“Most Seattle companies contribute a lot of money–a lot of money–to the Seattle arts scene. It’s considered being a good neighbor. It’s not mandatory, but it is, at the very least, polite.” But giant internet retailer Amazon.com, born and based in Seattle, is MIA when it comes to donating to the arts.
Tag: 04.29.08
Cautiously Auctionable
“Financial turmoil may be present everywhere else, but so far there is no evidence of a disintegrating art market. Even so, the auction houses don’t seem to be taking any chances. This season’s sales are significantly smaller than the stem-winders of 2007. Sotheby’s has 10% fewer lots and Christie’s has 24% fewer lots in the main event evening sales.”
Beseiged British Council Arts Boss Steps Down
British Council director of arts Venu Dhupa, whose proposed shake-up of the organisation’s creative departments was met with protests from UK artists, has quit after less than a year in the post.
Hollywood Box Office Down So Far This Year
“Year to date, only one movie, Fox’s “Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!” has topped the $100 million mark. Although total domestic grosses for 2008 are running just 2% behind last year, that’s thanks to the Christmas releases; the spring slate actually lagged 18% behind last year’s numbers. Meanwhile, the specter of recession is bearing down on the United States, gas prices are rising and consumers are feeling the pinch.”
Publishers Fight Oregon Censorship Law
Publishers are challenging “a new Oregon law that criminalizes the dissemination of sexually explicit material to anyone under age 13, or the dissemination to anyone under age 18 of any material with the intent to sexually arouse the recipient or the provider. The new statute makes no provision for judging the material as a whole, nor for considering its serious literary, artistic or scientific value.”
Feel The Tap Tap Tap Of That Laptop
“Laptop performances have been around since the ’80s, when they became de rigueur in trend-setting clubs from L.A. to Berlin. But laptop orchestras are quite new. Wang co-founded the first one in 2005, at Princeton University, where he was a doctoral student in computer science. Stanford’s laptop orchestra was founded by Wang just last year.”
The LA Bookstore Scam
Scammers are hitting Los Angeles area bookstores claiming to be authors in need of cash. The stories are pretty convincing…
New York Gallery to Open Outpost In Beijing
New York’s PaceWildenstein will open Pace Beijing, a 22,000-square-foot space in a former munitions factory. “The site is in the heart of the city’s gallery neighborhood, the Factory 798 District. The $20 million project is scheduled to open on Aug. 8, in time for the Summer Olympics.”
How Did Libraries Lose Their Allure?
“Everyone loves the idea of the libraries: they are the ‘envy of the world’. The many endowed by Andrew Carnegie at the turn of the century have frequently been cited as the inspirational and practical source of both culture and education for many, and especially those who describe themselves as self-made. But despite their often grand appearance, somewhere along the line they lost their allure.”
The Top 100 Movies Of All Time (A Different Kind Of List?)
“Having read endless Top 100 film lists, we felt short-changed. Sure, they’re definitive in their way, but they don’t have many surprises. This one aims to be all-encompassing, certainly, and authoritative. But it is also intended to cause debate and maybe consternation.”