“Culture often takes the role of religion in our contemporary world. Galleries are modern-day temples, regularly attended by the people on their day of rest. … It is less art that needs the Church, but the Church, in its waning popularity, that needs art. It should embrace the opportunities offered to it by culture.”
Tag: 04.02.10
Bill T. Jones Co. To Merge With Dance Theater Workshop
“The two groups will combine their boards and staff into one entity with a new name and mission, though the final details are still being worked out.” DTW’s executive director “said the groups have been working on the merger since October, and that she expects the two boards to sign the final legal documents by the end of May.”
“Wicked” Cracks Down On Pirates (But Should It?)
“The award-winning musical about the Wizard of Oz’s witches announced this week that any fan caught recording West End hit, Wicked, will be banned from all future performances. The fact that this was announced through social media – Facebook and Twitter – serves as a bittersweet irony. Only last week, executive producer Michael McCabe admitted that much of the show’s success was due to the instant word-of-mouth allowed by the internet, Facebook in particular.”
What It Costs To Be On A Board
“Looking to join the power set at the Metropolitan Museum of Art? Be ready with a check for as much as $10 million. The price of admission can reach that high at the Museum of Modern Art, and remains roughly $5 million at the New York Public Library, according to people involved in the process.”
Can Leonard Slatkin Survive Met Opera Reviews?
“The episode is a major embarrassment for Slatkin, who still has something to prove to the wider classical music world after his tenure at the National Symphony Orchestra ended less than triumphantly. You can’t belly flop on a much grander stage than the Met. But some perspective: The real shame would be if this incident diverts attention from the transformative leadership Slatkin has brought to the Detroit Symphony in his young tenure.”
Marquis Names – Broadway’s Named Theatres
“It’s not that Mr. Sondheim doesn’t deserve to have a theater named after him. If he doesn’t, nobody does. But it’s also worth noting that only 24 of the 40 theaters on Broadway are named for individuals. Who are these rare birds, and exactly what did they do to merit so uncommon a tribute?”
Chinese Collectors Dominating Current Art Market
“Roughly two thirds of the 611 lots that came on the block in a mammoth two-day sale went to Chinese dealers and collectors. They bought across the board, in every category, at every financial level.”
Museum Catalogues Online
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art has launched the Reading Room, an online program that features full-length digital presentations of exhibition catalogues. The first 10 featured on the site are of out-of-print catalogues that were published between 1963 (Six More, by Lawrence Alloway) and 1981 (The Museum as Site: Sixteen Projects, by Stephanie Barron).
Why “At The Movies” Was Canceled?
“Doing television, especially nerd television — two nerds, talking about film culture high and low — means working in a suspended Willy Loman state of feeling “kind of temporary” about yourself (Arthur Miller’s indelible phrase) and your future. The contract says 13 weeks at a time. The marketing chief promises “a soft launch” in terms of promotion, with the implication that “soft” will be the operative word with the promotional follow-through.”
Chicago Theatre To Close
The Lakeshore Theater, most recently a busy comedy venue on Chicago’s North Side, is to abruptly close, effective April 10, the venue’s co-owner Chris Ritter says.