Indianapolis’s Ballet Internationale has shut its doors after 32 years in business. Its affiliate academy and satellite operations closed as well. “After a comprehensive review of the organization’s financial situation, the board determined that Ballet Internationale is not viable in Indianapolis under the current structure. A bankruptcy filing would be forthcoming.”
Tag: 11.09.05
Byrd’s Small Seattle Dance Company Goes Big
Three years ago, choreographer Donald Byrd left New York to take over Seattle’s Spectrum Dance Theatre, a small community company. Many were surprised Byrd would take on a company with little reputation, but in three years he has transformed Spectrum, and last week scored a hit, bringing the made-over company to New York where it earned enthusiastic reviews.
Michigan Opera: Subscriptions Down, Ticket Sales Up
Detroit’s Michgan Opera Theatre ran a very modest deficit for the past season. Michigan’s weak economy continued to take a toll on corporate and individual giving to the company, which remained flat. Ticket income dipped slightly, but the bigger story is that subscription income fell short of goals by $140,000. Subscription sales have now declined for five straight seasons, which officials attribute to aging audiences and lifestyle changes that find younger patrons less willing to commit. Still, single-ticket sales exceeded goals in 2005 because of a surge for the world premiere of Margaret Garner.”
It’s Art. It’s Not Supposed To Be Cool.
“Cool is a word that often crops up when describing art or artists. It’s always been a term that has bugged me. The minute something is described as cool, my instincts tell me that it is on the wane. For me, being creative is being prepared to make a fool of myself — in a nutshell, the opposite of cool. In my experience embarrassment is not fatal. Coolness somehow implies that there is a right thing to do, whereas creativity is mistakes. I recall in sixth-form art lessons that the coolest boy just churned out copies of his favourite album covers… In years to come we will look back at our obsession with appearing cool as we look at the medieval chivalric code. I think the time has come for adulthood and wisdom to be seen as things worth aspiring to.”
Supporting Artists, Not Just Their Art
Norway’s culture minister has announced plans for a $150,000 study of the living conditions of the country’s artists. The eventual aim would be to find new ways for the government to provide support for freelance artists, who frequently move in and out of existing unemployment programs, and often lack retirement savings.
Ordway In The Black Again
St. Paul’s Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, which plays host to a range of traveling musicals as well as serving as the home base for Minnesota Opera and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, has balanced its budget for the third year in a row. “For the first time in three years, the center was able to draw funds — about $600,000 — from its endowment… And, buoyed by a three-year, $1.5 million grant from the Fred C. and Katherine B. Andersen Foundation, the Ordway saw contributions increase by 17 percent over last year. After three years of fiscal discipline and a half-million-dollar bailout from the city of St. Paul, the Ordway seems again ready to look forward.”
As Art Goes For The Everyday, Architects Shoot The Moon
“The ordinary has become the universal currency of contemporary art… Contemporary British culture fetishises the ordinary, whether it’s Tracey Emin or Coronation Street, Reality TV and its stream of pleb-celebs, or the slightly condescending, awkward glory of Mike Leigh, Alan Bennett and Martin Parr… The odd thing is that while other arts increasingly revel in everydayness, architecture, the art that touches our lives in the most practical and everyday ways, remains in thrall to the gravitational pull of the ‘icon’.”
Rothko Sale Sets Record at Christie’s
“An oil painting by Mark Rothko has set a new world record of $22.4m for any post-war work sold at auction. The work, entitled Homage to Matisse, was sold at Christie’s post-war and contemporary art sale in New York on Tuesday evening. New records were also set for Roy Lichtenstein, Francis Bacon and several other artists. Lichtenstein’s In the Car sold for $16.2m, while a Willem de Kooning untitled work from 1977, sold for $10.66m, far above the high estimate of $6m. The sale took a total of $157.4m, exceeding the pre-sale high-end estimate of $145m, with only four of the 70 lots on offer failing to sell.”
Black Ink In Detroit, But Challenges Remain
The Detroit Symphony ran a $100,000 surplus for the 2004-05 season, and raised the most money in its history to help pay down a $2-million accumulated deficit. “The single biggest factor in the orchestra’s fund-raising success was a challenge grant that led to 3,100 new or increased gifts to the orchestra from individuals and businesses totaling $2.2 million… The DSO slashed expenses the last two seasons through negotiated pay cuts for the musicians and cuts in staff salaries, jobs and administrative costs. But this year, increases in musician salaries will drive up the budget by nearly $1 million.”
Chicago Theatres To get Regulatory Break
The City of Chicago is creating a new ordinance to ease licensing on theatres. “The new rules will cut much of the red tape associated with current applications for Public Place of Amusement licenses, whose guidelines would continue to govern larger theaters. “This will make it a lot less cumbersome for theaters to go through the licensing process. It is just much more sensible and user-friendly to look at small spaces in a different way from movie theaters, bowling alleys and nightclubs.” In November 2003, inspectors from the city’s Revenue Department abruptly closed down a number of off-Loop theaters and cited them for an array of previously unknown violations.