Jessa Crispin, a/k/a Bookslut: “There are mistresses, and there are homewreckers. We often believe that the only thing distinguishing one from the other is revelation. The mistress is the hidden, secret lover, but the homewrecker is the same woman splashed on every tabloid cover with her baby – his or not – suddenly labeled ‘love child’ in alarmingly large and yellow type.”
Tag: 06.28.11
Barnes Foundation Raises $200M For Move Into Philadelphia
The Barnes “has surpassed the $200 million fund-raising target for construction of its new facility on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia. The foundation, which has struggled financially in its longtime location in Merion, also reported that it has seen rapid growth in museum membership – from 400 members two years ago to over 10,000 now.”
UK’s Top Cultural Attraction: British Museum (Still)
“The British Museum is celebrating another record-breaking year – the most popular cultural attraction in the UK for the fourth year running, with visitor numbers up by 5% to 5.8 million – and is having to clean the kisses of its admirers off display cases every morning.”
Cleveland Initiative Puts $5 Million Into Attracting People To Arts
“We’re looking at a traditional audience base shrinking in a city that’s not growing,” said Kathleen Cerveny, the foundation’s director of evaluation and institutional learning. “If the arts are to survive, they need to attract people that aren’t going now.”
Why Some Readers Lose Interest In Fiction
“Non-writers who have bailed on novels and short stories often say they’ve exhausted their patience for flagrantly ‘untrue’ narratives. One blogger explained it thus: ‘I put it down to having experienced enough real life narrative and drama such that made-up stories no longer appeal’.”
It’s Artwork Barbie! (Available In Da Vinci, Van Gogh And Klimt)
“The Klimt-inspired Barbie, in her glistening, geometric gown – along with, fittingly enough, a Mona Lisa-inspired Barbie, adorned in Renaissance finery, and a van Goghian Barbie, rocking a Starry Night cocktail dress – are the three inaugural offerings of the Barbie Collector Museum Collection.” ($34.95 each)
Washington’s Sackler Gallery Postpones Controversial Show
“Shipwrecked: Tang Treasures and Monsoon Winds” drew strong criticism from experts in underwater archeology and cultural heritage groups who argued that the excavation of the boat had not meet the field’s standards. They also contended that a show at the Sackler, which is part of the Smithsonian Institution, would seem to give approval to what they considered objectionable methods.
Why Canceling The NY Philharmonic’s Park Concerts Is Wrong
“It is obviously too late to bring back the parks tour for this summer, which is a shame. The Philharmonic originally had plans to present some parks concerts in conjunction with the Mahler memorial program, but this fell by the wayside. But New York music lovers should hold the Philharmonic to its word that the parks concerts will return in 2012.”
Unknown (And Lewd) Portrait Revealed Of Nell Gwyn, Charles II’s Mistress
“It depicts Gwyn bare-breasted and stuffing sausages, a composition laden with titillating symbolism. She is dressed in white, a satirical pun on virginal purity, while a black manservant standing by her may allude to the black-haired king known as ‘the black man’.”
China Orders Ai Weiwei To Pay Nearly $2M
“Beijing’s tax authorities have asked the dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, released recently from more than two months in detention, to pay 12 million yuan ($1.85 million) in back taxes and fines.”