It was not very long ago that the enormity of the 9/11 tragedy united New York City in ways that surprised even the idealists. But hard-bitten observers of the development scene predicted from the beginning that hope, crystallized in architects’ renderings of soaring towers and austere landscapes of grief, would need to be tempered by ‘reality.’ They’ve gotten their way. At Ground Zero, design is distrusted and shunted aside at every turn in favor of the same enervating commercial product that can be erected and rented for a fraction of the cost elsewhere.” But maybe Barcelona offers a better way?
Tag: 04.13.06
The Smithsonian’s Greek Revival Revival
“The original Patent Office in Washington, D.C., considered one of the America’s best examples of Greek revival architecture, is nearing the end of a $300 million renovation. When the building reopens on July 1, the two Smithsonian museums it houses – the National Portrait Gallery and the American Art Museum – will be newly accessible to the public.”
Is Nothing Sacred? Cell Phones In Libraries?
People are using their cell phones everywhere. But libraries? That’s intolerable, writes Scott McLemee. “Being forced to listen to one side of a manifestly inane conversation is now a routine part of public life. It is tolerable on the street — but not, somehow, in a library; and in one mostly full of academic tomes maybe least of all. What’s worse, the rot is spreading.”
Doonan: Do Artists Have A Special Place Over Us?
Simon Doonan is under attack for allegedly stealing an artist’s ideas for the store windows Doonan designs. “Underlying the whole debacle is the horribly flawed idea that artists are somehow at the apex of our society. According to this ridiculous thinking, artists are somehow innately superior to us window dressers, or to coffee-shop waitresses and strip-club fluffers. Being an artist is not just a job or vocation, but something holy and infinitely worthy. In this topsy-turvy retarded world, the option to place a monopoly on a found object would automatically fall to an artist over a window dresser.”
Vanity Fair’s Recreative Cover
This month’s Vanity Fair “green” cover has a pedigree. “A spokeswoman for the magazine acknowledged Wednesday that the cover photo of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Al Gore, shot by Annie Leibovitz, was “inspired” by “Ballet Society,” a 1948 portrait by Irving Penn of George Balanchine and three collaborators. Although there’s no mention anywhere in the magazine of the connection, the composition of the two photos is virtually identical, down to the leafy garland on Roberts’ head.”
Abridged Beethoven? I Don’t Think So!
“Speed kills. That used to refer to the dangers of driving too fast, and sometimes to the drug. Now it more ominously refers to the unhealthy pace at which we live our lives, coerced by rampaging technology into cramming as much as possible into our waking hours. This isn’t good for an individual’s well-being. But even if you’re indifferent to everyone’s need for a little wa, the bean counter in you should appreciate this: It’s also counterproductive.”
An Artist Too Big For A Retrospective?
Retrospectives are the traditional and accepted means for taking a comprehensive career look at a major artist. But what happens if an artist’s output proves too big to be contained by a retrospective? Eric Gibson argues that sculptor David Smith is one such artist…
Salonen’s Speculation
Esa-Pekka Salonen has risen through the conducting ranks to become one of the world’s most desired podium commodities. So why is he talking as if he’d like to scale back the stick-waving and concentrate full-time on his composing? (Here’s a hint: wildcat strikes at the Opera de Paris have been known to make lots of folks contemplate a career change…)
Want Young Faces At Your Concerts? Try Making Them Fun (And Good)
To hear some classical music administrators tell it, you’d think that getting young people to a performance was a task worthy of Hercules and Sisyphus combined. But Washington National Opera doesn’t seem to be having any trouble. “The company’s sold-out performance of Gaetano Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore showed that it is about more than low-price tickets, though that certainly helps. It is about creating a social atmosphere and making sure the quality of the artistry is there.”
What Would A $1 Admission Charge Cost The Smithsonian?
Some in Congress have proposed that the Smithsonian raise funds by instituting a $1 admission charge for its historically free museums. The plan could raise $25 million a year, but that’s assuming that everyone who walked through the door last year would still have done so if it cost a buck. “All around there are all kinds of people who have deigned to come in: girls with Britney parts and translucent skin that fairly match the French portrait they just walked by, and old ladies with blue hair and jogging suits, and professorial-looking men with striped shirts and tan suit jackets. And quiet waterfalls and young women with red leather jackets and fading red hair. And teens in flip-flops and spaghetti straps.” Would they be here if it wasn’t free?