“It’s an aversion to being sullied by something one views as degrading or foreign,” says philosopher Martha Nussbaum. “The things that inspire that idea are typically reminders of our animality and bodily nature.” And it’s ultimately what lies behind everything from resistance to women’s suffrage to Jim Crow laws to opposition to same-sex marriage.
Tag: 02.25.10
Study: Canadians Don’t Donate Much To The Arts
“A study by Hill Strategies Research found that of the Canadians who give, only 3.3 per cent give to the arts. The report is based on figures from 2007, when the recession had not yet hurt donation practices.”
London ICA Facing Big Cuts
“The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London is fighting for its survival following revelations that its operating deficit could soar to more than £1m, on a turnover of around £5m. The jobs of all staff, directors and trustees are on the line, with up to a third of posts at risk.”
Nancy Sweezy, Who Rescued Jugtown Pottery, Dies At 88
“Ms. Sweezy begged and borrowed $22,500 to buy the financially staggering Jugtown in 1968. … In 2006, the National Endowment for the Arts designated Ms. Sweezy ‘a national treasure,’ saying that her efforts had ‘helped inspire a revival of the traditional pottery community.'”
Humanities Funding On The Chopping Block In Virginia
“The Virginia Foundation for the Humanities stands to lose $290,000 in state funding in the next fiscal year and have all remaining support — more than $1 million — withdrawn in 2011, according to a proposed budget. The foundation runs more than 20 statewide programs on literature, history and culture, including the Virginia Festival of the Book.”
How They Made A Synthetic Voice For Roger Ebert
“To a certain extent, the methodology is fairly straightforward. You take a lot of audio from a speaker. You then cut that up into tiny little pieces. Each piece is a little sound. … In order to then produce a new sentence, you then take those sounds, you rearrange them, and you stick them back together again.”
US Rep. To NBC Exec: Why The Lily-White Programming?
“In a hearing held by the House Judiciary Committee on the proposed $30-billion marriage between cable giant Comcast and NBC Universal, [Rep. Maxine] Waters used her time to question [NBC Universal Chief Executive Jeff] Zucker about why the network has not done better in creating shows that would appeal to the black community.”
Digital Music Sales Rise, But Market Seems To Be Shrinking
“Last year saw a 21% drop in the number of people in the U.S. buying music — both digital and physical — compared with 2007, according to figures released Thursday by NPD Group, a market research firm.”
US Museum Visits Were Up In 2009 (But There’s A Catch)
“[B]igger crowds didn’t necessarily mean a financial windfall for museums. About half reported a decline in total revenue in 2009, according to the survey” by the American Association of Museums. “And 18% of museums described their financial condition as ‘very severe.'”
US National Medal Of Arts To Dylan, Eastwood, Stella, Maya Lin, MTT
The honorees include singer/songwriter Bob Dylan, actor/director Clint Eastwood, designer/artists Milton Glaser and Maya Lin, singer/dancer/actress Rita Moreno, soprano Jessye Norman, painter/sculptor Frank Stella, conductor/composers Michael Tilson Thomas and John Williams, and Charleston (SC) mayor/Spoleto Festival USA champion Joseph P. Riley Jr.