“The Smithsonian Institution reached into its own history yesterday and selected Lonnie G. Bunch, a former Smithsonian curator, to be the founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Bunch, 52, is president of the Chicago Historical Society, where in the past four years he has led the museum through a reorganization and capital campaign.”
Tag: 03.16.05
Who’s Screaming, Exactly?
“Edvard Munch’s masterpiece The Scream has become a world icon of human anxiety, appearing on everything from T-shirts to blow-up dolls and causing endless debate among art experts. But what exactly is the surreal figure doing in the painting, with hands pressed to its head and open mouth: Screaming, or hearing a scream?” Munch himself described the moment that inspired the painting as a “scream from nature,” and the figure in the painting appears to be covering his ears, as if to block out a scream, but most people believe that the figure is the one doing the screaming.
The Dark Side of Dr. Seuss
You know of the sneeches and grinches and cats in the hat. But his long, long career was much wider than that. For the good Dr. Seuss may have been quite a wag, but he had a grown-up side that could make you gag. There’s bare breasts and butts, propaganda galore, in the little-known films you can’t buy in the store.
2004 A Banner Year For Family Flicks
For the first time in two decades, “family-friendly” movies grossed more at the box office in 2004 than R-rated films. Whether this is an indication that Americans are moving away from more violent and sexually explicit content is up for debate, though, since 2004 happened to be an unusually strong year for animated films, not to mention that Harry Potter kid…
The Holocaust In Human Terms
Israel’s new Holocaust Museum takes a decidedly personal approach to one of the 20th century’s great human tragedies. “Rather than relying on dry histories and photographs, the new museum uses more modern techniques of film and recreation of reality through artifacts, concentrating on the stories of individuals caught up in the horror of a previously unimaginable world.”
The Elusive Mind Of Sartre
Jean-Paul Sartre would have turned 100 this year, and the anniversary is sparking renewed debate – both in France and the U.S. – concerning the philosopher’s body of work, and whether or not he can still be considered relevant in a world which has passed by many of the ideas he embraced. “There is no underestimating Sartre’s influence over French intellectual and political life for three decades after World War II. Indeed, many who grew up in his shadow, as supporters or opponents, are now among the politicians, intellectuals and journalists who shape public opinion here. And in that sense, traces of Sartrism still flow through the country’s veins… What Sartrism actually means, though, is hard to pin down.”
Whitney May Face An Uphill Battle For Expansion
“Members of [New York’s] Landmarks Preservation Commission suggested at a public hearing yesterday that the Whitney Museum of American Art had so far failed to persuade them of the need to demolish two Madison Avenue brownstones to make way for a museum expansion designed by the architect Renzo Piano.” The commission wants the Whitney to go back to the drawing board and come up with a plan that doesn’t require any demolition; the architect is apoplectic.
Being Right Isn’t As Good As Being Popular
Riccardo Muti, who walked out on the La Scala orchestra this week, saying that he could not work with the current management team any longer, may be right that the world’s most famous opera house is being run into the ground by arrogant men. But being right may not be enough to win this battle. “If there’s one thing that doesn’t bode well for Muti, it’s that perception is defying facts. Whether or not Muti knows what’s good for La Scala, a vocal sector of the public doesn’t want to believe him… [T]he issue behind this gulf between perception and fact is that Muti’s brand of operatic integrity is good for the art, but probably not what a large public wants. “
Ultimatum In Salt Lake
A former board Utah Symphony & Opera board chair has pulled his annual donation and canceled a major bequest to the struggling organization, offering to reinstate the pledges only if embattled CEO Anne Ewers and music director Keith Lockhart are ousted. The already-tense situation at US&O is growing more volatile by the day, with “supporters [wanting] to know why news of US&O’s falling attendance, negative cash flow and declining annual donations since the merger was not made public. They want accountability from the volunteer board that governs US&O.”
Funding Guarantee For Welsh Chamber Orchestra Pulled
The Welsh Chamber Orchestra is accusing the Arts Council for Wales of reneging on a pledge to extend the ensemble’s support funding through 2006. Instead of the WCO receiving its £52,500 with no questions asked, the group will now have to compete with six other ensembles for the money, potentially putting its 2005-06 season in jeopardy. For its part, the government says that no guarantees were ever given about the ’05 funding, even though the Culture Minister called a press conference last year to announce that the WCO funding would continue through 2006.