In Zimbabwe, writing about the arts – like anywhere – is a fight for space in the newspaper. Last week, Zimbabwean arts writers formed their own association to try to win some respect. “What is so special with sports that it is accorded full desks within the newsrooms?” – Zimbabwe Mirror
Tag: 02.11.00
UNIVERSITY EDUCATION IN AUSTRALIA —
— is broken. The system defies all that rewards success and punishes failure. Here’s how to fix it. – The Age (Melbourne)
WOUNDED MASTERS
In November three 17th Century Dutch Master paintings stolen from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco on Christmas Eve 1978 were recovered in New York. Now San Francisco’s de Young Museum is showing the paintings in unrestored condition. They dramatically illustrate the effects of neglect on old master paintings. “We know from their condition only that they’ve been kept in very adverse circumstances, probably someplace very damp,” said Lynn Federle Orr, curator of European paintings at the Fine Arts Museums. – San Francisco Chronicle
IN HONG KONG
Open space gets more protection than monuments and historical buildings in this land-strapped territory. – The Art Newspaper
HAVEN’T HEARD MUCH —
— from Azerbaijani or Ukraine artists. Now the curtain is finally pulling back. Not surprisingly, there’s nothing that really qualifies as a unified art scene here. – London Evening Standard
CONDUCTOR QUITS OSLO
Mariss Jansons quit as music director of the Oslo Philharmonic last week to protest poor working conditions, particularly bad acoustics in the city’s concert hall. – Newsday
Gerard Schwarz –
– named to direct Royal Liverpool. – Seattle Post-Intelligencer
UNDER A SPELL
“If music is truly distinct from speech, then it ought to have a distinct processing mechanism in the brain—one that keeps it separate from the interpretation of other sounds, including language. The evidence suggests that such a separate mechanism does, indeed, exist.” What exactly is the biology behind our reaction to music? – The Economist
THE GOLDEN AGE OF HYPERTEXT
Ten years ago Robert Coover helped usher in the artistic and technological revolution of hypertext. Now the world wide web has brought us something new. “For those who’ve only recently lost their footing and fallen into the flood of hypertext, literary or otherwise, it may be dismaying to learn that they are arriving after the golden age is already over, but that’s in the nature of golden ages: not even there until so seen by succeeding generations.” – Feed 02/11/00
IT’S A CHARLIE BROWN TV
As “Peanuts” finishes up its comic-strip run this weekend, a fan remembers the making of the first “Peanuts” TV special. “A Charlie Brown Christmas” was a struggle to get to TV, and was at first considered a failure by its creators. – Los Angeles Times 02/11/00