Consolidation of the book industry is reshaping the face of publishing. But just as significant is the rise of print-on-demand publishing. “Print-on-demand technology allows books to be produced quickly and in small quantities. It eliminates huge print runs, which require large sales to break even. It relieves publishing companies of the need to warehouse inventories and process bookstore returns.” – Chicago Tribune
Tag: 07.11.00
BEING POLITICAL BY BEING APOLITICAL
“Two years ago, Bill T. Jones was approached by Arena de le Sol in Bologna, Italy, to make a dance depicting the influence of Latin culture in the New World. Though confronted with issues of colonization and what Jones describes as cultural ‘collision,’ he decided to make a poetic rather than a political response to the unjust historical truths surrounding these native communities. ‘Ultimately, I’m trying to enter this on the level of culture and art,’ he says. ‘I’m trying to tell the story as I see it, and what that looked like in terms of music.'”- Village Voice
A DIVA’S DUDS
More than 400 personal items once belonging to opera diva Maria Callas will be auctioned in Paris in December. The auction itself will also be open to Internet bidders using the site www.leftbid.com. – New York Times
WALL RENOVATION
When the Berlin Wall came down 11 years ago, artists from around the world quickly covered what was left of the eastern side with more than 100 paintings, creating “the world’s longest open-air gallery.” Now that most of the artwork has deteriorated, city officials want the remaining wall torn down. But the artists have banded together to lobby for its restoration: “It is symbolic that when the wall fell the artists could paint in the east. It is necessary for a new generation to see this history of the division of the city.” – ABC News (Reuters)
WHEN EVEN THE CAPITAL DECAMPS
“For almost 30 years, 420 Broadway served as Soho’s capital of contemporary art, headquarters for Leo Castelli, Ileana Sonnabend, and John Weber, as well as a string of other important dealers.” But with most of the important dealers having folded their tents and headed to Chelsea, now the building “stands empty, with demolition crews tearing out the ghosts of exhibitions past to make way for luxury co-ops.” – Village Voice
INSIDE JOB
At least 150 rare antiquarian books and artworks were stolen from the Japanese embassy in London, by the very man employed over the last three years to organize the valuable collection. Recovery will be difficult since the discovery came months after the collection had already been sold through auctions at Christie’s. – Japan Times
ART IN PICTURES
Until very recently, photography in Russia was regarded as a documentary exercise rather than an artform. Now the Hermitage has appointed its first curator of photography, and the daunting task of sorting through thousands of photos – just to see what’s there – begins. – Chicago Tribune
HIRSHHORN’S NEW CURATOR
Washington’s Hirshhorn Museum picks a new chief curator – Kerry Brougher, an American who is director of the Museum of Modern Art in Oxford, England. – Washington Post
BACH ONLINE
J.S. Bach’s complete oeuvre, including manuscripts and digitized scores, will soon be stored online in a digital library accessible over the Internet (at www.bachdigital.org). The project is a collaboration among IBM, the Berlin State Library, and other libraries across Germany. – Nandotimes (Agence France-Presse)
JAZZ ENTERS THE MUSEUM?
Jazz is suddenly getting a lot of attention in the institutional world. “But what exactly is being honored: a music of unceasing innovation and achievement, or an archive parsed into its historical components? If jazz in the 21st century is to become what classical music became in the 20th century, an art of reconnaissance and interpretation, then last month’s 2000 JVC Jazz Festival may be remembered as a key transitional event.” – Village Voice