DVDs have become an effective way of getting political messages out. “DVDs are cost-effective in terms of marketing. If theatrical is prohibitively expensive, DVDs are a great way to get out a political message. You can get free media play in such conservative strongholds as the blogosphere and talk radio.”
Tag: 12.06.05
Embattled Getty Expands Board
The Getty Trust expands its board from 12 to 16. “The newcomers — Stewart A. Resnick, William E.B. Siart, Mark S. Siegel and Peter J. Taylor — bring a long list of financial and educational credentials at a time when critics have accused the trust’s sitting board of inattention. But the newcomers’ lack of arts expertise and diversity prompted board member Ramon Cortines to step down from his role on the board’s nominating committee.”
America’s Crumbling History
A new report says that heritage items in America’s museums are deteriorating and require urgent conservation care. “Millions of items in American public collections that may be lost unless they receive urgent preservation attention. In a study to be released on Tuesday in New York, Heritage Preservation, a Washington-based conservation group, reports that many such collections are threatened by poor environmental controls, improper storage, inadequate staffing and financing and poor planning for emergencies like floods.”
Italy Vs. Marion True
“Italian prosecutors began to make their case on Monday against Marion True, a former antiquities curator at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, and the American dealer Robert Hecht, who are being tried on charges of dealing in looted antiquities…”
NBC Says It Will Sell Shows As Downloads
NBC is joinging the rush to video podcasting. The network follows ABC in making some of its series available for download. “The shows, taken from NBC, the USA Network and the SciFi Channel, include current and older programming, the companies said.”
UK Art – Not Insured
None of the thousands of artworks owned by the British government is insured. “Culture Minister David Lammy said the government carries its own risk for the works dating from the 16th Century to the present day. The collection includes pieces by John Constable, Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud and works are shown in hundreds of government buildings worldwide.”
Basel Miami – A Riot Of Color
What was hot at this year’s Art Basel Miami fair? “One began to discern certain strands. One was for the artist simply to exhibit the most unnoticed of objects just so that one noticed them. Willys de Castro hung two wooden sticks on a wall. Anna Maria Maiolino had framed some torn squares of white plasterboard. After seeing those, one certainly looked at things such as taps in the bathrooms with more curiosity — but not for long.”
UK Arts Go Private
UK arts are getting more funding from private sources. “A report released today by the charity Arts & Business reveals that private support for the arts has leapt from £393m to £452m in the last two years. However, there is concern within the industry that the figures could be seen by the government as an excuse to slash public arts subsidies.”
Didion To Bring Book To Broadway
Joan Didion’s “The Year of Magical Thinking” is coming to Broadway. “The memoir, which was published in October and has since sold more than 200,000 copies, is to be adapted for the stage by Ms. Didion herself, with an eye toward a spring 2007 opening on Broadway. The play, imagined as a one-woman show, will be produced by Scott Rudin, the Hollywood and Broadway producer, and directed by David Hare, the respected British playwright. No casting has been announced.”