“The chancellor of the exchequer, George Osborne (who warned against Brexit), might not have been popular among the culturati but he did genuinely value the arts and, especially in the latest spending round, went out of his way to protect funding for our national institutions. All those old conversations we used to have about arts funding (“instrumental” versus “intrinsic”) will disappear—quaint reminders of indulgent times past.”
Tag: 06.27.16
What Boston Loses As The Globe “Refocuses” Its Arts Coverage
“The truth is, “compelling” stories can be found just about everywhere online; arts groups regularly post feature material on their websites. What are we losing? Something that is becoming increasingly rare in the world of professional journalism — invitations, via criticism, to think seriously and honestly about artistic accomplishment and failure. Let’s not pretend it is a fair trade.”
Poets On Tour In The UK Deal With Brexit During Readings At The Border Of Wales
“All of us shift our readings slightly. Gillian reads Lament, Jackie In my country, Carol Ann Weasel Words: all poems written years ago, but relevant today. There are no overt political statements but the choices are fierce. The people who come to speak to us at the signing tell us that the poetry has helped.”
What Happens When Publishers Get A Deeply Reported Book By A Woman Of Color
“That was the whole point. I did not wish that my book were Eat, Pray, Love. As the only journalist to live undercover in North Korea, I had risked imprisonment to tell a story of international importance by the only means possible. By casting my book as personal rather than professional—by marketing me as a woman on a journey of self-discovery, rather than a reporter on a groundbreaking assignment—I was effectively being stripped of my expertise on the subject I knew best. It was a subtle shift, but one familiar to professional women from all walks of life.”
Can Pittsburgh Live Up To August Wilson?
“Long term, we need to see the community build upon those early successes. … We are very grateful to the Cultural Trust, but, ultimately, we want the African-American community to develop most of this programming.”
The Border Between Austria And Italy Is Shifting, Sometimes Dramatically
“Even the biggest and most stable things, like glaciers, mountains—these huge objects, they can change in a few years. We live on a planet that changes, and we try to make rules, to give meaning, but this meaning is completely artificial because nature, basically, doesn’t give a shit.”
Baryshnikov Plays Nijinsky, With Robert Wilson Directing
Joan Acocella: “What a trick! To get the foremost male ballet dancer of the late twentieth century to portray the foremost male ballet dancer of the early twentieth century. In fact, a drama about Nijinsky’s madness would not require a great classical virtuoso. What it would need is an actor-dancer of extreme subtlety, which is what Baryshnikov, in his late-sixties, had become.”