“Across the country, a growing body of legal decisions and local rulings are coming out against the artist, particularly in the case of public art. And when the artist loses, the works—some of them long-standing, beautiful or neighborhood favorites—are often removed immediately or destroyed.”
Tag: 09.04.14
When A Famous Actor Wants To Adapt Your Book As A Passion Project
“If it did turn out to be rubbish, I wouldn’t have had anything to do with it. But if it were great I could take some of the credit.”
What Motivates Street Performers When Everything Seems Set Against Them
“Though he has a license from the city, he’s received tickets for using public property for storage after putting down his spare clarinet on a sidewalk while he played, and for ‘super noise’ while playing his clarinet without an amp on Michigan Avenue. On multiple occasions he has been to court, where judges throw out the case every time.”
Want To Make Someone Feel Happy? Praise Them Many, Many Times For Each Criticism
“If you have just finished nagging your partner over housework, be sure to praise him five times very soon. Couples who went on to get divorced had four negative comments to three positive ones. Sickeningly harmonious couples displayed a ratio of about 20:1.”
Margaret Atwood’s New Work Won’t Be Published For 100 Years
“Every year until 2114, one writer will be invited to contribute a new text to the collection, and in 2114, the trees will be cut down to provide the paper for the texts to be printed – and, finally, read.”
Chicago Symphony’s New President Has Big Shoes To Fill
“Once [Jeff] Alexander takes command, he will have his work cut out for him.” Deborah Rutter really is a tough act to follow. But, writes John von Rhein, though Alexander hasn’t (yet) been as high-profile as, say, Rutter or Deborah Borda or Alison Vulgamore, he has plenty of experience that will stand him in good stead.
Joan Rivers, 81 (Kids, She Was So Much More Than The Fashion Police)
You young’uns who only know her for getting facelifts and yanking the chains of celebrities on the red carpet before awards shows: by the time she was your age, she was already a thriving stand-up and one of the best comedy writers in the business – and for a time in the 1970s and ’80s, she was one of the three or four most successful comedians in the entire English-speaking world.
Show Business Was Cruel To Joan Rivers, And She Was Cruel Right Back
“For her whole career, Rivers has been self-consciously pushing boundaries. In recent years she’s often spectacularly pushed the wrong ones, but we shouldn’t forget that, at one time, she was pushing the right ones – and doing it virtually alone.”
The Brilliant Cellist Embracing The Devil’s Music
“Today on The Gist, cellist Maya Beiser tells us how her rebellious streak led her out of the classical concert hall and into the arms of classic rock.” (podcast)
Sleep-Deprived People Have Shrinking Brains (Uh-Oh)
“If you have ever felt markedly stupider after a long period of sleep deprivation, a new study may hint at a reason. Years of sleep difficulties seem to be associated with a brain that shrinks in size over time, according to a new paper published online today in Neurology.”