“It’s the anti-establishment movement that has taken the art market by storm, keenly collected by hedge-funders and Hollywood’ s A-list. Now, even Tate Modern is giving Street Art its stamp of approval.”
Tag: 05.11.08
When Art Meets Public
“Despite the huge numbers who visit galleries and museums, most people don’t go. If they do, the convention of the art gallery is that the work is entitled to be there and your right to question it is correspondingly limited. But in the street where you live, the supermarket where you shop, the square where you sit, you have a right to state an opinion.” Such is the beauty (and the complexity) of public art.
The Next Great Canadian Author?
“Craig Boyko was already famous in that semi-famous Canadian literary way even before his debut, a collection of stories called Blackouts, was published this year to universal acclaim. Actually, make that Canadian acclaim: Boyko’s agent is still looking for a U.S. deal, always a tough sell, but especially so for a book of stories by a novice from Canada.”
Cultural Exodus Reported In Iraq
“Iraqi singers, actors and artists are fleeing the country after dozens have been killed by Islamic radicals determined to eradicate all culture associated with the West. Cinemas, art galleries, theatres, and concert halls are being destroyed in grenade and mortar attacks in Basra and Baghdad.”
Analyzing Tudor
Antony Tudor “was known as the psychological choreographer, and he arrived when psychology entered American popular culture.” It was a theme to which Tudor would return over and over in his long career.
The Barry Method
Cartoonist Lynda Barry isn’t nearly as visible as she once was, but at a two-day workshop in Pittsburgh this month, her philosophy of life and art was on full display. “It involves using a random word, like “cars” or “breasts,” to summon a memory in unexpected, filmic detail; writing about it by hand for a set time period; and then not reading it or talking about it for at least a week.”
Lessing Calls Nobel Prize “A Bloody Disaster”
“Nobel Prize-winning author Doris Lessing has said winning the prestigious award in 2007 had been a ‘bloody disaster’. The increased media interest in her has meant that writing a full novel was next to impossible… Lessing, 88, also said she would probably now be giving up writing novels altogether.”
Or, You Could Just Hang Onto Your Case
A shocking number of “violin left behind in cab” stories have been popping up of late, begging the question: how could anyone forget about such a valuable possession? Explanations vary, but one prominent instrument dealer is proposing a technological solution – GPS tracking systems.
Discord In Miami
The Concert Association of Florida, which presents orchestra concerts and recitals in various Miami venues, appears to be in some trouble. “A nose-diving economy, the downward trend in ticket sales and continuing programming problems” are just the tip of the iceberg, and an attempt to form a local professional orchestra has met with public indifference.