Tag: 09.15.07

Rand – Shrugging Off 50 Years

“For years, Ayn Rand’s message was attacked by intellectuals whom her circle labeled ‘do-gooders,’ who argued that individuals should also work in the service of others. Her book was dismissed as an homage to greed. Gore Vidal described its philosophy as ‘nearly perfect in its immorality.’ But the book attracted a coterie of fans, some of them top corporate executives, who dared not speak of its impact except in private.”

Ansel Adams, Technologist

So you think Ansel Adams is a nature photographer? Think again, writes Blake Gopnik. “Adams’s photos aren’t just about landscape. They’re about the particular confrontation between technology and landscape that made those photos possible. The images of the Sierra Nevada are as much about getting easy access to those mountains — even with dozens of pounds of large-format camera equipment — as about the mountains themselves.”

New York’s Art Matriarch

“Each Sunday afternoon a motley queue of artists assembles outside an unremarkable house in Chelsea, New York. Once inside their work will be judged by the 95-year-old owner, Louise Bourgeois, the most eminent female sculptor alive… Visitors have been known to leave in tears after a terse critique. Bourgeois has been holding these salons for more than 30 years.”

The Booker Shortlist: A Judge’s View

The shortlist for the Man Booker prize is one of the most closely watched rankings in the literary world. But how is the list arrived at, and what behind-the-scenes debates lead to a shortlist like this year’s, in which prominent names are ignored in favor of rising young authors? “When five people have to agree on 13 books from a 110-strong original entry, there are bound to be casualties.”

Will Philly Ever Get The Great Hall It Was Promised?

The main concert hall at Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center is a beautiful thing to behold, but its acoustic has never quite measured up to the advance billing. Several studies have recommended significant acoustical changes, but thus far, the center appears content to stand pat. “So is this it? Is the hall’s sound fixed in its not-quite-good-enough state? Will Verizon Hall ever achieve the greatness planners promised, and, if so, does anyone have the wits, will and musical authority to get it there?”

Women Filmmakers Thrive – Just Not In Hollywood

“Hollywood is male-driven and the women directors who made it on to the list of the 250 top-grossing American films in 2006 comprise only 7 per cent of the total number of directors, according to an annual survey conducted at San Diego State University. The number was the same in 2005. Women screenwriters made up 10 per cent of the total – but that number is going down. In 1998, it was 13 per cent. The Toronto International Film Festival, and by implication the international film world, presents a different picture. This year’s tally of 52 women directors on the list of 332 new films amounts to more than 15 per cent.”

What Does Montreal Have That Toronto Doesn’t?

It wasn’t too long ago that the Montreal and Toronto symphonies were both in the grip of fiscal and artistic crisis. These days, each orchestra has a popular new music director, a newly invigorated sound, and at least a modicum of financial stability. But John Terauds says that only the Montreal Symphony has really managed to create a citywide buzz around itself, and the Toronto Symphony could learn a lot from its Quebec counterpart about manufacturing public interest.

Broadway Stagehand Talks Not Looking Good

Negotiations between Broadway producers and the stagehands’ union have turned nasty, and a possible lockout that could shut down the fall season looms. “Should a deal not come together in a week or so, the producers will put their final offer on the table at the end of the month. If the stagehands reject it, the producers will lock them out of the theaters” at the beginning of October.