“Felix Gonzalez-Torres, who died of AIDS-related complications at 38 in 1996, is the second American to be posthumously represented in the high-profile American pavilion at the Venice Biennale. Unfortunately, the show mostly represents a lost opportunity for any of scores of living American artists,” Christopher Knight writes. A superstar, Gonzalez-Torres “hardly needs Venice to secure his reputation. Other artists do.”
Tag: 06.29.07
Laguna Playhouse’s Longtime Exec Resigns
“Richard Stein resigned suddenly this week after 17 years as executive director of the Laguna Playhouse, saying in a statement Thursday that he ‘longed to spend more time on the artistic side’ of theater and couldn’t do that while handling his job’s business responsibilities. Stein, 54, was a key figure in the playhouse’s transformation … to one of Southern California’s front-rank professional companies….”
Concrete Poet Mary Ellen Solt Dies At 86
“Mary Ellen Solt, a poet and poetry critic who often arranged words on the page in a visual graphic, resulting in such works as ‘Forsythia,’ a poem that looks like a flowering shrub, has died. … She was a leader in the concrete poetry movement that emerged in the 1960s. It held that the visual effect of letters, words and phrases on a page is an important element in poetry.”
Textile Museum To Expand, More Than Doubling Space
“The Textile Museum, which has been tucked away in Washington’s Kalorama neighborhood for more than 80 years, is adding a second location, in the bustling Penn Quarter area. Museum officials announced yesterday that early next year they will open an exhibition space on three floors of a historic building owned by the Independent Order of Odd Fellows on Seventh Street NW. The move more than doubles the space of the original museum….”
Architect Margaret Helfand Dies At 59
“Margaret Helfand, a Manhattan architect and urban planner who served as president of the American Institute of Architects’ New York chapter, died on June 20. … The cause was complications of colon cancer, said her husband, Jon Turner. Ms. Helfand helped create the Center for Architecture, a hub for exhibitions in the field and the home of the New York chapter of the institute.”
$450 Tickets: What Would Frau Blücher Say?
“Given that the Mel Brooks musical ‘The Producers’ introduced the $480 ticket to Broadway, it’s no wonder that rumors are already spreading about the ticket pricing for ‘The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein….’ Well, here’s the official word: On Friday and Saturday evenings and at weekend matinees, you will be able to buy something called a premier seat — roughly, one of the best 100 seats in the theater — for $450.” (third item)
What Norman Mailer Won’t Ever Write About
In an appearance with Günter Grass, Norman Mailer “said he searched his own life to figure out why Mr. Grass didn’t speak about his (Waffen-SS service) earlier. ‘What have I held onto for so long?’ he asked, and then answered: stabbing his second wife, Adele, in 1960. ‘It’s something I’ll probably never write about,’ he said. ‘I’ve never felt ready to write about it.'” (first item)
The “Creative Industries” Aren’t Industries
“The financial power of the creative industries … was the subject of a report from the Work Foundation published the day before the change of premiers,” Mark Lawson writes. The foundation “encourages us to view (government) handouts (to cultural powerhouses) as ‘investment’ rather than ‘subsidy’. Yet it’s still startling to read arguments applied to the arts that few politicians or lobbyists would now dare invoke in relation to railways, telecommunications or post.”
Prince CD Giveaway Draws Ire Of Music Industry
“The eagerly awaited new album by Prince is being launched as a free CD with a national Sunday newspaper in a move that has drawn widespread criticism from music retailers. … One music store executive described the plan as ‘madness’ while others said it was a huge insult to an industry battling fierce competition from supermarkets and online stores. Prince’s label has cut its ties with the album in the UK to try to appease music stores.”