“It sometimes seems to me that academic success is designed for people who are already wealthy, just as first-class seating in airplanes is designed for tall men. Underfunded humanities are an extension of unpaid internships and poorly paid fellowships in museums. Do we really believe that our disciplines are just a decoration and offer viable careers only to those with trust funds?” – Times Higher Education
Tag: 08.29.19
The Diminished State Of Art Criticism
“The six most influential art critics, according to the respondents, were all white, mostly men and mostly older. They included one woman, Roberta Smith (The New York Times), Holland Cotter (also NYT), Jerry Saltz (New York magazine), Peter Schjeldahl (The New Yorker), Ben Davis (artnet News) and Christopher Knight (Los Angeles Times). The titles producing the best art criticism, the respondents said, included The New York Times, Hyperallergic, The New Yorker, Artforum, Art in America and ARTnews, all except one based in New York. European writers would maybe have added a few others: Frieze magazine, Art Review, the Financial Times and—for German speakers—the critics in influential papers like the Frankfurter Allgemeine and Die Welt.” – ArtAgency Partners
Why Do The Same Images Show Up On Book After Book?
The book cover design world, it turns out, has something of an all-star squad of stock and archival image that show up on book covers time and time again. James Morrison, an editor, designer, and avid reader who lives in Adelaide, Australia, has been tracking the squad for about two decades. – Eye On Design
At DC’s Libraries, Homeless Patrons Served By Outreach Officers Who Were Once Unhoused Themselves
“In 2014, the D.C. Public Library system hired Jean Badalamenti as assistant manager of health and human services to help the city’s 25 libraries better serve as a resource for the city’s roughly 6,500 homeless residents. Early last year, she pulled three ‘peer specialists’,” all with personal experience of homelessness, to help guide unhoused library patrons to services. – The Washington Post
Heir Of Germany’s Last Emperor Is Suing To Get Back Great-Great-Grandpapa’s Art, Palaces, And Other Property
Georg Friedrich Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia — the current head of the Hohenzollern family, which ruled in Berlin for two centuries, until Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated at the end of World War I — “says that his family has, since the collapse of the Soviet bloc, insisted on getting back what it had been granted in the immediate post-WWI agreement. At stake are the right to reside at Cecilienhof [palace in Berlin] and many other properties, as well as the restitution of thousands of paintings, sculptures, furniture, books and coins.” (The German public is not amused.) – Yahoo! (AFP)
Nostalgia For Blockbuster Video? Seriously, It Wasn’t That Great
“I’ve heard Blockbuster called “the Walmart of video stores,” which illustrates not only their sales strategy, but their history as an industry Goliath. Like the chain of retail megastores, Blockbuster achieved domination by muscling into new markets and putting locally owned mom-and-pop shops out of business with its deep pockets and seemingly limitless resources.” – New York Magazine
Portland Opera Announces Plan To Get Itself Out Of “Dire” Situation
Combined with rising production costs and, as Interim General Director Sue Dixon puts it, “the shifting philanthropic landscape of Portland,” there was the very real possibility of the organization going broke before the end of the next decade. – Portland Mercury
For Labor Day, A Tribute To Arts Workers
“Before you start loading up your fall culture calendar, take a moment this Labor Day Weekend to reflect on those people who make sure that the city’s cultural events … go off without a hitch. In a culture center like New York, that means there are thousands of people to thank; here, we introduce you to several of them. These are edited excerpts from conversations.” – The New York Times
Why London Really Needs More Theatres
“The authoritative Theatres Trust reckons there are currently 263 theatres in London. It’s about the same number as Tokyo, whereas Paris has around 350. New York tops the list with well over 400. Producers believe more tickets could be sold in London. But first they need more places to originate shows in and to transfer existing shows to.” – BBC
The Turkish Grandmother Who Inspired Theatre To Change The World
Her village doesn’t have a stage, so she gathers her performers under a walnut tree in her garden for rehearsals while they do their domestic chores. Her love of theatre is apparently contagious. “When I see Ummiye calling me on my mobile, I come running,” one of her actresses says. And people in other parts of the country want a piece of the action, issuing invitations on social media for the group to perform locally. – BBC