John Adams is at the stage of his career that a little self promotion may be in order. Not necessarily for more attention. But his work does need an advocate. “You know that basically I’m a very private person, the outgrowth of my Yankee upbringing. Lately I’ve had to reconcile that attitude with the demand for public works; without blowing my own horn, I like to link myself with Frank Gehry. Large pieces — operas, orchestra works, concert halls — need to preserve the personality of the maker while pleasing the outside world, and it’s not always easy.”
Tag: 10.09.03
A Chrismas Tale
Doug Chrismas is something of a mystery in the art world. “As director of Ace Institute of Contemporary Art, he’s provided a home for some of the world’s most demanding art since 1966. The subject of dozens of rumors alleging that he stiffs artists, has produced and sold unauthorized fabrications of sculptures, poaches artists from other dealers, and occasionally sells artworks that he fails to deliver to the buyer, Chrismas has become something of a local legend, partly because nobody really seems to know much about him.”
Michigan: Hip To Be Cool
Michigan’s governor says she wants to make her state so cool that people will be drawn to it. “The governor said she mailed letters to 200 Michigan mayors encouraging them to organize ‘cool commissions’ to make their cities attractive enough to keep young adults in the state. ‘More than 33,000 young adults ages 25-34 left Metro Detroit between 2000 and 2002, according to a recent U.S. Census Bureau report. It was the biggest loss of that age group in the country, an exodus that could put the area’s long-term economic outlook at risk’.”
Toe Nail Queen (At Least They’re Talking About Art?)
Winnipeg artist Aliza Amihude makes jewelry. But her materials are a bit unusual – mouse droppings, toenail clippings, dead insects and pubic hair. And her work has stirred a wave of protest after she got a $5,000 grant from the provincial arts agency. “It is a pure waste of taxpayers’ money, yet it is out there on public display, no doubt available for children to see,” said the provincial opposition party’s culture critic in a debate on the art in the legislature.
The Schwarzenegger Effect: Politics and American Culture
When Arnold Schwarzenegger took the stage to give his first speech as governor-elect of California, he was introduced by none other than talk show host Jay Leno. Leno was careful to avoid making any overt statements of political support for Schwarzenegger, but his very presence at the event raises now-familiar questions about the nature of our increasingly entertainment-dominated society. With the line between “hard news” and softball entertainment programming all but gone from many American minds, the candidacy – and success – of Schwarzenegger is triggering alarm bells for many cultural observers.
Lawson Wins First Novel Award
A 57-year-old Canadian ex-pat was the surprise winner of this year’s Amazon.ca/Books In Canada First Novel Award. Mary Lawson, who lives in the UK, and whose first novel, Crow Lake, has garnered critical acclaim and made the New York Times bestseller list last year, beat out authors Christy Ann Conlin, Aislinn Hunter, Clint Hutzulak, Michael V. Smith, and Marnie Woodrow for the prize.
10 Years In, and Still In Search Of An Identity
“It has been called a godsend for the arts and a major disappointment, ‘the Lincoln Center of the West’ and ‘a conundrum in concrete.’ When it opened, in 1993, former San Francisco Mayor Joseph Alioto viewed the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts as a pallid substitute for what might have been. Today, composer Paul Dresher dubs the South of Market complex ‘a great institution and invaluable resource.'” So which is it? Well, it seems to depend entirely on who you ask, and what their perpective is on the Bay Area’s exceedingly diverse arts scene.
Canada Not So Keen On Governor Arnold
“The election of Arnold Schwarzenegger as California’s governor has sent a shiver through the Canadian film industry, which is worried the superstar and former body builder could flex his new political muscles to try to keep movie production in his home state,” possibly through a series of tax incentives. “Most [Canadian] provinces have tax credit systems that give incentives to produce films, so it would be hypocritical to condemn any U.S. states from considering similar incentives… But it would still be very damaging to the Canadian industry if California moved in this direction.”
Standoff In Charlotte
The Charlotte Symphony strike is a month old today, with no signs of movement from either the CSO management, or the musicians. The latest round of talks, which concluded Friday, left the sides seemingly as far apart as they were a month ago. Four sets of concerts have been cancelled, and starting this week, the strike will affect the city’s opera and ballet companies, which employ the CSO as a pit orchestra. However, the orchestra’s contracts with the opera and ballet say nothing about strikes, so the two groups are likely to hire the CSO musicians on a freelance basis.
Budget Cuts Slam Alabama Theater Groups
In the wake of an overwhelming vote against tax increases by the voters of Alabama last month, the state is making serious cuts to a budget that has already traditionally been stretched to the breaking point, and it appears that the state’s theater groups will be some of the hardest hit. The Alabama Shakespeare Festival, arguably the only arts organization in the state with a national reputation, will take a 75% hit in state funding, as will the Birmingham Children’s Theatre. Worse yet, legislators have announced plans to eliminate funding for ‘non-state agencies’ completely in the next budget.