“The leader of the National Endowment for the Arts decried culture as bankrupt and called for the elevation of artists and intellectuals in society at Stanford University’s commencement address on Sunday.” Gioia told the students that “we live in a culture that barely acknowledges and rarely celebrates the arts and artists,” and challenged them to overcome the national obsession with pop culture and celebrity.
Tag: 06.18.07
So Why Do They All Look Like They’re At Least 6 Mos.?
“Are newborns allowed to work in the movies? Yes. In California, infants can start working when they’re 15 days old, provided that they (or their parents) have a work permit and a note from a licensed physician.” SAG guidelines even dictate the substances with which they can be slathered to make them look freshly born: “Grape, red currant, and cherry jelly can be used to simulate birth-related fluids. Strawberry, raspberry, and K-Y jellies are a no-no, for fear of allergic reactions.”
How Critics Help To Make A Community
“We should have people working full time covering all of the theaters they can seven nights a week. There are tons of art galleries that most people have never heard of. Musical groups are everywhere. We need the critics. Their opinions are one thing, but the fact that they can go into these small places, consider these artists and watch these performances says that the arts are a serious part of this community.”
Lear – Censored In Singapore
“How far should directors, companies and theatres go to avoid offending audiences or accommodate audiences’ particular sensibilities? Already, here in Britain, religious groups are increasingly successful in their attempts to suppress productions, whether it’s pressure groups such as Christian Voice over Jerry Springer or some of Birmingham’s Sikhs over Behzti. What’s happening in Singapore may seem insignificant, but in the search to broaden audiences both here and abroad, it may be that companies are allowing themselves to fall prey to censorship.”
London Tops In Arts? Germaine Greer Says No
“In England, the tradition of going up to London to see a show has been entrenched for 500 years. The result is arts monsters, all of them in London, such as the Royal Opera, English National Opera and the National Theatre. They have all got too big to function properly; the right paw can only communicate with the left paw through hordes of intermediaries who inhabit the body of the monster like nits, hiding in the folds of dead skin. A better question would be whether such dropsical organisations are truly viable. Their capacity for absorbing funds is legendary, but year on year the monsters give birth to mice.”
Who Are Your Heroes?
A UK survey reveals the list: “Leonardo shines in top place both in the overall choices and in the list nominated by over-25-year-olds. The answers mention only three artists born before the 20th century – and of these, Picasso clings by his fingertips in 10th slot among adults and is not rated at all by 18- to 25-year-olds. Other historical figures to survive are Leonardo da Vinci and Jane Austen. More recent heroes nominated include Bob Dylan, Bob Marley and Andy Warhol.”
Does It Matter Book Chains Want Money To Place Books?
“The outcry over promotional fees is nothing new. Every year Waterstone’s or one of the other chains offers its promotional ‘packages’, and an outraged publisher leaks them to the press. Dark talk of “bungs” ensues. That is a caricature. Booksellers will not promote any old book simply because the publisher will pay: they cannot afford to take up space with duff titles during the most important selling season of the year. They select. Nevertheless, what they select under these conditions is predictable.”
An Idea Of Venice
Peter Schjeldahl writes that this year’s Venice Biennale is a show of ideas. “By insisting on contemplative absorption and civic conscience, Storr is a bit of a schoolmarm, demanding dignity of irresponsible pupils. But he marshals a lot of artistic talent to his side–and, for clarity and rhythm of presentation, his shows constitute by a long shot the most elegant of the several Biennales I’ve seen. I think the event will be remembered as a cautionary service, conservative in spirit and progressive in principle, to a frenetic time.”
Alex Ross’s Excellent Adventure
“Thanks to generous speed limits, I was able to catch a Thursday matinée by the Indianapolis Symphony; a performance that night by the Nashville Symphony; and, the following day, a concert by the Alabama Symphony, in Birmingham. I learned what touring musicians have been saying for years: that lesser-known orchestras can deliver sure-footed, commanding performances, and that the notion of a stratospheric orchestral élite is something of an illusion.”
Linz’s Arts In FutureLab
“The recent project that has created the most waves internationally is Klaus Obermaier’s version of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, which will be performed at the South Bank in London next week. The piece uses a conventional orchestra and a live dancer, Julia Mach, whose movements trigger off various electronic events, with semi-improvised patterns on a back screen. The audience wear 3D goggles (a 1950s throwback) and the event promises to be a fascinating re-imagining of Stravinsky’s orgiastic classic.”