Why make a list annointing the “best” writers in a country? Granta editor Ian Jack thinks “it’s useful for readers to have a list that cuts through the marketing hype that declares every new book to be a masterpiece and tells book buyers that these writers are genuinely worth reading.” The Granta lists, of course, have been widely debated…
Tag: 05.06.03
British Museum Curator: Location Of Iraq Art Known
American and Iraqi officials probably know where most of the art from Iraq’s National Museum is, says a top curator from the British Museum. “In a news conference at the museum and a subsequent interview, John Curtis said he believed that American authorities now knew the locations of the artifact repositories but that as a precaution against further looting were not disclosing them. In Iraq yesterday, American and Iraqi officials appeared to support this assessment, saying they still did not know precisely what was missing from the National Museum, because they had not yet had access to sites where art objects may have been hidden, or to rooms inside the building that were among the looters’ targets. But Mr. Curtis said the officials ‘certainly know’ where the hiding places are.”
Ashcroft: Iraq Museum Looting By Criminals
US Attorney General John Ashcroft told an Interpol meeting that “organized crime was involved in the looting of Iraq’s national museum and the United States will fully back international efforts to retrieve the stolen artifacts. The comments came at a conference of art experts and law enforcement officials aimed at creating a database listing items looted in the aftermath of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.”
PEN Awards
This year’s PEN literary Awards are announced. Among the winners are playwrights John Guare and Craig Lucas and essayist William Gass.
Making Sense Of Iraq Museum Looting
The story of looting of Iraq’s National Museum is confusing. “Questions abound. What exactly was stolen? How significant was it? Can it be recovered? The story seems to change every day. Experts do agree on one thing: The losses at museums, libraries and other places were catastrophic even if smaller than first feared.”
Are Recording Studios Obsolete?
“In just a few years, the commercial recording studio has become an endangered species. Between a troubled record industry and new technology that makes studios and their expensive equipment all but obsolete, only a handful are still able to stay in business. With the extraordinary capabilities of the digital recording system called Pro Tools and the rapidly dropping cost of hard disk storage and blank CDs, musicians can set up their own recording studios for a fraction of what it used to cost to make albums at commercial facilities. The days are over for a pure music recording studio.”
Adelaide Festival Begs For Money
The financially-strapped Adelaise Festival has thrown itself on the mercy of the state government asking “for debts of about $1.2 million to be forgiven, and seeking additional cash, which it would match with corporate investment or other festival sponsorship. The total budget is likely to be close to $5 million, short of the $8 million spent by Peter Sellars last year. Without it, [the festival says] it will be impossible to provide the level of programming needed to shore up the festival’s reputation – tarnished by community dismay at Sellars’s determinedly radical event.”
Smithsonian Beefs Up Security
“For decades, the Smithsonian Institution museums had quick and easy access for visitors. But after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, security concerns increased for all of Washington’s attractions. The National Air and Space Museum served as the Smithsonian’s test site for visitor inspections, adopting hand searches of pocketbooks and backpacks and, eventually, installing metal detectors and X-ray machines. The addition of walk-through metal detectors at the National Museum of Natural History and the National Museum of American History was completed in the past two weeks. The two museums do not have X-ray machines, but may add them at some point. Bags are searched only if the metal detectors indicate a problem.”
Where Operas Come To Be Born
New York City Opera’s annual opera workshop is the place new operas come to to be seen – a kind of coming-out party. “Portions of 10 new American operas be presented, including one by Lou Harrison, who died in February. This year’s other composers range from the young and unknown (Patrick Soluri, 28) to the decorated (the Pulitzer Prize winner Bernard Rands). All events are free and open to the public, offering a rare opportunity to catch a glimpse of the country’s operatic future. From a performer’s perspective there is nothing else quite like it in the country. Opera scouts and industry insiders have been present in past years, and there are stories of works being picked up at the Vox and slated for full production.”
Cost Of MoMA Construction Going Up
“The cost of the Museum of Modern Art’s new complex is going up. “Since the museum broke ground in May 2001 the expansion has grown significantly in both scope and expense. To date there have been $31 million worth of changes to the original plans, along with unbudgeted expenses totaling $21 million. That brings the total cost to $858 million from the original figure of $806 million. And with 18 months to go before the Modern is to open its doors once again on West 53rd Street in Manhattan, museum officials still need to raise more than $200 million to pay for the project.”