Tag: 03.12.07

Fort Worth Reconsiders Slimmed-Down Symphonies

The Fort Worth Symphony thought that it was being innovative when it announced a plan to make some of its 2007-08 concerts more accessible (and shorter) by shaving movements out of larger symphonies. Then the complaints started rolling in, and the orchestra had to make a quick course correction. But the effort to create a less formal and rigid concert experience without offending longtime fans is one faced by orchestras across the country.

Is London The Cultural Capital Of The World?

“London is bursting with world-class symphony orchestras, and one of the best ballet companies in the world. If Tate Modern cannot compete with the endless ranks of Matisses and Rothkos in MoMA, it beats it on inclusiveness and vibrancy – plus entrance is free, rather than an eye-watering $20. The British Museum houses an extraordinarily humane and encyclopedic vision of the world in one building – and is also free for anyone to enter. London’s experimental theatre scene is second to none; and it contains an outstanding concentration of brilliant young artists and composers. One hardly need mention the primacy of British pop music.”

The Deaccessioning Fundraising Game

A number of institutions have recently tried to sell (or – politely – deaccession) art treasures to raise money. But “institutional selling, or deaccessioning, can generate controversy and raise hosts of questions about cultural identity and how nonprofit institutions safeguard and manage their holdings, according to museum professionals, concerned citizens and public officials.”

Philly Mayoral Candidate Proposes Big Arts Fund Boost

“Revising and expanding Percent for Art, Brady’s plan suggests, would create a $45 million annual ‘dedicated funding stream’ for arts and cultural groups in the city. That amount – together with $15 million to $20 million produced by the city’s annual budget appropriations to the arts and private contributions – would be close to the $60 million cited by a Rand Corp. report Friday as the amount Philadelphia needs to spend on the arts and culture annually to be competitive with other major cities.”

The New Leisure Class (Not Who You Think)

“In 1965, leisure was pretty much equally distributed across classes. People of the same age, sex, and family size tended to have about the same amount of leisure, regardless of their socioeconomic status. But since then, two things have happened. First, leisure (like income) has increased dramatically across the board. Second, though everyone’s a winner, the biggest winners are at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder.”

The Politics Of Not Enough Women

Women artist are under-represented in the gallery world. “What is striking about critical writing on the topic to date, however, is the lack of curiosity about why this is. It’s depicted as a freakish anomaly, with very little curiosity voiced as to the material basis for sexism in the visual arts, or the mechanisms by which it functions. Connected to this is the fact that the problem is addressed as a matter of internal politics, as if the art world were literally a world floating off in space separate from Earth.”

Italian Protests Over Leonardo Loan

Protesters gathered outside the Uffizi in Florence to protest the loan of an early Leonardo work “The Annunciation” — a 15th century work depicting the angel Gabriel and the Virgin Mary — for an exhibition at Tokyo’s National Museum.The Italian art world, politicians and the public have debated the loan for weeks, with some high-profile critics, including filmmaker Franco Zeffirelli, condemning the culture ministry’s decision.”