“Russia’s actions are the result of a ruling in a U.S. District Court last summer that Russia must restore a trove of religious books and manuscripts to Chabad, a prominent international ministry based in New York City. Despite a U.S. law and diplomatic assurances to the contrary, Russian officials have said they fear art shipped to American museums could be seized as collateral.”
Tag: 05.26.11
The Venice Biennale Has A Record Year
“With a budget of E1m less than the 2007 edition, the 53rd Venice Biennale has attracted a record number of visitors, 375,702 in total (with a daily average of 2,223), 56,370 more than the 52nd biennale–an increase of 18%.”
What, Exactly Are Museums?
“It has become a cliché to say that museums are today’s churches–special places for contemplation, separate from day-to-day concerns; conversely, there’s an argument that museums should aim to be commonplace, part of normal life. It is intriguing that museums were once talked of as places that reinforced cultural hegemonies, but now they are more often seen as democratising access to art.”
Critical Thinking In An Era Of Distraction
“The past 10 years have been a vivid tutorial in the truth of Marshall McLuhan’s phrase, ‘the medium is the message’. The rise of 24/7 pay-TV and the concomitant decline of traditional network news has fragmented the old collective audience. Today disparate groups receive the same news, but filtered through a different angle of the political prism. Web commentary has split these primary colours into a thousand graded hues.”
Francseca Zambello Named “Advisor” To Washington National Opera
Zambello is not exactly replacing the outgoing general director Placido Domingo. “I’m not the artistic director, I’m the artistic advisor… This is an open-ended, exploratory job right now.”
Disney Withdraws Application To Trademark “Seal Team 6”
“The move comes days after the Navy challenged Disney’s attempt to trademark the name by filing its own applications.”
Musicians Protest Grammy Cuts In Award Categories
“In this year’s awards, in the 53rd (annual ceremony), there were 34 mainstream categories. Next year, with the changed revision, there will be 20 mainstream categories. That’s a significant reduction in mainstream areas. In nonmainstream categories … there were 71. In the upcoming 54th awards, there will be 54.”
Movie Theatre Owners Protest New Video-On-Demand Schemes
Theatre owners “worry that narrowing video release ‘windows’ will cannibalize the moviegoing industry, which tallies more than $10 billion a year domestically. Studios and some analysts counter that flatlining ticket and home video sales warrant a new theatrical template.”
Struggling To Recover From Earthquake, Sony Post $3.2 Billion Loss
“The total impacts of the natural disaster will slice 150 billion yen ($1.83 billion) off operating profit this year, Sony estimated, as it struggles to get production of key electronics and other products back to normal levels.”
E-Books As Apps?
“With ebooks now growing in popularity, publishers are beginning to think about enhancing ebooks and even recreating books as apps for tablet computers.”