The Biennial of the Americas, now “a scant 9 months away,” “has been characterized by rumors of its pre-term demise, a hide-and-seek between the city and potential exhibitors about locations, and a question about whether local projects are to be invited and funded as part of the overall vision.”
Tag: 10.05.09
Atlanta Ballet At 80
“The company has gone through so many changes over eight decades it may not be recognizable from its origins as the Dorothy Alexander Concert Group in 1929. … John McFall, the company’s artistic director since 1994, attributes its staying power partially to its connectedness with the Atlanta community.”
Ireland’s Arts Minister Disputes Planned Merger Of Opera Companies
The consolidation “has been prompted in part by cost considerations, given reduced state funding and the likelihood of further cuts. It would see Wexford Festival Opera, Dublin-based Opera Ireland and the Opera Theatre Company (OTC), also located in the Irish capital, replaced by a single national company” based in Wexford rather than Dublin.
Taming Wild Beasts: It’s A Matter Of Genetics
“Most domesticated mammals are really rather different from their wild ancestors: they often have a radically different body shape, frequently sport unusual fur patterns or markings, and it is not uncommon for them to be able to breed all year round.” These traits all seem to be by-products of genes that predispose animals to be tame.
The Quality Of Mercy Is Good For Your Health
“The ostensibly trivial act of forgiving can make you healthier and happier, but failing to forgive might pose a danger to your well-being, according to work by [a] Luther College psychology professor and other leaders in the promising interdisciplinary field of forgiveness.”
Moses, American Pop-Culture Icon
“He may not have been faster than a speeding bullet. He wasn’t more powerful than a locomotive. But he did part the Red Sea! And in America he became the inspiration for the country’s leading superhero, the star of Hollywood’s fifth-highest-grossing movie, and a model for the nation’s preeminent symbol, the Statue of Liberty.”
Documentarians Nervously Eye Supreme Court Case
As the Supreme Court hears arguments in a First Amendment case, filmmakers worry “that a ruling for the government could make it harder for the Michael Moores of the world to take on controversial subjects.” The government is asking the court to “treat depictions of cruelty to animals the same as child pornography.”
Maggie Smith Says Cancer May End Her Stage Career
“I’m not sure I could go back to theatre work, although film work is more tiring,” says a weary-looking Maggie Smith, who was diagnosed with breast cancer last year. “I’m frightened to work in theatre now. I feel very uncertain.”
Survey: Pay Cuts For One Third Of Art Museum Directors
“A survey of more than 60 major art museums in the US shows that the directors of more than one third have recently taken pay cuts, many of them substantial, and senior staff at most of those institutions have also had their compensation trimmed. … But directors of large institutions are still among the highest paid in the culture sector….”
The Jr. Senator From Minnesota Weighs In On File Sharing
“[Sen. Al] Franken acknowledged that as a copyright holder himself, both as an author and former talk-show host, he believes that artists are entitled to legal protections. He stated that ‘Internet service providers must retain the right to control unlawful usage of the Internet,’ but he stopped short of saying how he defined ‘unlawful usage.'”