In a national survey by Americans for the Arts, 91% of responding arts organizations have cancelled one or more events. Many arts organizations have closed their doors for months to come. More than one-third of respondents expect to make reductions in staff; 26% have already reduced their creative workforce. The $3.2 billion figure losses so far includes actual revenue losses to date from admissions (ticket sales, subscriptions, memberships), non-admissions income (gift shop sales, sponsorships, contributed income), and unexpected expenditures (new cleaning and disinfecting protocols, adoption of new technologies, cancellation fees). – Americans for the Arts
Tag: 03.18.20
Rare Copy Of Newton’s “Principia Mathematica” Found In Corsica
Newton published his findings on the laws of motion in the 1687 book Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy. Now, by sheer accident, a rare first-edition copy of this groundbreaking book was found in a library on the French island of Corsica. (Fun fact before we continue: Newton made his discovery while “socially distancing” himself during the Great Plague of London in 1665. He was a 20-something Trinity College student at the time.) – Hyperallergic
LA Times Listings Editor Watches Schedule Fall Apart
The listings I had spent the previous several days carefully crafting and curating had mostly crumbled before my eyes. – Los Angeles Times
You Might Not Be Born With Talent, But You Can Learn Creativity
It’s tempting to ask if we can learn to be more creative. Creativity does have some genetic heritability: talent – mathematical, musical – runs in families. For example, the Dutch identical twins David Oyens and Pieter Oyens were both successful 19th-century painters. But, given that the human brain is plastic, constantly learning and changing, can we also learn to be creative, based on our experiences? – Aeon
What Coronavirus Content Is Showing Us About Ourselves (It Ain’t Pretty)
“The pandemic has clarified the dark bargain of our internet-connected devices: We look to them to protect our bodies and soothe our nerves, and in return, we hand over our minds.” – The New York Times
EU Asks Netflix To Stop HD Streaming As Internet Use Soars
With so many countries on forced lockdowns to fight the spread of the virus, hundreds of millions working from home and even more children out of school, EU officials are concerned about the huge strain on internet bandwidth. – CNN
Lynn Nottage And Annie Baker Say Theaters Have Asked Them To Give Back Advances
“In a sign that American theaters are desperately worried about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, playwrights are reporting that they have been asked to return payments for productions that have been canceled or postponed.” – The New York Times
Atlanta Is A Majority-Black City. Why Is There So Little Black Theater?
“Though Atlanta’s … bustling professional theaters staged 187 productions last year, only 22 were by playwrights of color.” Jesse Green went there to talk to black actors and directors, and to the directors of two big and largely white theaters, “to see whether a city that has long been a magnet for the black middle class is dealing any better with these matters than New York does — which is to say, not very well.” – The New York Times
Met Museum Expects To Be Closed Until July And To Lose $100 Million
The projections were included in a letter senior management sent to department heads on Wednesday. The museum has a three-phase plan that includes likely job losses, cutting operating costs, and reduced programming for at least a year. – The New York Times
Glyndebourne Cancels (Only) Half Of Its Summer Opera Season
“The Glyndebourne Festival has announced that … instead of opening on May 21, 2020, it will instead open on July 14, 2020. As such, any performances scheduled prior to July 14 will be canceled. The company noted that it will send out a revised schedule in coming days.” – OperaWire