“Should we limit the tenure of all of our leadership – senior and middle management to some arbitrary maximum term? Would this result in new ideas, leaner and more productive organizations, fresher perspectives, increased support and better results given an organization’s mission statement? Or would it simply be pushing good people out at the peak of their performance level when they still have much more to contribute?”
Tag: 07.01.12
The Compelling Allure Of Lost Art
“Some of the most legendary works in history are lost – and their lost-ness is part of their fascination. Lost art can never disappoint. It is beyond criticism. It can easily become a myth, tantalising those who hear or read of it, obsessing them, driving them to rediscover or somehow recreate it. Art detectives may waste their entire lives searching for absent masterpieces.”
Islamist Extremists Destroy Ancient Timbuktu Monuments
“Islamists armed with Kalashnikovs and pick-axes have destroyed the centuries-old mausoleums of saints in the Unesco-listed city of Timbuktu in front of shocked locals, witnesses say. The attack by the al-Qaida-linked Ansar Dine group came days after Unesco placed Timbuktu on its list of heritage sites in danger.”
Baroness Puts Rare Constable Up For Sale Because Of Spain Economic Woes
“In May, the Baroness, who owns four luxury villas across Spain as well as expensive cars and employs a household staff of around 80 people, announced the sale insisting she needed cash because even multimillionaires were feeling the pinch of the economic crisis.”
Keep Your Texters Close, And Your Hecklers Closer (At The Movies)
“With ticket sales declining in the past few years, some theater owners have discovered that sometimes letting people yell at the movie screen might actually not be such a terrible idea–and in some cases, might even enhance the experience.”
Retiring At 36 (From The American Ballet Theatre, That Is)
“Looking at Angel Corella in his jeans and hoodie, it’s hard to imagine he’s 36. Dancers always seem to look younger than their age, and Corella has an especially boyish demeanor. But the body doesn’t lie, and 36 is only four years from 40, by which point many have moved on, either by choice or necessity.”
The Female Gaze Is Not A New Idea (A Love Letter To Paul Rosano)
An exhibition gets an art historian thinking about artist Sylvia Sleigh’s work – and wondering about her model, Paul Rosano. “Maybe this is the crux of the condition of what Laura Mulvey famously called ‘to-be-looked-at-ness.’ We’re not supposed to wonder about the object of desire, we’re simply only to desire.”
What, Exactly, Happens With A Song In A Movie About War?
A Canadian folk song about war turns a movie about Martha Gelhorn and Ernest Hemingway into something much deeper than it would be. Why and how?
Photographing Kids At The Beach And In The Clubs: A Q&A WIth Artist Rineke Dijkstra
“I was working for magazines and newspapers, and at a certain point I felt that I was an artist … I felt more like an art photographer. I thought maybe I should take a couple months off to think about a project for myself. The last day of the two months that I gave myself to think about everything, I broke my hip in a bike accident. So then I had a lot of time to think [laughs]. And I think that that moment I realized how vulnerable you could be, that something can just happen.”
It’s The Year Of The Comic Book Blockbuster! Again!
“Evildoers, beware! You cannot hide from the modern-day superhero! And neither can anyone else heading to the movies this summer. … The New York Times‘s chief movie critics, A. O. Scott and Manohla Dargis, ponder the meaning of an apparently invincible genre.”