I had another phenomenal opportunity last last week before the holiday break -- to interview former Alaska senator and 2008 presidential candidate Mike Gravel on the occasion of his new book, A Political Odyssey, coming out. He was a scream -- and brilliant.
The content below is from Americans for the Arts' Cultural Policy Listserv, email blast of June 18, 2008:
Putting the Arts back into the Arts
Utne Reader, July-August 2008
"During his stint at the NEA, [former chairman Bill Ivey] dreamed up an unofficial Cultural Bill of Rights, which he fleshes out in his book 'Arts, Inc.: How Greed and Neglect Have Destroyed Our Cultural Rights' (University of California Press, 2008). [He] argues that arts policy has long targeted two issues, arts education and increasing funding for nonprofit organizations, that aim to 'bring more fine art to the American people' without encouraging more people to actually create. Amateurs who might like to dabble in photography or the guitar, for instance, aren’t empowered by our society (or our schools) to do so. 'Utne Reader' talked with Ivey about why we’re making less art and what public policy’s got to do with it."
Because creativity is threatening to Republicans?
Economic impact of arts more than $105 million
Jacksonville Daily Record (FL), 6/26/2008
"A study by the Northeast Florida Center for Community Initiatives at the University of North Florida found that in 2007, Jacksonville’s nonprofit arts and culture industry contributed more than $105.6 million to the local economy. The research study was commissioned by the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville and measured the economic contributions of 38 nonprofit arts and cultural organizations in Duval County. The report summarizes data from a wide variety of cultural organizations representing music, dance, visual arts, theater, history, and arts education. The groups reported total expenditures of over $54.5 million, primarily in the areas of personnel, rent, advertising, and artistic fees. Using a multiplier developed by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the economic impact of the arts and culture industry was determined to be more than $105.6 million."
And the cost of counting all the ballots in the 2008 presidential election: priceless. Seriously, this is good news.
The proposed new law is a nightmare for artists
The Art Newspaper, 6/19/2008
Artist Frank Stella criticizes the proposed "Orphan Works" legislation, saying, "[I]t would give carte blanche to infringers even if they wished to exploit an artistic work for commercial advantage. Under the proposed legislation, if a copyright holder finds out about an infringement after the fact, his only remedy would be to bring a lawsuit in federal court where a judge could order the payment of what he determines would have been paid by “a reasonable willing buyer and reasonable willing seller” before the infringement took place. This is in sharp contrast to existing law where a copyright holder may obtain a halt to the infringement, the destruction of infringing copies, and damages that may be up to $150,000 for each work of art infringed. This would remove the deterrent that keeps piracy rates at a manageable level. . . . Few artists can afford the costs of federal litigation: attorneys’ fees in our country vastly exceed the licencing fee for a typical painting or drawing."
Again, we live in a society profoundly hostile to artists. If Bill Ivey wants to know why amateurs are not encouraged to be creative, perhaps it has something to do with a mentality like the one described in this legislation.
ADAA President Resolves to Secure Donation Pledges in Return for Tax Code Changes
Maine Antique Digest, 2008
"Year after year, artists, art dealers, and art museum directors have called upon Congress to enact legislation that would permit artists to receive a full, fair-market deduction on their tax returns when they donate their own artwork to museums. (Since 1969, artists making donations of artwork are permitted only to deduct the cost of materials, rather than the full value of the art.) Year after year, legislation authorizing this change in the law has failed even to come up for a vote. Roland Augustine, a New York City art gallery owner and president of the Art Dealers Association of America, has a new idea, a sort of carrot to hold before legislators. 'I plan to secure pledges from fifty living American artists for one important work from their own collections that they would donate to a museum if legislation is passed,' he said."
I'd love to see the names on this list.
Arts budget cuts add up to a $3M victory
Star-Ledger (NJ), 7/1/2008
"The state Council on the Arts will receive $19.2 million -- $2.7 million less than last year -- as part of the $32.9 billion spending plan signed into law Monday. Despite a 12 percent cut, the arts council budget exceeds by $3 million the amount proposed by Gov. Jon Corzine at the start of the budget process." The approved budget also cuts or eliminates annual funding to numerous state arts organizations.
Interesting information in this article.
Hollywood East costly act
Boston Herald, 6/28/2008
Massachusetts state Rep. Steven D’Amico argues against a bill that provide a state subsidy for 20 percent of the costs of building movie studios, because "[o]nce studios are built it will be impossible to sunset the production tax credits, which are scheduled to end in 2013. Like New York, we will be forced to defend our studios with ever-escalating subsidies. . . . [W]e will be committed to funding 25 percent of their operating costs. Forever."
People are never goddamn happy. There's runaway production in Canada in the early part of this decade and people scream that we've got to bring it back. A few states get the bright idea of tax incentives to lure production back stateside and then everyone starts complaining that incentives are forcing states to compete against each other (that's the point). Suddenly states compete against each other for production via tax incentives and when economic times turn tough, people like this dude turn on tax incentives. Vicious goddamn cycle, and dumb.
Portland's arts funding should increase
The Oregonian, 6/29/2008
Although Portland currently ranks No. 23 per capita among U.S. metropolitan regions in arts funding, art advocates anticipate "[t]hat will likely change with Mayor-elect Sam Adams and newly elected City Commissioner Nick Fish in office. Portland now has perhaps the strongest arts and cultural advocates since the days of Commissioner Mike Lindberg in the '80s and '90s. But the road to arts heaven will be hard-earned. Adams, Fish and other arts and culture leaders say Portland will move up the arts-funding chart only if the city doubles the arts budget and encourages support from private businesses. Most of all, they say, the arts community must learn how to master the political system for its own ends in the way that the affordable housing and sustainability movements have."
There's a beer running Portland?
Report: Out-of-state actor salaries help trigger big tax credits in Mass
Malden Observer (Medford, MA), 6/28/2008
In Massachusetts, "[l]egislators moved to advance a tax credit bill for film studios late last Tuesday, hours after a Patrick administration analysis showed tax credits are subsidizing millionaire actor salaries and raised questions about the economic prudence of additional incentives for the industry. The Department of Revenue report released quietly late Monday, which hypothetically analyzes film industry spending, estimated the state collects under 18 cents in budgetary revenue for every dollar it furnishes in tax credits, and that roughly one-third of the spending so far in 2008 has paid actors earning over $1 million per film, virtually all of whom live out of state. Most of the hefty salaries are likely spent or saved out of state, the report said."
So modify the incentives, but don't get rid of them. Also, which specific actors? Very, very, very few actors make millions on a film -- it should be easy to figure out these individuals might be. Mark Wahlberg? Ben Affleck?
Giving's Tough Climate
Chronicle of Philanthropy, 6/26/2008
"The sluggish economy is showing its effects on charitable donations, which rose just 1 percent last year after inflation, according to Giving USA, the annual tally of American philanthropy to be released this week. . . . Charities report that donors of all types have recently delayed or reduced gifts — or stopped giving altogether. But not all charities faced trouble last year. Organizations that increased donations in 2007 tended to be large, sophisticated institutions and those that have worked hard in recent years to expand and diversify their fund raising and develop other sources of revenue that can offset the effects of a shaky economy."
Get ready -- these numbers are going to get worse next year, especially if the market continues to tumble.
I had a great opportunity -- to interview the great literary raconteur Sidney Offit on the occasion of the publishing of his second memoir, Friends, Writers, and Other Countrymen. One of the things I told him is that he was one of the first people I ever interviewed -- back when I was in high school, for my school paper. That was back in the day when he was still doing regular on-air debates opposite Dr. Martin Abend on the Channel 5 News.
Here's the Q&A, published on Metromix.com (and perhaps AM New York).
Here's a teaser/spoiler -- but do click over and read the whole thing.
How did you decide these anecdotes would make a new memoir?
I was told to write this book by my son Ken, who’s in his 50s, and though I have paranoia around name-dropping, I realized how fascinated I always was by my encounters. When I was a baseball reporter, my most meaningful experience was with Jackie Robinson and my conversations with Willie Mays. Those snippets of conversation put together a life. Years ago I had sort of a histrionic perception of myself as an introverted writer, but my wife Avodah said to me “You need people” and moved me to go to the New York Public Library to write, where I met so many other writers. Profound people to me were solitary, reserved and thoughtful. Eventually I learned it was people themselves who were always my major adventure.
For New York Press. I rarely point to what other colleagues write, but I thought Aaron Riccio's take on the play was pretty on the money, too. Here's a link to that, but only after you read my New York Press piece.
Speaking of which, here's a tease:
The following review is brought to you by our sponsor, the International Association of Professional Spoilers, always dedicated to the ruination of your evening.
In the final scene of Stitching, Anthony Neilson’s two-hander about a couple that should never have been a couple, the female, Abby, played by spitfire Israeli actress Meital Dohan, reveals that she’s done something to her privates that’s a horrific form of genital mutilation. Not that there’s any genital mutilation that isn’t degrading and demoralizing, but Abby’s is disturbing to an exponential degree—among the worst of the tribal rites you read about in U.N. reports and news accounts.
And not only that, if you want to write a review of it, visit this link.
Sphere: Related ContentI kind of figured it might happen -- someone in a public way would take on Mike Daisey and his belief (and monologue) How Theater Failed America. It's odd for me because I consider them both friends and I also think the world of both of them and I also think they both have a learning curve in terms of issues surrounding institutional and nonprofit and regional theatre (if I may trifurcate). But I'm very glad that Mike has posted a long, dramatic and well-reasoned reply to Teresa's editorial in the current issue of American Theatre.
I am myself going to take some time to reread both Teresa's essay and Mike's reply and then post some thoughts. In the meantime, does anyone want to take a side? Or offer a third way?
Comments?
Got an email over the weekend from Susan Hefti. Here it is. Do click on the link...
Dear Friends, Neighbors & History Lovers,
Many of you know that Michael Devonshire, who teaches in the Columbia Graduate School of Architecture & Historic Preservation, has been an outspoken supporter of the 93rd Street Beautification Association's campaign to help protect historic Marx Brothers Place in Carnegie Hill.
In today's Sunday NY Times, Devonshire unequivocally endorses the extension of the Carnegie Hill Historic to include the remarkable collection of houses on this block, "not just to satisfy the local residents, but to save a gem for all New Yorkers."
Please click on this link and scroll down to read Devonshire's wonderful Letter to the Editor of the NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/06/nyregion/thecity/06lett.html?_r=1&ref=thecity&oref=slogin
The 93rd Street Beautification Association is grateful to Michael Devonshire and all the other distinguished Preservationists who continue to so enthusiastically embrace our ongoing preservation campaign !
with best regards,
Susan Kathryn Hefti
Co-Chair, 93rd Street Beautification Association
93rdst.beautification@gmail.com
Received this press release today:
MANHATTAN THEATRE CLUB
ANNOUNCES
THE FIRST RECIPIENTS OF THE
BANK OF AMERICA PLAYWRIGHT COMMISSIONING PROGRAM
DAVID LINDSAY-ABAIRE, NOAH HAIDLE AND LIZ FLAHIVE TO BE COMMISSIONED
New York, NY (July 2, 2008) -- Manhattan Theatre Club (Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director; Barry Grove, Executive Producer; Daniel Sullivan, Acting Artistic Director 2007-2008) has announced the recipients of its first Bank of America Playwright Commissioning Program. The three recipients are David Lindsay-Abaire, Noah Haidle and Liz Flahive.
Bank of America has provided a grant to Manhattan Theatre Club to support this three-year program. Commissions will be issued each June. This program is being overseen by Lynne Meadow and MTC’s new Director of Artistic Development Jerry Patch. The commissions will directly support contemporary playwrights by providing the resources needed to create new work -- work that will be nurtured and developed with the goal of being presented on one of MTC’s three stages.
“We are thrilled to be able to commission these deserving American writers and so grateful to Bank of America for making this possible,” stated Jerry Patch. “We look forward to working with our commissioned playwrights and are hopeful we’ll see the Bank of America commissions on our stages.”
“Bank of America is dedicated to helping the arts flourish, particularly American arts and artists,” said Rena DeSisto, global arts & culture executive for Bank of America. “We are pleased to present this opportunity for new American plays to be developed and to contribute to the canon of American theater.”
DAVID LINDSAY-ABAIRE was most recently awarded the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play Rabbit Hole, which premiered on Broadway last season at MTC’s Biltmore Theater. The play also received five Tony Award nominations, including Best Play and the Spirit of America Award. His other plays include Fuddy Meers, Kimberly Akimbo, Wonder of the World and A Devil Inside, among others. David is also currently writing the book and lyrics for the Broadway-bound musical Shrek. In addition to his work in theater, David wrote the screenplay for the Newline feature Inkheart, and is currently at work on screen adaptations of his plays Rabbit Hole for 20th Century Fox, starring Nicole Kidman, and Kimberly Akimbo for Dreamworks.
NOAH HAIDLE’s play Persephone opened at the Huntington Theater in April of 2007. His play Vigils premiered at Chicago’s Goodman Theater and later at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, D.C. Mr. Marmalade had its New York premiere at the Roundabout Theatre Company. His play Princess Marjorie received its world premiere at South Coast Repertory. Haidle’s Rag and Bone played at the Long Wharf Theatre as part of the New American Voices Festival under the direction of Tina Landau. His latest play Saturn Returns will premiere this fall at the Mitzi Newhouse Theater. He is the recipient of three Lincoln Center Le Compte Du Nuoy Awards, the 2005 Helen Merrill Award for emerging Playwrights, the 2007 Claire Tow Award, and an NEA/TCG theatre residency grant.
LIZ FLAHIVE’s play From Up Here recently premiered at Manhattan Theatre Club and received the John Gassner Playwrighting Award from the Outer Critics Circle. It was also nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play and a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play. Her plays have been produced, workshopped and read at NYU, Williamstown Theater Festival, Naked Angels and Ars Nova. Liz also volunteers with The 52nd Street Project, an organization that pairs inner city kids with professional theater artists to create original theater.
First drafts of all commissioned plays will be given an in-house reading at MTC’s Creative Center, to be followed by feedback sessions between Artistic Development staff and the playwright. All final scripts will be evaluated for potential production at one of MTC’s three performance spaces.
Going through a ton of old links that I wanted to highlight and comments on.
A few weeks ago at Matt Freeman's blog, he linked to the typically indescipherable scribblings of a certain blogger who thinks he has any standing in the world of criticism. (This is not a slight to Matt, who of course can link to anyone he wants for any reason.) Anyway, the question was what would happen if there was a moratorium on print criticism for a year. Well, for one thing, there would be more Web criticism, wouldn't there?
Meantime, my friend and colleague Tom Garvey in Boston writes a well-considered post about Beantime theatre critic Carolyn Clay. Would that people in Gotham wrote with such insight -- and without such invective and misguided hyperintellectualism.
Am I missing something, or should we in the theatrosphere/blogosphere be making much more out of the "censorship" incident in Denver at the National Performing Arts Convention? When I was in DC two weeks ago, the subject came up over dinner with a number of well known and all rather high powered DC theatre folk, and when they alluded to the incident, I asked for more information. You'd have thought I was asking for blueprints to a nuke. When I finally pried out of them what had happened, I asked if they weren't concerned/startled/outraged, and it was again as if I was speaking Greek. Huh? Isn't this a First Amendment matter? Why are artists afraid of ruffling each other's feathers?
I just came across producer Ken Davenport's hilarious explanation of what's going on with the TKTS booth that's taking 473 years to complete. Of course, I could discuss how a certain person at TKTS yelled at me once when I was legitimately reporting and trying to find out what was going on, so just reading this makes me laugh -- and cry -- and crow.
And here's an earlier post on the same subject.
Those NYU bastards are sending me emails asking for money. You think I'd give them money? I'd give them money if they fired Alicia Hurley, or did something even more dreadfullly horrific to her on behalf of humanity.
The text of what they sent me is below:
Having trouble viewing the images below? Try the web version.
Leonard, NYU is one of the leading universities in the world.Our alumni have achieved leadership positions in every imaginable field.Now please, click here, and meet some people who can dream to be successful because of the opportunity that NYU provides.
Click here to forward this email to a friend. This message was intended for: clydefitch@aol.com. If you do not wish to receive messages of this type in the future, please visit here. New York University New York NY 10012
You may remember various posts about and paeans to Jonathan West, one of my dearest friends during and since college. Well, from way up there in Milwaukee he asked if I'd post something on the blog for him and I agreed.
"You don't know me. But I'm a long time friend of Leonard's, and I have so many tawdry stories about him that he's allowing me to post this item on his blog so I don't spill all the noxious beans about our dear Len. In any event, my friendship with the wordsmith of The Clyde Fitch Report aside, I'm also a blogger. One from Milwaukee, WI, in fact (yes, the Internet has made it all the way to Milwaukee). I write about the arts for a publication run by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel called MKE. That is, I do until July 10 when the newspaper is going out of business. Until that time my blog Artsy Schmartsy is running a great little hometown debate about the state of theater in general and lots of little artistic tangents associated with said subject. It's nice and homey, full of lots of hometown whines and lightbulb ideas, but I long for outside perspective. If you think you can lend some, shuffle over to Artsy Schmartsy. We folk from Milwaukee need a nationwide smack upside the head sometimes. You might be just the person to give it. Thanks to you, and thanks to Leonard (and if you really want any of my tell-all-tales about him, visit my blog and send me a note and we'll see what we can do)."
Of course, I have no idea what he's referring to.
Also got this press release from Susan Hefti:
Wednesday morning's news cast on WBGO Jazz 88 Radio will be featuring a story (every half hour between 6 & 9 am!) about the Demolition Review Amendment proposed by the 93rd Street Beautification Association and submitted to the NYC Council on June 9, 2008.
So tune in Wednesday morning July 2nd to hear what WBGO Jazz 88 News Director, Doug Doyle, reports on the progress of this proposed amendment !
For more information, contact the 93rd Street Beautification Association or visit our blog at: www.savemarxbrothersplace.wordpress.com.
best regards,
Susan Kathryn Hefti
Co-Chair, 93rd Street Beautification Association
93rdst.beautification@gmail.com
I got this press release from Susan Hefti, who is making (it appears) great strides to get something called the Demolition Review Amendment on the City Council's radar. Susan, you'll recall, is going to make sure, if it's the last thing she does, that Marx Brothers Place becomes not just a dream but reality. And trust me, this lady is nothing but determined. I don't think she walks down dark alleys, but if she did, she'd be a terrifying law-enforcement weapon.
Here's the release:
The Demolition Review Amendment, proposed by the 93rd Street Beautification Association on June 9, 2008, has gained some key support in the NYC City Council !
Council Member Tony Avella has offered his support for this much needed legislation which, if passed by the NYC Council, would codify the public will to protect the city's architectural & cultural history by including within the demolition process an opportunity for 1.) reflection (is the structure historically significant ?) and 2.) notice to the public.
Adam Pincus, a reporter for Real Estate Magazine and The Real Deal, picked up the story about the amendment's progress and wrote the following news article (please click on the link below to read the news story published by The Real Deal)
Currently, the law does NOT require any public notice, nor ANY review of a structure's historic worthiness before demolition so long as it is not within a designated historic district, nor individually officially designated. As only 1% of NYC is designated, this leaves vulnerable to summary demolition 99% of the buildings in our town unless the NY City Council adopts this zoning amendment.
The 93rd Street Beautification Association is grateful to Council Member Tony Avella for stepping up to the plate on behalf of NYC's historic structures & neighborhoods. We hope that Council Members Katz, Lappin, Weprin & Garodnick will also join in this effort to improve NYC, and offer their support for this much needed legislation.
For more information, please contact the 93rd Street Beautification Association or visit our Blog at: www.savemarxbrothersplace.wordpress.com.
best regards,
Susan Kathryn Hefti
Co-Chair, 93rd Street Beautification Association
93rdst.beautification@gmail.com
Sorry I've been away. Mom had to have an operation, which she did on Monday. She's fine, and it was relatively minor as I suppose such things go, but she does need a little time to recuperate physically as well as mentally. Between that and my dad having to have another angioplasty a week or so before that (revealing that there's nothing wrong his heart, thank God), it's been a rough few days. Much to post -- and I still need to write the final word on evil Alicia Hurley and the Provincetown Playhouse matter.
Sphere: Related Content
