“The contemporary attack on liberalism goes much deeper than the ambitions of a handful of populist politicians. They would not be as successful as they have been were they not riding a wave of discontent with some of the underlying characteristics of liberal societies. To understand this, we need to look at the historical origins of liberalism, its evolution over the decades, and its limitations as a governing doctrine.” – American Purpose
Tag: 10.05.20
A Prominent Journal Implodes. Was It The Editor Or The Field?
A narrative took hold among critics of HAU: Journal of Ethnographic Theory, The controversy, at root, wasn’t just about the journal or its editor, but also the ways in which contemporary anthropology is a morally corrupt, harmful institution in which the powerful prey upon the weak. – Chronicle of Higher Education
Gagosian Gallery Creates Virtual Openings With Celebrities
The new initiative was devised as a way to create buzz about Gagosian exhibitions even as the gallery faces an extended period with limited in-person attendance. The online celebrity programming also helps to keep artists from feeling shortchanged by the moratorium on glitzy opening parties and swanky artist dinners that traditionally help woo collectors. – Artnet
How One Regional Foundation Smartly Diversified Its Support
Seven years into its “racial equity journey,” support for BIPOC organizations has increased 670%, from $75,000 in 2013 to $578,000 in 2020. The foundation’s rapid evolution is an illuminating case study of a regional funder closing the funding equity gap while providing what Foundation president Gary Steuer referred to as “continued support and respect for the largest institutions that have sucked up the largest share of the philanthropic pie—mostly Eurocentric arts groups.” – Inside Philanthropy
A Deacquisition Binge At American Museums?
“During the height of lockdown in April, the Association of Art Museum Directors … loosened its guidelines on how members could use the proceeds of art sold from their collections. Now, … museums in the United States are likely to make more than $100 million through the sale of art this fall, according to an analysis by Artnet News. Some welcome this result as a sign that institutions are taking practical steps to change systems that were long considered intractable; others say it is a troubling indication that museums are taking the easy way out and turning their collections into cash machines.” – Artnet
James Beard, The Great Emancipator Of American Cuisine
“[He] was perfectly cast. Large, broad, and jovial-seeming, a Santa of the buffet table, … the happy stout man showed that you could eat well without being frightened of eating incorrectly. … The role that Beard invented and played was vital in creating a new idea of what American cooking was.” – The New Yorker
Of Curtain Speeches, Raising Support And Being Human
“In all cases, as nonprofits, for Pete’s sake, just do something measurably impactful without resorting to counting the number of butts in seats, how many jobs you provided, and your economic impact on the community at large. If you do, people will get it and support you. If you don’t, you’ll lead the Irrelevance Day Parade.” – 501c3 Guru
How Black Artists Are Investing In The Next Generation
Artists who have benefited either directly or indirectly from the Studio Museum’s famous residency program—as well as from an art market that is no longer undervaluing their work as much as it has in the past—are building spaces of their own to strengthen the infrastructure available to artists of color. – Artnet
The Man Who Would Replace LACMA
“Peter Zumthor, who despises monuments, finds himself responsible for a building intended to anchor a diffuse and sporadically planned city, where the forests catch fire every fall. A year ago, when I visited him in Haldenstein, an ancient village in the low Alps where he lives and has his atelier, it seemed to him as if the project might, at the final moment, fail, and ruin his good name. He was despondent, familiarly so. “Maybe it happens, maybe it won’t,” he told me. “I always get burned.” – The New Yorker
Why Conservatives Should Support Aid For The Arts
Arts audiences are passionate and, especially in turbulent times, hunger for the fulfillment that a transcendent performance can bring. Even skeptics of government funding for the arts should support making those experiences possible again. As no less a conservative than Winston Churchill once said, “The arts are essential to any complete national life. The State owes it to itself to sustain and encourage them.” – Washington Post