“The emirate is now promoting itself as a hub for contemporary art, seven hours from London and from China. But while there is political will to establish an art market, there are no art museums in Dubai and no art schools either. Selling to the Emiratis turned out to be difficult although there was a smattering of ministerial purchases. Some of the exhibitors, who had come from as far afield as Tokyo, Korea, China and the US, returned home almost empty-handed.”
Tag: 03.29.07
New Miami PAC Already Facing Cash Crunch
Miami’s Carnival Center for the Performing Arts has been open for less than a year, and yet, the $473 million center, “borrowing from its future to combat cost overruns and lackluster attendance, will run out of money by mid-May and needs a $4 million cash infusion to get through the budget year.”
Jefferson U To Sell More Eakins?
The Philadelphia area school just got through one controversy over selling Eakins. “The collection’s artistic capital took a big hit with the $68 million sale of The Gross Clinic, and [president Robert] Barchi says that the school intends to deaccession two other pieces in the multimillion-dollar collection: Its remaining Eakins works, Portrait of Benjamin H. Rand and Portrait of William S. Forbes.”
Free WiFi For SF! (But There Are Protests)
The mayor of San Francisco has a plan to give residents free Wi-Fi internet service. Google and Earthlink are building the system. The system “would force players such as Comcast and SBC to swiftly mark down their prices to the $20 range. A pricing and features war would ensue. The resulting universal broadband would in turn create opportunities for new Internet business models, perhaps spawning a 1990s-like job boom. However, for every good new thing in San Francisco, there is an army of protesters angry that it’s not the perfect thing.”
How Your Brain Separates Paying Attention From Not
“New research shows it takes one part of the brain to start concentrating and another to be distracted. This discovery could help scientists develop better treatments for attention deficit disorder. This ability to willfully focus your attention is physically separate in the brain from distracting things grabbing your attention.”
How Do You Preserve Digital Art?
As more and more art goes digital questions arise about how to preserve art that exists in 1’s ad 0’s…
Pacific NW Ballet Looks In Its Own Backyard
Pacific Northwest Ballet’s new director Peter Boal has made a commitment to the local dance community. “The idea for PNB to present the work of eminent choreographers with a Northwest connection may not have been original to Boal, but he expanded it exponentially to what is now a huge, comprehensive festival in scope and intention. As shown by the extraordinarily inclusive nature of the festival, Boal and his company have embraced the diversity and richness of dance in the Northwest. That is without precedence.”
Can Edinburgh International Compete With The Fringe?
“Because it starts so early and is so voluminous, the Fringe now equals Edinburgh. But the idea that the International Festival is a luxurious add-on for a few high-culture freaks seems set to change. Jonathan Mills, the Festival’s new Australian director, yesterday announced a programme that is bold, radical and closely integrated.”
Why National Gallery Director Is Leaving
The director of the National Gallery, Charles Saumarez Smith quits to run the Royal Academy. “Saumarez Smith is reported to have clashed bitterly with the chairman of the National Gallery, Peter Scott, recently over the future policy of the gallery: the odds had been on Mr Scott leaving rather than Mr Saumarez Smith.”
The Ultimate Music Video Librarian?
“YouTube’s vast user base has turned it into an encyclopedic electronic library of music videos, ranging from glossy MTV fare to grainy live clips shot with a cellphone camera. And now, the music-blogging site MOG is stepping into the role of YouTube’s librarian.”