“Instead of collectors thinking of museums as one of the first places to put their art, they’ll be more willing to hang on to it and probably put it back on the market, so it’ll probably never end up in a museum.”
Tag: 09.28.06
Abu Ghraib Art? (No Takers)
“Colombian artist Fernando Botero is offering some 80 paintings and drawings portraying the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by US soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison to any suitable museum willing to display them.” So far… no takers.
Cleveland “Idea Center” Exceeds Its Fundraising Target
Nearly $30 million has been raised for a new public broadcasting and arts education center in Cleveland’s Playhouse Square district, most from private donations. The new center will house studios for the local public radio and TV stations, as well as space for educational events programmed by the city’s theaters.
Even In A Good Cause, People Hate Taxes
An anti-tax group in Cleveland is mobilizing to oppose a ballot measure that would increase a countywide cigarette tax and dedicate the proceeds to the arts. If passed, the measure would generate $20 million a year for cultural groups. Supporters are mounting a vigorous campaign to get voters to support the plan, but organized opposition could derail the effort at the polls.
NY City Museum To Expand (And They Mean It This Time)
The Museum of the City of New York is finally ready to break ground on an expansion that it first unveiled nearly two decades ago. “The new wing tries to project a more inviting and inclusive identity for what is a city landmark built in the 1930’s.”
Long Lost Frost Poem Discovered
“An unpublished Robert Frost poem, a tribute to a friend killed during World War I, has been rediscovered and will appear next week in the fall issue of the Virginia Quarterly Review.”
You’d Think They’d Get Bored…
“Broue, a ribald look at working-class life set inside a Quebec tavern, has earned a place in the record books. The play, which opened in Montreal on March 21, 1979, has been performed by the original trio of cast members since the first show. For that, it has earned a place in Guinness World Records as the longest-running theatrical play with the same cast.”
Are Non-Profits Experiencing A Management Crisis?
Arts managers tend to burn out quickly, frequently as a direct result of the stress of constant fundraising and the unwieldy nature of many non-profit boards. But does the burnout problem amount to a leadership crisis? A new study in Chicago aims to find out.
Downloads Stole The Singles Market
“The singles market has largely moved online – and it has happened almost overnight. A couple of years ago there was no such thing as a legitimate digital singles market. But now digital makes up something like 80% of the singles market as a whole.”
Reality Doesn’t Enter Into It
A new film version of the classic novel, All The King’s Men, turns on the classic American storyline of a “man of the people” who beats the odds and achieves political success by playing up his touch with the common voter. But as much as Americans love this kind of story, we’ve never come close to acting out the fantasy at the polls. So “does a real-life political truth — the fact that voters generally don’t end up pulling the lever for a reflection of themselves — lessen the achievement of All the King’s Men? Can a novel be a work of art — and still get its field all wrong?”