After many members of SAG-AFTRA and other Hollywood unions were locked out of a bill that was supposed to help freelance and self-employed artists, the unions are calling for changes. “Musicians in particular have been affected. Those who work on location or perform on tour earn freelance income in multiple states, some of which does not come with a 1099, the entertainment organizations said in their letter.” – Los Angeles Times
Tag: 05.08.20
How Do You Solve A Problem Like Marabar?
Actually, Marabar, the million-pound granite sculpture, isn’t the problem: The National Geographic Society’s plan for expansion is the problem. Artist Elyn Zimmerman isn’t happy with the plan. “In 2017, when she was first told about the proposal, she said she did not take it seriously at first because so much work had gone into preparing the site for its installation. The plaza infrastructure below the pool and boulders was engineered to support Marabar, she said, and district officials had to reinforce sewer lines before trucks could drive over them to deliver the granite in 1984.’ – The New York Times
La Scala Launches Virtual Tours Of Its Opera House
The project includes virtual tours of the theater, backstage and museum, along with 240,000 archival photos and 16,000 documents, more than 40 digital exhibits and close-up views of costumes worn by stars such as Maria Callas. Performances of operas are available on another platform through Italy’s RAI state television. – Washington Post (AP)
The Poetry Foundation Has Hundreds Of Millions Of Dollars. Should It Be Giving Away More Right Now?
The foundation has only pledged $25,000 for COVID relief. “The Poetry Foundation’s IRS filings between 2016 and 2018 suggest the Foundation averaged about $213 million in assets that weren’t tied up in real estate or restricted. In 2018, the Foundation reported that it spent about $4 million on education, public programs and prizes; nearly $1.5 million on its website; and $1.2 million on Poetry Magazine, after accounting for $703,000 in revenue.” – Chicago Tribune
Canada’s Finest Orchestra (What Does That Even Mean?)
Sir Thomas Beecham used to say that there are no good or bad orchestras, only good or bad conductors, and to an extent he has a point. – Toronto Star
When Kirill Met Thomas
Pianist Kirrill Gerstein and composer Thomas Ades have been in a musical conversation of the sort that happens only when two people intrinsically seem to understand what the other is trying to say. – The New York Times
Has Our Sense Of Time Changed In Lockdown? Scientists Are Studying…
Time’s elasticity has perplexed philosophers for millennia. It has inspired writers for centuries. More recently, it has captured the attention of psychologists like Ogden, who have crafted experiments to understand the conditions of time perception: whether people feel time differently when they’re hot or cold, stressed or at ease, watching the clock or focused on something else. Time can disappear when we are deeply immersed in an activity we enjoy—the baking of sourdough bread, or the total absorption in an art project. Other studies suggest that fear and anxiety shape our sense of time just as powerfully. – Wired