“Well-meaning parents say to their children: you ought to read this, because it’s the sort of thing you should read at your age. They treat literature as a kind of medicine or tool. But the children pick up on it quickly: they resist it and they become fearful, as I did when confronted by Dickens.”
Tag: 11.16.10
Is The Contemporary Art Being Placed At Versailles Spoiling The Original Art?
The choices for Versailles’ initial exhibits seem intended to be as controversial as possible.
Why Has America Turned To Corporate CEOs To Run Its Schools?
“What do all these professional managers and entrepreneurs have in common? Little or no experience or expertise in education. (Instead, they have degrees in government and law, along with nontraditional entries into education and strong ties to alternative certification, such as Teach for America). Further, they all represent and promote a cultural faith in the power of leadership above the importance of experience or expertise.”
A Canadian Thing – What’s The Point Of Rewarding Obscurity?
“The Geminis and The Gillers: Elitist and rewarding obscurity. The Geminis give awards to shows hardly anybody has seen. This year, the Giller Prize – also a TV program, take note – goes to a book hardly anybody can buy. It’s a Canadian thing, and a major mistake – rewarding obscurity, underlining the gulf between the arts elite, the TV academy elite and the public.”
The Neuroscience Of Stories We Tell Ourselves
“State-of-the-art neuro-imaging and cognitive neuropsychology both uphold the idea that we create our ‘selves’ through narrative.”
Boston Musicians Protest Rockettes Plan To Use Recorded Music
“This is Boston, the city that prides itself on being the Athens of America. To do a show here that’s compromised by having a recorded orchestra instead of one that’s in the orchestra pit is beneath Boston arts-goers.”
How Data Is Changing Our Culture
“Members of a new generation of digitally savvy humanists argue it is time to stop looking for inspiration in the next political or philosophical ‘ism’ and start exploring how technology is changing our understanding of the liberal arts.”
Archaeology That Sounds Right
“The emerging field of acoustic archaeology is a marriage of high-tech acoustic analysis and old-fashioned bone-hunting. The results of this scientific collaboration is an new understanding of cultures who used sound effects as entertainment, religion and a form of political control.”
Lincoln Center Forced To Postpone Performances Because Of Artist Visa Delays
“Jane Moss, Lincoln Center’s vice president for programming and the organizer of the festival, said that visa applications were made in May and that about half of the 50-member troupe involved in the show had received visas by Oct. 13, but the rest were sent for further review by State Department officials.”
Another Round Of Arts Funding Cuts In Britain
The national arts funding body already cut deeply. Now it’s time for local governments. “Local authorities have to balance what they’ve got, and culture, arts and leisure funding is not statutory. So it is going to be one of the first things that local authorities are going to look at.”