“Fifty years ago this fall, San Francisco leaders got a novel idea to put a small surcharge on every hotel bill to fund city arts programs. Grants for the Arts was intended to be symbiotic – City Hall would use the hotel tax to fund its Ballet, Opera, Symphony, museums and music festivals, which in turn would promote San Francisco and draw more tourists.”
Tag: 11.06.11
Consciousness: The Black Hole Of Neuroscience
“The simplest description of a black hole is a region of space-time from which no light is reflected and nothing escapes. The simplest description of consciousness is a mind that absorbs many things and attends to a few of them. Neither of these concepts can be captured quantitatively. Together they suggest the appealing possibility that endlessness surrounds us and infinity is within.”
Has 2012 Cultural Olympiad’s Chief Turned It Around?
“Last year, when Ruth Mackenzie was appointed director of the Cultural Olympiad, the very concept was at a low ebb. No one seemed to know exactly what it meant.” With the launch this week of the London 2012 Festival, the Cultural Olympiad’s flagship, Mackenzie seems to be sorting things out.
Lloyd Webber’s West End Theatres Consider Closing For London Olympics
“Andrew Lloyd Webber’s theatre company is considering closing its West End shows during next year’s Olympics, with a massive slump expected to hit tourism bookings during the Games fortnight next July and August.”
A Liszt-Hating Critic Begins To Come Around
David Patrick Stearns (before coming around): “I was feeling personally betrayed whenever one of my favorite musicians came out with a Liszt anniversary-year recording. I nearly wept upon seeing Pierre Boulez’s granite-chiseled face appear on the cover of a Liszt piano concerto album with Daniel Barenboim … Yes, Boulez – the high-minded composer/conductor who has no time for Brahms and once thought Verdi was stupid. And now … Liszt?”
Seattle’s Intiman Theatre Plans For New Season, But…
The Tony-winning theatre canceled this season because of money woes. Its theater at Seattle Center has been used by other groups since. Whether the company can get it together to produce a 2012 summer season is unclear.
Do The Humanities Really Need To Be Protected From The Encroachment Of The Sciences?
On the New York Times‘s philosophy blog, The Stone, German literature scholar William Egginton and philosophy professor Alex Rosenberg debate the issue – along with the question, “Can neurophilosophy save the humanities from hard science?”
Thousands Worldwide Contribute Money For Ai Weiwei’s Tax Bill
“More than 20,000 people have together contributed at least $840,000 since Tuesday, when tax officials gave Mr. Ai 15 days to come up with an amount that was more than three times the sum he was accused of evading in taxes.”
Your Favorite Musicians, Now Way Closer To You
“The rough economy and ongoing overhaul of the music business could carry a silver lining for music lovers, as a growing number of artists head to the cozier confines of theaters, clubs and other small venues.”
Judge (And Know) These Books By Their Covers
When Geoff Dyer read Penguin classics as a lad, new books meant new art: “The use of different paintings meant each book was a ‘modern classic’ in its own particular way. A side effect was that books I was reading for an education in literature doubled as an introduction to art history.”