But only the Baltimore Museum caught so much grief that it “paused” its sale. The Brooklyn Museum? Well, its sales were “almost $20 million for seven works by artists including Henri Matisse, Joan Miró and Claude Monet.” What’s up with the tale of two museums? – The New York Times
Tag: 10.30.20
Britain’s So-Called Equalities Minister Suggested That Some Black Authors Wanted Racial Division
More than 100 British authors reacted quickly. “The allegation here is not only clearly false but dangerous. It risks endangering the personal safety of anti-racist writers. In recent years progressive writers, politicians and activists across Europe and the United Kingdom have been physically attacked and killed by far-right extremists.” – The Guardian (UK)
Turns Out Universal Accessibility At Museums Can Help During A Pandemic
For instance, the Guggenheim’s audio guide, “Mind’s Eye,” was designed for the blind and low-vision community. Now it’s also serving the sighted people who miss the musuem. “It’s a vivid escape for those of us stuck inside during the pandemic.” – NPR
Games Are The New Battleground (State)
Games, and their social context, are where many people shape their political ideas. And, of course, they’re where candidates go as well. “The presidential campaign for Joe Biden took the former vice president’s message to Animal Crossing, where players could visit a Biden HQ island. And on Oct. 19, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) proved to be an affable Twitch personality when she brought a low-key get-out-the-vote effort to indie game sensation Among Us.” – Los Angeles Times
The NEH Will Pay To Erect New Statues Of Columbus And Others
In an open slap at protesters who took down statues they considered to be celebratory of racism, colonialism, and sexism, Trump’s National Endowment for the Humanities is giving money to rebuild or repair three toppled statues. – The New York Times
How To Compose Over The Internet: 17 Players, Five States
Sixteen instrumentalists from the contemporary music ensemble Alarm Will Sound were scattered across several states and four makeshift home offices and professional studios, working with Tyshawn Sorey on his “Autoschediasms.” To synchronize everyone’s efforts, each “pod” of musicians was simultaneously logged into two different internet conferencing applications. – The New York Times
Poland’s Hottest Rapper Walks Right Into The Culture Wars
“Taco Hemingway is a household name in Poland. One of the country’s biggest rappers, he has songs that get millions of views, and before the coronavirus hit, he filled arenas. … Over the summer, he released a track, ‘Polskie Tango’ (‘Polish Tango’), which many saw as a direct criticism of Poland’s right-wing government and [its] culture of fear. … He soon found himself under attack on social media and becoming a target for conservative journalists.” – The New York Times
Why composers shouldn’t attack each other in public
In the end, everyone comes out looking bad. And so it was when composer Matthew Aucoin, age 30, took on Pierre Boulez (1925-2016) in the Nov. 5 New York Review of Books. – David Patrick Stearns