Tag: sj

The Ruins Of A Street – Turned Into A Museum

“We came to Greensboro to attend a group exhibition presented by a cohort of artist residents whose blend of style and performance provoked laughter one minute and tears the next. Their work offered insights into a network we knew little about, and through them, we discovered a poetic intersection that is worth revisiting: the nexus of art and travel.”

Steven Spielberg Is Expanding His Shoah Foundation To Cover Genocides Beyond The Holocaust

“The Holocaust cannot stand alone. We decided to send our videographers into Rwanda to get testimony. From there we went to Cambodia, Armenia — we’re doing a critical study in the Central African Republic, Guatemala, the Nanjing massacre. Most recently, we’re doing testimony on the anti-Rohingya violence in Myanmar and the current anti-Semitic violence in Europe. We’re expanding our scope to counter many forms of hate.” — The New York Times

An Artistic Approach To Helping People Understand Dire Issues

“When I asked Olafur Eliasson about the impact of the work, he said he thinks that fear-based narratives tend to be unpersuasive, and he prefers to create a meaningful encounter with the environment to encourage change. London’s deputy mayor for culture, Justine Simons, expressed confidence that the work will change attitudes, saying at the launch that Ice Watch ‘will bring the stark reality of climate change to thousands of people in a very direct and very intimate way. It will undoubtedly inspire action’.” – Arts Professional

Is Great Theatre Possible In A Democracy?

Natalia Kalaida, one of the members of Belarus Free Theatre, which was exiled for its political stances, explains that “art has long been used to express political and moral opposition, particularly in countries where open criticism can lead to arrest and even execution. But when citizens have nothing to fight for, Kaliada says, the importance of theatre wanes.” – ABC News (Australia)

Should Britain’s Art Courses Warn Young People About Their Futures?

Lyn Gardner says that although UK government inspector Amanda Spelman has faced a massive backlash – for good reason – some of her statements were probably fair. “Watching each year as arts graduates head into the world sometimes feels like a David Attenborough documentary showing nature at its most brutal. As thousands of young people – who have been taught to call themselves artists but not necessarily given the skills artists need to survive – head for the choppy waters of the industry, they seem like vulnerable baby turtles heading for the ocean.” – The Stage (UK)

Inside The Refugee Theatre Company That Created ‘The Jungle’

The Good Chance Theatre was founded in the Calais refugee settlement known as “The Jungle,” where the touring piece by that title was created. Now that the Calais camp is gone, Good Chance has moved on to Paris, where, each week, migrants attend a workshop and create a theatre piece which they perform for visiting Parisians. Writer Verity Healey has a look. — HowlRound

My Challenges: Mental Illness And Theatre

Jacob Juntunen: “Being a mentally ill theatremaker comes with its own specific challenges. Different mental illnesses require different care, but the majority are exacerbated by lack of routine, insufficient sleep, alcohol use, lack of access to health care, and undue stress—all elements of most theatre careers. Mental illnesses are chronic, requiring a redefinition of self after diagnosis, a lifetime of management, and the navigation of a complicated healthcare system.” – Howlround

Meet The Guy Who Makes Sure The Guthrie Theater’s Shows Are Accessible To Folks With All Sorts Of Disabilities

Says one of many admiring advocates and clients, “If a school is supposed to make programs accessible to students with disabilities — say, blindness — they might put things on tape and say it’s accessible. They don’t say to the person: What would be your preference? Hunter [Gullickson] does that. And he’ll get the program on tape, but also in Braille.” — The Star Tribune (Minneapolis)