Brandon Keith Brown took up his position as conductor of the Brown University Orchestra in September of 2017; within six weeks, and shortly before his first scheduled concert leading the group, he was dismissed amid student complaints of intimidating and abusive behavior. Mr. Brown argues that the university fired him because he is black, and he has filed a case with the Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights. – Providence Journal
Tag: 05.12.19
In 1975 Bas Jan Ader Set Out In A Tiny Boat As Part Of An Art Project And Was Never Heard From Again
In the years following Ader’s disappearance, rumors began to swirl that it was a deliberate act that was part of the artwork. But, Anderson Ader denies this. She said her husband was making plans for the future, for the work he would do when this piece was complete, and he had no intention of disappearing for good. – The Daily Beast
Maybe Arts Organizations Aren’t Set Up Structurally To Become More Diverse?
“Certainly we need to continue to push for diversity in all our organizations. But I do believe we need to recognize the structural limitations of our field as those limitations impact our strategies.” – Barry’s Blog
Time Pauses For Valentin Silvestrov
Milton Moore, who has been reviewing music, classical and otherwise, since the ‘70s, today starts in this space a more-or-less monthly column about contemporary and “alternative” classical music. First up: the music of Valentin Silvestrov. – Scott Timberg
Propwatch: the suitcases in ‘Death of a Salesman’
We see them early on in the heavy-hearted revival at London’s Young Vic. Willy lumbers in with two cases. One, a smart, wooden box, presumably packed with sample goods. The other, a battered and scratched suitcase, must carry his personal stuff. – David Jays
Find Your Passion? Great! But It Doesn’t Mean You’ll Be Any Good At It
People “often assume that their own interest or passion just needs to be ‘found’ or revealed. Once revealed, it will be in a fully formed state,” said Paul A. O’Keefe, an assistant professor of psychology at Yale-NUS College in Singapore. Nonsense, of course, he said. – The New York Times
Still Not Watching ‘Killing Eve’? The BAFTA TV Awards Think You Should
The drama cleaned up in several categories, including best supporting actress, best actress, and best drama series. See the full list of winners, including Benedict Cumberbatch over Hugh Grant, at the link. – Variety
An Arts And Crafts House Left By A Pioneering Feminist Sculptor To The UK Is Restored After Legal Battle
Sculptor Mary Spencer Watson left Dunshay Manor to Britain’s Landmark Trust, but a woman who grew up in the house claimed that she was due part of the value of the house as her inheritance from Spencer Watson, who was her mother’s partner of more than half a century. – The Observer (UK)
Inspired By ‘This American Life,’ A Chinese Podcast Shoots Up In Popularity And Acclaim
Gushi FM is a show that strains at the boundaries of acceptable in a highly censored society. “A worker for a Chinese construction company describes a harrowing escape from war in Libya in an episode titled ‘I Shot an AK-47 at Them.’ A young man recounts accompanying his ailing father to Switzerland to die by assisted suicide. A lesbian tells of her decision to enter a marriage of convenience to a gay man.” – The New York Times
There Are Many, Many, Many, Many Theories About Leonardo
Ah. Ouch: “We will be hearing a lot about Leonardo this year, the 500th anniversary of his death. … A wealth of Leonardo will be on display. Also on display—it never really stops—will be the musings of those who believe that they have finally solved some urgent Leonardo mystery, a mystery that might exist, like beauty, only in the mind of the beholder.” – The Atlantic