a complete rehang of the gallery, five years after the last major transformation of the displays in 2013. In an interview with The Art Newspaper, he outlines a new vision for the collection based on three “pillars”: art and society, history and the present, and Britain and the world.
Can’t Take A Joke? Violinist Sues Over Satire
“Over the last few days, the classical music media has become aware of a small but telling scandal. A Berlin-based concert curator, dramaturg, and VAN contributor named Arno Lücker published a shred on his blog. The video, part of a mashup genre in which new audio tracks are added to videos so that musicians appear to be playing embarrassingly badly, features the violinist Daniel Hope, accompanied by the pianist and composer Ludovico Einaudi. Hope now wants to haul Lücker into court.”
Norman Lebrecht: Classical Music’s Secrecy Abets Abuse
“Classical music conducts its business behind a screen of secrets, lies and euphemisms. A maestro is never absent without leave, only ‘indisposed’. No maestro ever gets fired. He becomes Emeritus. Truth gets buried beneath a dungheap of flummery. The real reason for the recent departure of at least one classical performer in this country will not be publicly explained, even though it is well known backstage. The code of silence in classical music is as tight as Sicilian omertà. Speak out, and you’re dead meat.”
Social Media “Influencers”? Luxury Hotel Says Bug Off
“Following the backlash received after asking an unidentified blogger to pay for a hotel room, I have taken the decision to ban all bloggers from our hotel and cafe,” he wrote.
Want To Get Better At Understanding Art? Read Less, Look More
“Most of the final-year art history students I spoke to recently at one of the UK’s leading universities had heard about the Salvator Mundi, or at least its price. But when I put an image of a well-known Titian on the screen, only one of them (of around 40) could identify the artist. I asked what they had all been doing for the past few years; “reading” came the unenthusiastic answer.”
Study: Students Are More Attentive After Learning Outdoors
A carefully designed 10-week study found outdoor lessons “boost subsequent classroom engagement, and boost it a great deal,” writes a research team led by Ming Kuo of the University of Illinois—Urbana-Champaign. “After a lesson in nature, teachers were able to teach for almost twice as long without having to interrupt instruction to redirect students’ attention.”