“The BBC needs more than simply defending in its current state, as if any criticism will render it only more helpless in the face of a hostile government. If the BBC is to survive the mid-term review of the Royal Charter in 2022, let alone charter renewal in 2027, it will have to face up to its faults and make some radical changes without giving ground to some of the more specious claims of its opponents.” – London Review of Books
Tag: 01.23.20
The Conductor Of Countless Harry Potter Symphony Match-Ups Explains Why He Does It
This is a hot time for symphonies showing Harry Potter movies while performing, live, John Williams’ scores. But, well, why? John Jesensky, who works for CineConcerts and has conducted many orchestras performing movie scores as the movie plays above their heads, explains. “I see so many young faces out in the audience experiencing the orchestra and live classical music for the first time. If there is one thing I hope I accomplish in all of our performances, it is to inspire a youngster to pick up an instrument, or for an adult to decide they would love to come back and visit the orchestra again.” – The Madison Capital Times (Wisconsin)
Research: How New York City’s Arts Work Force Diversity Compares To The Rest Of The City
“Based on responses from our survey, a high share (66%) of cultural workers identify as White (non-Hispanic), compared to just 32% of New York City’s population. In contrast, Hispanics, Blacks/African Americans, and Asians are underrepresented – 10% of cultural workers identify as Black/African American, compared to 22% of the city’s population; 11% identify as Hispanic, compared to 29% of city residents; and 6% identify as Asian, compared to 14% of city residents.” SMU Data Arts
The Virtue Of Being Able To Say Hard Things In Print… Have We Lost It?
Writers are individuals whose job is to find language that can cross the unfathomable gap separating us from one another. They don’t write as anyone beyond themselves. But today, writers have every incentive to do their work as easily identifiable, fully paid-up members of a community. Belonging is numerically codified by social media, with its likes, retweets, friends, and followers. Writers learn to avoid expressing thoughts or associating with undesirables that might be controversial with the group and hurt their numbers. In the most successful cases, the cultivation of followers becomes an end in itself and takes the place of actual writing. – The Atlantic
Thomas Campbell’s Challenges At San Francisco’s Fine Arts Museums
It is not clear how Campbell will rebrand the museums, but he casts the de Young as a strong American arts institution and the Legion as a “treasure chest like the Frick, Kimbell or Neue Galerie, where we have an opportunity to double down on connoisseurship and scholarship of the European tradition with a nice vein of contemporary engagement spritzing things up”. – The Art Newspaper
Oregon Bach Festival Announces Three Finalists To Lead It
The festival has been in turmoil for the past few years after letting its artistic and executive directors. Finalists are conductors Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Craig Hella Johnson and Julian Wachner. – Eugene Register-Guard
Top Galleries Blast Art Basel In Letter Over Hong Kong Fair
The letter, addressed to Art Basel global director Marc Spiegler and Adeline Ooi, its director Asia, did not mince words when airing complaints about the state of the fair amid the Hong Kong protests, which have been going on for months. It claims that “many people who normally attend the fair have indicated that they will not attend this year” and that “many of our artists are unwilling to have their work shown at the fair” because participation in a territory under threat of increased Chinese control is not “consistent with their core belief in the freedom of expression.” – Artnet
Smart Caption Glasses, A New Way To Make Theatre Accessible To Hearing-Impaired Audiences
“Worn by audience members during a performance, the glasses project dialogue directly onto the lens, allowing the wearer to follow the action without having to glance toward the sides of the stage, where caption screens are usually placed.” – American Theatre
Could The Dirt-Poor Alabama Hamlet Famous For Its Quilts Become An Art Destination Like Marfa?
“The thinking goes: If Marfa, the pint-size Texas town located a three-hour’s drive from the nearest airport, can become a site for pilgrims seeking to commune with Donald Judd’s Minimalist art, why can’t Gee’s Bend become a magnet for art historians, craft enthusiasts, and American history buffs who want to know more about the source of the world’s most acclaimed quilts?” – artnet
How A Pair Of English Policemen Helped Jump-Start The Movement To Repatriate The Benin Bronzes
In 2004, Steve Dunstone and Timothy Awoyemi, on a Police Expedition Society goodwill trip, were on a boat on the Niger River being greeted by the people of a southern Nigerian town. As the event was ending and the boat was about to leave, one man from the crowd reached out and passed Dunstone a note. It said, “Please help return the Benin Bronzes.” – The New York Times