“Across the country, in city art collections and special collections of public libraries, one-of-a-kind items are routinely misfiled, misplaced, lost or stolen. And sometimes, routine mistakes and slipshod documentation grow into a much more intractable problem, with large portions of public collections being managed by institutions who have no idea what’s in them and no full inventory of their holdings.”
Tag: 06.11.15
For The First Time, Pina Bausch’s Old Company Commissions New Works From Other Choreographers
“The 2009 death of the choreographer Pina Bausch plunged the future of her company, the Tanztheater Wuppertal, into doubt. … Now the [company] has announced that for the first time in its history, choreographers will be invited to create new pieces.”
At 96, Lawrence Ferlinghetti Isn’t Done Yet
“Sixty years ago, Ferlinghetti … was the principal publisher of an iconoclastic band of writers and poets known as the Beat Generation. Today, he’s still co-owner of City Lights, one of the most celebrated independent book stores in America. These are quieter days for the internationally acclaimed poet and painter. His eyes are going, but his mind and humor are sharp. And while he may have slowed down some, he’s still publishing three books this year.” (includes audio)
How God Turned His Twitter Account Into A Broadway Show
“In the beginning, there was Twitter. David Javerbaum – a seasoned comedy writer for The Daily Show and The Colbert Report who has won Peabodys, Emmys, and a Grammy – started the account @TheTweetofGod in 2010. Like God Himself, he quickly gained millions of followers.” (includes audio)
Much Maligned And Under Pressure, Library Of Congress Chief Retires
“In a 2013 audit, the library’s inspector general warned that millions of items, some from as far back as the 1980s, remained piled in overflowing buildings and warehouses, virtually lost to the world. In addition, just a small fraction of its 24 million books are available to read online, 200 years after Thomas Jefferson laid the foundation for a vast national library by selling Congress his personal collection of books after the War of 1812.”
Stop Defending Music Education
“Music programs are watching administrators race by, frantically chasing test scores and ignoring music in schools. So it may seem like a natural step to go running after the testing crowd hollering, ‘Hey, I can help with that, too.’ Don’t. Just don’t.”
Legendary Long-Serving Librarian Of Congress To Retire
“James Billington, 86, is a Russia scholar who was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1987 as the 13th Librarian of Congress and leader of the oldest federal cultural institution. In a video message to his staff, he said he will leave Jan. 1.”
How Technology Is Ushering In A Golden Age For… Juggling
“Juggling has probably been around since a bunch of primates let go of their branches and wondered what to do with their hands. And yet this venerable entertainment is being transformed out of all recognition by recent technology.”
How The Music Business Squandered The Business Part – And Now Music Is Free
“Record company ignorance squandered billions in the early years of this century because the music people lost out to the tech people. The music people’s job had been to make hit records; technology was a tool to help this happen but nothing more.”
Does Theatre Matter Any More? Should It?
“Broadway attendance in 2014 was the highest it’s ever been, even if that is no great indicator of regional theater attendance. But it is the case that relatively few people are seeing any theater at all, and, apparently, theater is having such little lasting impact on audiences that its creators are all but unknown, even to the people who may be attending it. So what’s the point in restating this reality? Don’t we know it already?”