The Curtis Institute of Music has raised the needed $65 million for a new 10-story building housing dorms, an orchestra rehearsal room, studios and practice rooms. “It is among the last pieces of civic ambition spearheaded by [the school’s board chairman] in collaboration with the Pew Charitable Trusts and Leonore Annenberg, the philanthropist who died in March.”
Tag: 04.07.09
Public Garden Duckling Stolen, Possibly For Scrap Metal
“Pack, the second-to-last of Mrs. Mallard’s storied eight ducklings in the cherished ‘Make Way for Ducklings’ sculpture in the Public Garden, was stolen sometime between Sunday night and yesterday morning, cut off at the base of its bronze webbed feet. City officials consider the theft no prank, and have threatened to bring criminal charges of larceny of public art against anyone who stole the prized duckling.”
Porn Film, Freedom Of Speech Experts Share Double Bill
“More than 100 students cheered swashbuckling and sex-crazed pirates in a pornographic film that screened at the University of Maryland on Monday night – a film that, at various points in the past week, state lawmakers and the university tried to suppress. University administrators, who canceled a planned showing of Pirates II: Stagnetti’s Revenge last week…, reversed their position Monday and allowed the screening as long as it included an educational component.”
Go Ahead, Judge The Book By Its Author Photo
“You’ve heard the quote: Don’t judge a book by its cover. But what does the author’s photograph say about the book?” And how important is the photo to marketing the book? Very.
For Survival, Sometimes Pride Is Neither Deadly Nor Sinful
“The fine art of keeping up appearances may seem shallow and deceitful, the very embodiment of denial. But many psychologists beg to differ. To the extent that it sustains good habits and reflects personal pride, they say, this kind of play-acting can be an extremely effective social strategy, especially in uncertain times.”
Uh-oh, Hipsters: You’re Not Driving The Cultural Buzz
New “research, presented in late March at the annual meeting of the Association of American Geographers, locates hot spots based on the frequency and draw of cultural happenings: film and television screenings, concerts, fashion shows, gallery and theater openings.” The study, “The Geography of Buzz,” aimed “to be able to quantify and understand, visually and spatially, how this creative cultural scene really worked.”
An Iraq War Battle Is Remade As A Video Game
To create the video game “Six Days in Fallujah,” developers “tapped dozens of soldiers who were involved in the real-life 2004 battle for the Iraqi city to add realism to their action game, which the company plans to release next year. … As the capabilities of videogame hardware have burgeoned, the bar for realism in games has been raised. But Atomic Games wants its new release to be more than a game. The company sees it as a new kind of documentary.”
At Smithsonian, Some Of The Numbers Look Good
“With its endowment down nearly 30 percent since late 2007, with several of its departments planning 10 percent budget cuts and with 27 positions eliminated at its business unit in 2009, the Smithsonian Institution still sees some silver linings in the stormy economic skies.” Among them: “Visitor attendance is up compared with the first three months of last year, with 5.3 million people passing through its museums thus far in 2009.”
New Smithsonian Museum Should Embrace Bold Design
“The choice of design for the Smithsonian’s new National Museum of African American History and Culture may well be the highest-profile architectural decision that will be made in Washington for years to come.” The six competing designs offer a choice: “to go forward and break with the punishing conventions that have stymied our architectural creativity, or to build yet another blandly institutional building, a fading echo of something that was never very good to begin with.” One design stands out.
What’s Townshend’s Guitar Doing In V&A Theatre Galleries?
“Want a glimpse of Kylie Minogue’s minidress or Mick Jagger’s jumpsuit? How about a close-up of Pete Townshend’s smashed guitar? The Victoria & Albert Museum’s new Theatre & Performance Galleries are the place for you. They just might not be the best place for them.”