The ideal upon which the University of Wisconsin was founded and expanded was not merely to train workers, but to “search for truth … [and] improv[e] the human condition,” ultimately reaching every family in the state. Reporter Adam Harris looks into the current state government’s attempts to change that idea, which is leading to budget cuts and the elimination of liberal arts majors. — The Atlantic
Tag: 12.13.18
Public Radio’s Smaller Stations Are Fading Away, And We’ll All Lose If They Disappear
“The vast majority of assets and growth lie with a relative few of the largest stations. Every year, the weakest go dark, or they are absorbed. … Or their licenses are spun off for cash. … If this continues, the consequences are profound. So how shall we think about this?” Spokane Public Radio general manager Cary Boyce offers three possibilities. — Current
Artist Joan Jonas To Open Interdisciplinary Center On Ocean Conservation In Venice
The institution, called Ocean Space and housed in a newly-restored historic church, will host workshops and lectures and “will also showcase the digital archive of oceanic projects organized in the last seven years by TBA21-Academy, a department of Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary (TBA21).” — The New York Times
A Weekend Retreat That Combines Capoeira And Sustainable Farming
Travel writer Seth Kugel visits Permangolinha, a retreat in the Brazilian state of Bahia where visitors — disciples, really — study the martial arts-based movement form with Mestre Cobra Mansa (Master Tame Snake) and work on his permaculture farm. — The New York Times
Detroit Symphony’s Woes Seem To Be Over: Budget Is Balanced, Ticket Sales Steady
Continuing its recovery from the crises of a few years ago, the DSO announced its sixth balanced budget in a row. Box office revenue rose by 1%, the popular neighborhood concerts were renewed for five more years, and the “Live from Orchestra Hall” webcasts were seen by 400,000 people. — Detroit News
This Year’s Additions To The Rock Hall Of Fame
Since 1986, the Hall has added 323 inductees to its rolls; they include 220 performers, 33 “early influencers” (a category largely composed of rock and roll’s African-American founding mothers and fathers, such as Lead Belly, Robert Johnson and Sister Rosetta Tharpe) and 34 non-performers (generally music-industry executives, but also songwriters, producers and instrument makers). – NPR
Recent Listening In Brief: Christmas Music
Laura Dickinson 17: Auld Lang Syne (Music & Mirror Records)
David Ian: Vintage Christmas (Prescott Records)
Jake Ehrenreich, with the Roger Kellaway Trio,
A Treausury of Jewish Christmas Songs (Ehrenreich)
— Doug Ramsey
Reality as a Metaphysical Construct
It is a rare thing when a book comes along that looks as magnificent as Jürgen Ploog’s Flesh Film and reads like an hallucination. — Jan Herman
From Xeroxed Queer Fanzine To Internationally Influential Opera Blog: The Tale Of Parterre Box
“The first issue was published 25 years ago this month and distributed in bathroom stalls at the Metropolitan Opera. Now its writers are credentialed press at the Met.” Joshua Barone looks at the history of Parterre Box and talks to its founder and doyenne, James Jorden (aka La Cieca). — The New York Times
Tasmanian Billionaire Is Building Hotel-And-Arts-Center Next To His Modern Art Museum
Gambling mogul David Walsh, who built and opened MONA (Museum of Old and New Art) in Hobart in 2011, has announced plans for a complex he’s calling Motown. In addition to 176 high-end hotel rooms, Motown will include a 1,000-seat theatre, a conference center, a library, a gallery, and a spa designed by no less than James Turrell and Marina Abramović. — The Art Newspaper