“It’s a place where activities converge that involve exhibitions, that involve objects, that involve performance, that involve spoken voice, that involve teaching and an increased education and delectation on behalf of the public. The Museum of Contemporary Art, I think, is perfectly positioned to be an exemplary model for a contemporary museum in the 21st Century.”
Tag: 04.27.08
Accordion In The Halls Of Beethoven (Really)
Lidia Kaminska, 30, “is on a mission to rehabilitate the reputation of her maligned instrument, to make audiences listen again for accordion as a vehicle for the kind of expressive and technical possibilities usually considered the elite preserve of violin, cello or piano.”
Caro Sculpture Gift Rejected By London
A sculpture by Sir Anthony Caro, intended as a gift to the nation for permanent public display, has been rejected by council officials and could now be sold abroad for £2.5m.
The Man Who Made The Cleveland Orchestra Sound
“Yes, Franz Welser-Most is the Cleveland’s current music director, but in many ways, the corporate tonal refinement and tightly disciplined ensemble are the legacy of the 78-year-old intellectual maestro [Christoph von Dohnanyi] who led the orchestra for almost two decades.”
Ohio Cuts State Arts Budget
The Ohio Arts Council’s 2008-09 biennium budget has been cut by 10 percent as part of Gov. Ted Strickland’s effort to address a projected shortfall in the state budget.
Syria Returns 700 Looted Artifacts To Iraq
“Iraq’s National Museum on Sunday recovered 701 artifacts stolen in the wake of Saddam Hussein’s ouster, raising hopes of restoring the nation’s rich cultural heritage after five years of war.”
Denver’s Arvada Center Struggles To Stay Viable
“Attendance at the Arvada Center plummeted to 54,870 in 2006-07, a decline of 30 percent in just two years. While revenue has remained mostly flat (thanks to a thriving children’s theater division), subscribers have fallen to 5,298 in the current season, down from 8,536 in 2003-04, a drop of 38 percent. And in that time, the operating budget has ballooned by 18 percent, to $3.2 million a year.”
Arbiter Of Literary Greatness
“As a founding editor of n+1, the literary magazine whose vocal fan base belies its twice-yearly 7,500-copy print run, Keith Gessen and his colleagues have assailed other publications they believe have squandered their eminence (The New Republic) or never merited it (McSweeney’s and anything else associated with the writer Dave Eggers). And the idea of literary fame is central to “All the Sad Young Literary Men.”
Toronto Fights To Regain “Hollywood North” Title
“While the industry made a slight recovery in 2004, the rise of the Canadian dollar – now hovering around par with the U.S. dollar – combined with a wave of intense competition from U.S. states and countries around the world has since left Toronto’s struggling film/TV industry humbled but determined to regain its former status.”
The iTunes Juggernaut Rolls On
“Since its debut five years ago Monday, Apple’s iTunes Store has sold more than 4 billion songs and accounts for approximately 70 percent of digital music sold worldwide. In the next five years, it may well account for a staggering 28 percent of all music sold worldwide.”