“They see something defined as “art”; they don’t have a rewarding or relevant personal experience (or at least not an experience that fits with a high ticket price); so they decide the arts are not for them. Meanwhile they are having arts experiences in bits and pieces throughout their lives, but don’t connect them with the arts at all.”
Tag: 06.02.13
Up From Inner-City Poverty To Ballet Stardom
“When Misty Copeland was discovered at age 13 by a ballet instructor at her local Boys & Girls Club in San Pedro, Calif., she was so poor that she’d never seen a ballet, heard of ballet or knew what a ballerina looked like. … Today, at 30 years old, Misty Copeland is the first black female in two decades to be a soloist at the American Ballet Theatre.”
Miss Manners Looks At Renaissance Etiquette
Judith Martin: “English readers in the early 17th century assumed Tom Coryate, a professional jester turned travel writer, was joking when he reported that Italians did not attack their food with hands and hunting knives as did normal people, even normal royalty. Those finicky Italians wielded forks, a nicety that did not become common in the rest of Europe for another two centuries.”
The Latest City To Use Classical Music To Repel Vagrants
“Later this month, Paris will become the latest in a string of international cities to pipe classical music into its train stations in an effort to chase off vagrants and youthful toughs who loaf about and ostensibly make life unpleasant for rail travelers.” But the French national railroad is asking passengers to help choose the playlist.
Jeeves And Wooster To Hit The Stage For The First Time
“There are the books of course, TV series in the sixties and nineties, radio adaptations and a musical take from Andrew Lloyd Webber but, dash it, never a stage play featuring one of the greatest comedy double acts ever conceived.”
Poland Becoming Art’s New “It” Place?
“International art critics are increasingly turning their attention to Poland, and talking about Warsaw as the new artistic hub of central Europe with the enthusiasm and excitement once reserved solely for Berlin.”
Pakistan Attempts To Revive Film Industry
“Given the problems, it is remarkable that any feature films are being made at all. But a recent spate of ambitious productions has raised hopes that the moribund movie industry may be on the verge of a renaissance.”
What’s Up With This ‘French Harry Potter’ Thing?
The six-volume self-published children’s book series sold thousands of copies in France, where publishers didn’t think it was intellectual enough for teens. Then the teens started a letter-writing campaign.
Detroit Isn’t The First Museum (Or City) In Economic Crisis To Consider Selling Its Art
“When museums aren’t free-standing institutions, as is the case in Detroit, the larger entities that control them sometimes can’t help but see dollar signs. The van Goghs are just hanging there, waiting to be put up for auction.”
‘Gatsby’ Defies Critics: That’s Boring, But Its Success Also Defied Predictions
“BoxOffice.com at one point projected very soft opening-weekend sales of about $24 million. Early on, several studios were so worried about the movie’s multiplex prospects that they passed on making it. Oops.”