Relationships and Public Policy
by Karen Gahl-Mills
I had an interesting conversation with a smart colleague today, on the topic of the role of cultural organizations in civic affairs. We were talking about the current, polarized state of public discourse and what role, if any, arts organizations should play by bringing residents together to celebrate differences and share views. He asked something simple yet profound – “Yeah, but what if I just want to run my ballet company and dance? Can’t I just do that?” … read more
AJBlog: Engaging Matters Published 2016-04-26
Lookback: on being out of touch with pop culture
From 2006: I took a look yesterday at a list of the twelve top-grossing movies in North America. I’d heard of four of them: I read the novel on which Thank You for Smoking is … read more
AJBlog: About Last Night Published 2016-04-26
[ssba_hide]
Tag: 04.26.16
The Kennedy Center Wants To Be Inclusive. But what Exactly Does That Mean?
The Kennedy Center is mightily trying to remove its blinkers and open itself up to wider cultural influences — with, for instance, its new hip-hop arm. But it still defaults to a concept of “art” and “culture” that may not denote inclusivity to a lot of people.
Germany’s Cult Of Trombone (They’re Everywhere)
“While membership in Germany’s Protestant (Lutheran) church is rapidly declining – last year a record 200,000 members left the church – its trombone choirs are thriving. Today, Germany has 110,000 amateur brass players belonging to 6,000 trombone choirs.”
Pennsylvania Ballet Replaces More Than A Third Of Its Dancers
“Of 43 dancers, 12 were let go and five are leaving on their own. Others, dancers say, are thinking of leaving. … Dancers say six others were paid to leave last year” – the first under artistic director Ángel Corella.