Are Geoff Edgers and Tyler Green making a mountain out of a molehill regarding the ethical dilemma of Lloyd Schwartz reviewing BSO after students at the TMC (which is run by BSO), set his poems to music? He disclosed the conflict, so Hackett thinks so, adding “I’m more upset by critics who bore me.” I couldn’t agree more.
NEW ART DEALERS ALLIANCE (NADA) - Video Nights - New Series begins September 10th
Mix Tape 4 (NADA Affair) part 1 - compiled YouTube footage submitted by NADA members and friends. Curated by Jeffrey Tranchell + “First Impressions” - An evening of videos to ease the transition from a lazy summer to an anxious fall. Curated by Lumi Tan.
The 2008 Art Parade has been CANCELLED due to a severe storm warning. We are trying to reschedule for spring 2009.
things magazine: Creating Objects for Curation
“RB writes, “Generally speaking, I am not a fan of taxidermy that makes new - and often woebegone - creatures from the parts of other animals. I think much of such combinatory art uses animals as mere raw materials, manhandled for shock effect…”
Three-day drawing festival launches The Big Draw 2008 September 26-28 London
Geneticist Prof Steve Jones will entertain with a talk about snails, evolution and camouflage before the snails take revenge by eating portraits of Prof Jones and Charles Darwin – very slowly. For SS
YouTube - Bat For Lashes - Whats a Girl To Do
Does anyone know who directed this video? I can’t seem to find that information. [Update] Answer: Dougal Wilson. Thanks Candice and Matthew!
Jessica Backhaus (Conscientious)
This work pretty much embodies the worst photographic trops. Overly precious “quiet” moments that use the meaning within the medium itself as a crutch for content.
Man documents bedhead every day since 2000 - Boing Boing
OMG, make these projects stop! Negse meet last month’s Boing Boing picture a day artist SarahL. Let’s also recall Jason Polan and Noah Kalina.
TheStar.com | entertainment | Art VIPs plot election strategy
Arts funding likely to be an election issue in Canada. Notably, while only 35% of Canadians support the current conservative government, the liberal vote is split between four different parties.
Twitter Drawings! Get yours today! - marchorowitz’s posterous
ineedtostopsoon is offering a small drawing to the next 100 people who add him on twitter, and the drawings are pretty good!
Rhizome - Internview with Kevin Bewersdorf
Rhizome Editorial Fellow Gene McHugh speaks with artist Kevin Bewersdorf about his philosophy toward surfing the web, the spiritual dimension of his work and his upcoming show “Monuments to the INFOspirit” at the New York gallery V&A
“Fact: Alaska hasn’t been hit by a hurrycane since I was elected to office. I HAVE THE EXPERIENCE AND I AM READY TO LEAD!!” Via: Hrag
Just One Decision - Towleroad, More than gay news for more gay men
“You didn’t see John McCain on Larry King last night because he pulled out over this humiliating interview between CNN’s Campbell Brown and McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds on Sarah Palin.” What a distaster!
“I love Elizabeth Peyton and Mary Heilmann as much as anyone, but don’t those seem rather un-new-ish choices for big shows at an institution called The New Museum? Perhaps some arrangement could be made to send those to MoMA in place of their upcoming Miró and Van Gogh shows?”
Obama Met With Fox News Executives - washingtonpost.com
It’s pretty sickening that in this country you have to negotiate for fair news coverage.
Aides Say Team Interviewed Palin Late in the Process
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was not subjected to a lengthy in-person background interview with the head of Sen. John McCain’s vice presidential vetting team until last Wednesday in Arizona, the day before McCain asked her to be his running mate
As relevant as Eric Fischl. New York art news, reviews and gossip.
Art Fag City is Paddy Johnson.
I think your summary doesn’t exactly address the core issue. And when did mere disclosure become an antidote to malfeasance?
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think it’s a good idea to review your students, but a “bought-and-paid-for critical sliminess is almost too shocking to be true.”? If Schwartz tried to hide that information I think critical sliminess and shock might be appropriate, but there’s been none of that.
CORRECTION: He’s not reviewing his students but BSO.
There is a cesspool of conflicting interests that should have been very, very easy to avoid.
Your summary also skips over what Edgers reported: “Schwartz signed a contract with the BSO-run TMC, according to his blog (”The Tanglewood Music Center was actually paying me for my services”), and, in anticipation of his visit, noted that he would be staying for free at the Tanglewood guest house Seranak, the former home of legendary BSO music director Serge Koussevitzky.”
So the journalist was being paid by the entity he was supposed to cover. Pretty basic.
Furthermore, as I said at Regina’s: Creeping permissiveness is en vogue. The thinking tends to be along the lines of: Well, it’s better to have ethically-challenged critics than no critics at all, so let ‘em do what they want so long as they more-or less, kinda disclose what they do.
I think that’s an unfortunate devaluing of both criticism and journalism. If the current economic model doesn’t support arts criticism and/or arts journalism, then people who care about that area shouldn’t explain away obvious transgressions, they should investigate and pioneer new models. (Fortunately, I know that there are people out there doing just that.)
The tide of blog sentiment is clear: A lack of journalistic standards is OK so long as news orgs pay attention to the arts. Which is bizarre because the allowance of ethical dubiousness in arts coverage is an indication that news orgs don’t care enough to pay attention.
It seems pretty clear I should have used a posting method that doesn’t have a character limit.
Thank you, Paddy Johnson. Thank you, thank you.
And Tyler. Ok, but ever heard about swatting flies with a tank? A cement truck? You’re the tank and the truck. I don’t know why you insist on calling music critic LS dubious and slimy. He’s working with students, for God’s sake, and he’s not reviewing anything he’s part of.
Sometimes I wonder why I didn’t just join a convent and say rosaries all day. The level of spic-and-span purity now required of critics makes nuns look like party animals. As the dark prince of American history said so well, I am not a crook. I feel like him now. Believe me, I am not a crook. Regina Hackett
Tyler: I see your point, but like Regina, I really think labeling someone slimy for this is uncalled for. The situation isn’t ideal, but it’s not so awful that the man deserves to be raked through the coals.
I am particularly uncomfortable with this kind of name calling in light of the growing number of critics who have lost their positions due to stories that have first appeared on Modern Art Notes. With the exception of Grace Glueck (who, in my opinion should have been allowed to retire in peace), I have largely agreed with your positions on such matters, but I also worry that too much of this sort of coverage will ultimately do more harm than good. This is a fairly minor instance — you’ve written one sentence on the topic at MAN — but it does bring to light larger concerns.