The Human Rights Foundation withdrew the Vaclav Havel Prize from Pyotr Pavlensky – the man who nailed his scrotum to Red Square, tried to burn down the headquarters of the successor agency to the KGB and call it “art,” and saw Russia’s top art prize cancelled after he was nominated for it – because he planned to pay the legal bills of a violent group in the country’s Far East.
Tag: 07.08.16
Audiences Behaving Badly: French Cinemas Yank Horror Film From Screens ‘To Ensure The Safety Of Staff And Customers’
“A number of cinemas in France are cancelling screenings of The Conjuring 2 following troublesome occurrences of ‘loud laughter’, ‘hysterical yelling’ and violent altercations.”
Yes, Broadway is More Diverse, But The Theatre System Still Conspires Against Diversity
“While I marvel at the creative genius that is Lin-Manuel Miranda (and remain as eager as any self-respecting theater lover to snag a Hamilton ticket), I am uncomfortable with how theater makers are reveling in the breakthrough success of a show that succeeded not because of the theater system but in spite of it.”
Philly’s New-Music Orchestra Has New Music Director
“After spending last season trying out candidates, Orchestra 2001 says it has hired a new artistic director: Jayce Ogren. He starts the job at the group’s concerts in late October.” He is only the second director Orchestra 2001 has ever had.
Opera San Antonio Chooses Its New Director
“Enrique Carreón-Robledo has been named the new general and artistic director for Opera San Antonio. He will step into his new role Aug. 1. He succeeds composer Tobias Picker, who left the company in January 2015.”
Some Countries Support Artists Directly (But There Are Tradeoffs)
“Whether or not artistry is a formal profession in the eyes of the state, and what states do or don’t do to support that profession, reflects different agendas within different political systems. While the American model mostly distributes public funding for the arts indirectly, via tax deductions for nonprofit organizations and their donors, many other governments provide substantial direct support to individual artists.”
Two Artists Begin Building Trump’s Wall, And Sending Mexico The Bill
“Covered on one side by a large campaign ad for Mr. Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, and studded with wilting fruit, flowers, cleaning items and hardware, their wall was meant to symbolize, Mr. Gleeson said, the economic effects that curtailing immigration and closing borders would have on agriculture, industry and domestic life.”
The Booming Business Of Making Movies (On The Cheap) In Cape Town
“This is the first custom-built, state-of-the-art film studio in sub-Saharan Africa, and it’s rapidly becoming one of Hollywood’s favourite places to shoot. It touts itself as ‘the most successful film studio in the developing world’ – a grand claim that might even be true.”
Alison Bernstein Gave Tens Of Millions Of Dollars To Cultural Initiatives At The Ford Foundation
“She was a lively and curious and wonderfully imaginative person, and this all came across in 10 minutes.”
The Perennial Question: Why Can’t You Listen To The Radio On Your Smartphone?
“Apple remains the biggest holdout. The company did not respond to multiple requests for comment, but critics say it has little incentive to do anything that might undermine Beats One, Apple Music, and other streaming services.”