“A University of Iowa Museum of Art employee is suing the school over what she says is an attempt to stifle an art exhibit supported by a federal grant. She claims the museum director canceled her exhibit in retaliation for filing a university grievance against him. She said university officials retaliated by withholding matching money previously promised for the exhibit.” – Des Moines Register
Tag: 04.18.00
BUY AUSTRALIAN
Peter Sellars has been hired to run the 2002 Adelaide Festival. But instead of bringing the best international artists to town (as Australian festivals are famous for doing) he’s taking the homegrown route. We need to build the country’s “cultural infrastructure,” he declares. “It is time that poets and musicians, filmmakers and architects and chefs were around the table together. If we are asking the society itself to get better at reconciliation, shouldn’t we artists – the most notoriously bickering and biting group on Earth – make some attempt to clean our own little house?” – Sydney Morning Herald
THE PLAY’S THE THING?
Seeing how schools have largely abdicated responsibility for arts education, and worried about growing audiences for the future, Broadway producers have stepped up their education and outreach efforts. “But for all the good will and good publicity that education programs may generate, do such tactics really work? Does one Broadway show make a future theatergoer?” – New York Times
HIGH MOCKABILITY FACTOR
The San Francisco Art Institute is in the business of pushing the edges, of encouraging its students to think unconventionally – “It’s high concept, but you bring it down to a raw level.” Sometimes, as in a recent controversial student project that featured sex on stage, the concept gets a bit out of hand. Can this stuff really be taught? Should it be? – Chronicle of Higher Education
WAR GAMES
Long blamed for encouraging misspent youth and mind-numbing violence, now Sony’s hugely popular PlayStation 2 is being accused of inflicting far more damage: the potential to be used to build weapons of war. Japan decided to restrict all exports of the videogame console because it “contains a graphics processing facility quick enough to help guide certain types of missile, such as the Tomahawk, towards their target. – The Age (Melbourne)
THE BILLIONAIRE MUSICIAN
Paul Allen is worth about $46 billion, they say. But what he really likes to do is play guitar. So he started a band. And that band has released its first recording. “It just started off as a bunch of guys getting together to jam and took off from there. “Paul has a very nice little studio, we had enough material, so we decided, let’s make an album.” – BBC
THINKING BIG, BUT…
The proposed new $450 million Frank Gehry Guggenheim Museum for Lower Manhattan is staggering in its ambitions. It would “transform” the city’s cultural life (if that’s truly possible in New York). But will it ever get built. There are plenty of doubters. – Los Angeles Times
GANTLETS, GAUNTLETS…WHATEVER – FORE!
Vancouver’s art community is furious about the resignation of the Vancouver Art Gallery director and elevation of a board member as temporary director. The man appointed to the job says he’d rather be out playing golf. But: “We have really tough business decisions we have to address,” he says. “They haven’t got time to say we’ll put it all on hold.” So the board decided: “Let somebody handle the business side. Let’s go ask old Joe.” – The Globe and Mail (Canada)
YES IT’S DRAMATIC, BUT…
Critics call the design for Beijing’s new opera house “extravagant” and culturally insensitive, like a “medieval castle,” or a “glass submarine” which could become a “tomb like the Titanic.” Nonetheless, the French architect who conceived the project predicts his design will get official approval in a few weeks. – China Times