Ond of the complaints about electronic publishing is that it doesn’t have the “feel” of a book. Now, “in a paper published in the British science journal Nature, E Ink executives said they have successfully developed a prototype display just three-tenths of a millimeter thick, using stainless steel and a plastic covering, that can display words and pictures at up to 96 pixels per inch. Besides being lightweight, the display can be rolled into a half-inch-wide scroll without damage, E Ink said.”
Tag: 05.08.03
Can Economics Quantify The Quality Of Art?
A Universisty of Chicago economist contends that “techniques commonly used by economists, such as statistical analysis, can be employed to understand even a seemingly subjective world such as art. By studying the careers of more than 100 modern artists, David Galenson proved certain artists did their best work early in their careers – with ‘best’ determined by which works fetch highest prices at auction and are displayed by museums – while other artists did their best work later in their careers. Those who peaked early, Galenson claimed, were conceptual artists, driven by a singular vision. The late bloomers, by contrast, were experimental innovators who used a long period of trial and error to eventually create their masterpieces. What irked art historians was the prospect of dividing artists into neat categories, of treating their output like a commodity.”
NJ Official Fights For Arts Funding
New Jersey’s secretary of state is Regena Thomas, and she’s fighting for her department. “The secretary of state, appointed by Gov. James E. McGreevey, is in charge of promoting and preserving the arts, history and culture in New Jersey. But in the $23 billion state budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, the governor has proposed that her programs be largely abolished. The budget proposal calls for the $47 million allocated to her office to be cut by 87 percent. This will effectively shut down the State Council on the Arts, leaving New Jersey the only state without one, according to Ms. Thomas’s office. It will also mothball the Historical Commission and the New Jersey Cultural Trust, although, like the council, each would continue to exist in name.”
Troves Of Iraqi Art Located
Americans in Iraq have located much of the art thought to have been looted from Iraq’s National Museum. “The investigators located the vaults in Baghdad over the last week, including five within the museum complex, and forced them open, revealing hundreds of artifacts that had apparently been stored away to protect them from being damaged in an American assault. The finds included ancient jewelry, pottery and sarcophaguses, officials said. The discovery of so many valuable artifacts would support the view of Iraqi museum officials and American investigators who have said that while many irreplaceable antiquities were looted from the museum during the fall of Baghdad last month, the losses were less severe than thought.”
Florida Phil Prepares For Bankruptcy
The Florida Philharmonic prepares to go out of business. “The Philharmonic changed the locks on its rehearsal hall Wednesday and faxed a legal notice to the governor’s office and mayors of the municipalities where it performs, advising officials of its intention to file for bankruptcy. That notice stated that the Philharmonic “has developed plans to permanently shut down” and that “employment separations are expected to commence on or about May 9.”
Zeffirelli At 80 (Still Going Strong)
Director Franco Zeffirelli has been in the biz for 60 years. He’s got a new play opening in London’s West End. “His timetable is punishing, not least because he is 80 and in frail health after near-fatal complications following a hip operation a couple of years ago. He relies on a cane and any available spare arm. Stairs are hazardous…”
Why Orchestras Are Hurting…
New Jersey orchestras are struggling in the recession. So why do orchestras seem to do so poorly when times are bad? “Everybody knows this is a tough environment. This will be a hard year to even come close to a balanced budget. Every time there is a recession, by definition, orchestras do badly. We are labor intensive – 80 percent of what we do goes to product, and we plan years in advance. There’s not much flexibility.”
Walker To Lay Off Staff
Minneapolis’s Walker Art Center is laying off 5% of its staff in an effort to cut costs without jeopardizing a major expansion of the museum, which focuses on contemporary art. Among the casualties is the Walker’s director of New Media Initiatives, a groundbreaking curatorial position which had won the museum acclaim when it was created. A Walker spokesman said that the major reason for the layoffs was the dismal performance of the museum’s endowment, which has fallen from $200 million to $145 million in the last few years.
Louisville Mining Its American Legacy
The Louisville Orchestra was the first American orchestra to set up its own recording company. It recorded American – one of the most ambitious promotions of American composers ever. “By 1959, when the commissioning component of the Rockefeller grant came to an end, the Louisville Orchestra had commissioned, performed and recorded 116 works by 101 composers.” Now the orchestra is in financial difficulty, and its trove of historic recordings offers an opportunity…
Florida Phil Moves the Goalposts Again
The Florida Philharmonic said last month that it needed to raise $20 million immediately, or it would fold operations. When the absurdity of that goal became clear, the Phil revised the fundraising goal to $4 million by May 10. Now, employees at the Fort Lauderdale-based orchestra have been told that they will lose their jobs unless $500,000 is raised by the end of the week. The fundraising has not been going well, with many donors seemingly fed up with the orchestra’s constant financial crises.