When director Philippe Vergne sacked chief curator Helen Molesworth last week, he reportedly told a board member that Molesworth had been “undermining the museum”. “One avenue that has gone largely unexamined thus far in the conjecture over Molesworth’s alleged ‘undermining’ are statements that she herself made in public during her time at MOCA. In general, she has been critical of museums and institutions – but, particularly in the past year, she aimed considerable criticism directly at MOCA itself.” So Sarah Douglas does some examining.
Tag: 03.21.18
Comedian Howie Mandel Buys World’s Largest Comedy Festival
“Montreal’s Just For Laughs Group has been acquired by a group of investors led by ICM Partners and Howie Mandel. The acquisition covers the annual comedy festival held in July in Montreal and its offshoot events in Toronto, Vancouver and Sydney. The deal is said to be valued in the mid eight-figure range.”
Frank Avruch, Who Played Bozo The Clown, Dead At 89
“Avruch played Bozo the Clown [on the eponymous children’s television show] from 1959 to 1970, a clown character particularly popular in the U.S. in the 1960s because of widespread franchising in television. Avruch became the first nationally-syndicated Bozo.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 03.21.18
Getting Picasso Right: You Think It’s Easy?
In London a few weeks back, I was fortunate to be there on the day of the press preview for Picasso 1932: Love, Fame, Tragedy at the Tate Modern. You might think. at first, that doing a Picasso show is easy, … read more
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts Published 2018-03-21
Why Did the Attorney General Cave in Berkshire Museum Case? My Q&A with the Rockwells’ Lawyer
Those, like me, who were caught off-guard by the astonishing deal (now awaiting court validation) cut last month by the Berkshire Museum and Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey feel justifiably blindsided by the AG’s about-face. … read more
AJBlog: CultureGrrl Published 2018-03-21
Maija Kauhanen sings about Child Brides
As you might have noticed from my last posting, this past year’s WOMEX had some pretty powerful women performing. Among them was most certainly Finland’s Maija Kauhanen, whose day case was exceptionally compelling. … read more
AJBlog: OtherWorldly Published 2018-03-21
Will Democracy Die When Newspapers Shutter?
Social media platforms make the sharing of information ubiquitous and nonstop, but where will that information come from in the first place when all the reporters have been let go? What will happen when the newspaper model — what the government-commissioned report published by Public Policy Forum called “the model of journalistic ‘boots on the ground’ backed up by a second platoon in the office upholding such hallowed standards as verification and balance” — no longer generates that content at all?
The Weinstein Company Gets Bankruptcy Protection. Here’s What That Means
Receiving bankruptcy protection means that secured creditors will get paid before any women suing the Weinstein Co. (Bob Weinstein is listed as an unsecured creditor, per Variety.) Civil lawsuits already filed by Harvey Weinstein’s accusers against the company will be halted, and they can’t bring new legal claims. But there could be other legal recourse for such accusers.
London’s West End Theatres Threatened By Noise Complaints With New Construction
Industry leaders and MPs are now calling for more robust measures to protect theatres from the threat of residents in new nearby developments complaining about noise. They fear this could lead to restrictions on the venues that would severely damage their ability to operate.
Ojai Music Festival Appoints New Artistic Director
“Chad Smith, the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s chief operating officer, … will take over in Ojai for Thomas W. Morris, who is retiring in 2019 after 16 years in the position. Smith will continue to serve in his post at the L.A. Phil while beginning work with Ojai’s 2020 music director, Matthias Pintscher.”
Warning: Books Are Disappearing From Our Libraries!
“As libraries create access to a digital future, the books that have traditionally inhabited them are being displaced at an alarming rate. This leaves many asking: Does acceptance of digital resources mean that the books must go? And what is at stake when artists, art historians, students, and the public can no longer engage in the act of browsing the stacks as part of the process of creating and researching art?”
Beirut’s Male Belly Dancer
“Alexandre Paulikevitch is one of the few male baladi dancers in the Middle East. He learned how to dance from watching Egypt’s black and white movies and now performs as a soloist, challenging his audiences to think differently about baladi – not only as a post-colonial dance that’s distant from ‘belly-dancing’ or ‘danse orientale’ but as a dance that men and women alike can perform. … We went to his class in Beirut to find out what he’s doing to revolutionise this Eastern dance.” (video)”