The art world we return to—if there is one to return to at all—will be formed in this moment. This is the time to build our own institutions. Our shelter-in-place orders and the masses of workers, including art workers, who were fired when the economy came to an abrupt stop constitute a general strike, leaving us only to declare it. For the art world this could be a massive moment of reorientation. – Artnet
Tag: 04.30.20
How The COVID Crisis Is Changing Classical Music Performance (No, It’s Not About Zoom)
Musicians and their audiences may be physically separated these days, but they’re closer emotionally, writes David Patrick Stearns. “The old sense of ‘us’ and ‘them’ — each side with its respective definition of excellence — is now more of a collective ‘us.’ We’re part of the same extended family, because artists are delivering something less filtered, and audiences are listening past questionable sound quality, faulty computer connections, and superficial biases. Listeners are likely to embrace, with fewer or no conditions, whatever the artists have to give us each day. The rewards can be huge.” – WQXR (New York City)
Now Is The Perfect Time To Memorize A Poem
It’s no great mystery why. Poetry is sticky. Prose slips. Barbed and spurred, poems catch in your chest; they get stuck in your head like songs. Still, to admit to liking poetry is faintly embarrassing. – The Cut
Sue Davies, 87, Founder Of The First Public Photography Gallery In London
Davies was also a fierce advocate for the art form at the Photographers’ Gallery, intended to be democratic in its shows and its audiences. “School parties were encouraged, as were discussion groups, which extended to monthly meetings of the Unemployed Photographers’ Club, formed following layoffs at Times Newspapers in 1991. Sue had rejected her first choice of name – The Photography Gallery – for a reason: she wanted to create a space where photographers felt at home, surrounded by photographs.” – The Guardian (UK)
An Arts Donor On Life, And Giving, During The Shutdown
In Oregon, arts organizations know Ronni Lacroute, and she knows what they need – usually. Right now, says the philanthropist, things are just a bit different: “The way I donate hasn’t really changed. It’s more flexible. It’s like, ‘Okay, here’s an annual donation. Now, if this, then spend it on this. If that, then spend it on that.’ And generally, it’s people first. … It’s more about people than about venues.” – Oregon ArtsWatch
The New Frugality?
04.30.20
For decades American culture has promoted the ethos of disposable things. We are encouraged to be acquisitive – getting things for the sake of getting them. Suddenly under lockdown, is a new zeitgeist taking hold? Reuse. Make last. Seek permanence. – Vox
We Still Haven’t Made The Case That Artists Are Essential Workers
Why is it in the UK we are afraid of expressing big thinking, challenging the government to a discussion about the indispensability of the arts and making the case that its practitioners are absolutely Essential Workers for our spiritual and intellectual wellbeing? – Arts Professional
Even In This Crisis, Museums Selling Their Art Is A Dangerously Slippery Slope
Yes, the COVID lockdown has deprived most museums of nearly all their income, which is why the Association of Art Museum Directors has given qualified approval for members to “use the proceeds from deaccessioned works of art … to support the direct care” of a museum’s collections as a whole. Sebastian Smee points out the problems (and there are several) that this might create. – The Washington Post
The White House Has Created A Medal Commemorating Trump’s “Heroes” Of The Virus War (Cue Parodies)
The coin shows an artist’s rendering of the coronavirus overlaid on a world map, and reads (with characteristically Trumpian capitalization), “World vs Virus: We Fought the Unseen Enemy. Everyday HEROES Suited Up. Everyday CITIZENS Did Their Part.” The other side features the presidential podium, where Trump until recently delivered his controversial daily press briefings. – Artnet
Furloughed Met Opera Musicians Worry About Making It Through The Pandemic Shutdown
“The performers … feel abandoned by the Met. … The sense of drift has been compounded by what musicians call a lack of communication and leadership from the Met’s management. Music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin has sent the group hopeful video messages, but updates from [general manager Peter] Gelb and the house’s human resources department have been practically nonexistent.” – Van