IN THE NEWS

Visual Arts/Museums

• Imagine a Greener Art World
  Cricket Toes
  “Within the artsy world, there's a topic that hasn't received much attention in the past, mainly because it's a dirty subject that's got nothing to do with sexual repression--we love talkin' about that!--but nonetheless makes people murmur, "Uncomfortable," under their breath. It is the matter of the damaging impact we have on the environment by transporting works of art all over the planet for exhibition.”
• The Unconfounding Delight of David Hockney
  Observer
  At the age of 72, the artist David Hockney has few living competitors for the public’s affection. Mr. Hockney’s is a household name in England, where he is by common consent the nation’s most popular artist, but also in American households, at least the ones with a Matisse poster hanging in the kitchen. More than any other contemporary figurative painter, Mr. Hockney has spent his career speaking directly about visual pleasure and the things people like in art, like radiance and wit.”

Arts Education

• The Young and the Thankful - Wendy Bell's third-graders at Emerson Elementary share what they're grateful for in Madison
  Madison Magazine
• Lakeland welcomes David Lehman and Stacey Harwood for the GLWF
  Lakeland Mirror
  “The Great Lakes Writers Festival comes around only once a year, and this year, two outstanding poets took the showground. David Lehman and Stacey Harwood illustrated their works, filled with odd and quirky descriptions, in the Bradley Fine Arts Building and later in the Pub, on Thursday, Nov. 5. The annual event was hosted by Fessler Professor of Creative Writing Karl Elder and several of Lakeland's students helped organize the event.”
• Kickapoo band teacher hitting all the right notes
  WKBT-TV La Crosse
  “A La Crosse area music teacher is hitting all the right notes and now his school is benefiting from it. Bill Doolan has taught band in the Kickapoo School District for the past 30 years.  After submitting a grant, Doolan was selected out of two-thousand applicants nationwide to receive the "Mr. Holland's Opus" Foundation band award. The school district is also getting $10,000 worth of new band instruments.”
• Doyle's education reform plans could be held back in Senate
  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
  “On the same day the federal government flicked a green light for states to apply for $4 billion in competitive education reform grants, the fate of two of Gov. Jim Doyle's key initiatives remained uncertain. The U.S. Department of Education finalized the application Thursday for the Race to the Top program and the criteria it will use to assess reform efforts from states, especially in the areas of standards and assessments, data systems, recruiting and rewarding good teachers and principals, and turning around low-performing schools. Two reform proposals that Doyle says are crucial for Wisconsin to compete for funding - giving Milwaukee's mayor the power to hire and fire the superintendent, and giving the state superintendent of public instruction more power to intervene in persistently poor-performing schools - are struggling to gain traction in the Legislature.”
• PLAIN SPEAKING: State behind in education grant race
  Coulee News
  “As the Obama administration prepares to award the first round of Race to the Top grants to states with education reform plans, Gov. Jim Doyle and Democrat lawmakers are determined to give the rest of the country a head start.”
• Curb Center program advances creativity on Vanderbilt campus
  VU Cast (Vanderbuilt University)
  “Creativity, an increasingly valued aspect of life and work in college and beyond, is the subject of an innovative new program at Vanderbilt University offered through its Curb Center for Art, Enterprise and Public Policy. The Curb Program in Creative Enterprise and Public Leadership was launched this fall, funded by the university and a multi-year gift from the Mike Curb Family Foundation.  “Vanderbilt is excited to be the first university to offer a scholarship program for undergraduates that explicitly focuses on cultivating creativity and leadership,” said Bill Ivey, director of the Curb Center and a national expert on arts policy. Five first-year students and one junior are currently serving as Vanderbilt’s first Curb Scholars.  In addition, 15 undergraduate Residential Fellows are participating in a creative campus living-learning experiment in the Barnard and Vanderbilt residence halls. The Curb Center, launched in 2003 with a $3.5 million gift from music executive Mike Curb, is administering the program.”

Community Arts

• Driftless Studio is in touch with nature
  The Capital Times
  “Now that Anne Connor knows what her gallery is, she's ready to share it with State Street. Connor, a photographer, author and nature lover, opened Driftless Studio in Fitchburg in November 2006. At the time, it was a place for her to write and store her photography between regional shows. "People kept saying, ‘What is it?'" Connor said of the space. "And I kept saying, ‘I don't know!' We had to decide -- do we have regular hours? Do we carry retail items? Do we carry other artists' items? "Eventually we decided, we are a nature gallery and gift shop," Connor said. "Now I know what we are, so now I'm ready to come Downtown."

Folk Arts/Folklife

• Additions sought for Melville Irish Settlement book
  Chippewa Herald
  “A few Melville Settlement descendants gathered on Feb. 26, 1997 to share stories and photos. It did not take long to realize there was more than one evening’s worth of stories. What began that evening was start of the Settlement History Project. It was realized a huge amount of wonderful information would be lost if it did not get recorded. The group wanted their future generations to know their rich and colorful history.”
• Ed Hardy’s Tattoo Art Is Booty for Digital Pirates
  New York Times
  “Don Ed Hardy, the famed tattoo artist, must smell good. Make that really good. Ed Hardy-themed perfumes have become some of the most popular fragrances in the world with retailers buying $85 million worth of them so far this year. The designs of Don Ed Hardy, who owns Tattoo City in North Beach, are expected to move more than $700 million in merchandise this year.”

Media Arts

• Where's The Arts Audience? Probably Playing Video Games
  The Guardian (UK)
  "How many video game addicts also do drama? Probably very few. Away from central London, professional theatre and music struggle to compete with multi-channel television, video games, pubs, clubbing and IT networking, a situation exacerbated by 25 years during which arts and culture have been downgraded in the curriculum, and the chance of being enthused decreased by the daunting documentation and fear of litigation that deters schools from organising trips."
• Also:
  A Little Market Perspective - A New Video Game Sales Record Activision Blizzard Inc. said it sold 4.7 million copies of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 , or $310 million (U.S.) of sales, on its first day, setting a new record for the video game industry.
• Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
  New York Times
   “Fantastic Mr. Fox” is a proudly analog animated entertainment, making its handmade way into a marketplace glutted with digital goodies. Next to the three-dimensional, computer-generated creatures that swoop and soar off the screen these days, the furry talking animals on display here, with their matted pelts, jerky movements and porcelain eyes, might look a little quaint, like old-fashioned wind-up toys uneasily sharing the shelf with the latest video game platforms.”

Performing Arts

Dance

• Football Smackdown: Bruce Weber's Roberto Bolle’s Athlete in Tights
  Vanity Fair
  Just as VF Daily’s heartthrob smackdown started heating up, a new candidate entered the race: Roberto Bolle, the 34-year-old Italian ballet sensation, who is the subject of Vanity Fair contributing photographer Bruce Weber’s new book, Roberto Bolle: An Athlete in Tights (teNeues), out this week.
• ‘Wrestler’ Director to Take on Ballerinas
  New York Times
  “The filmmaker Darren Aronofsky is moving from the ring to the barre for his next project. Mr. Aronofsky, who directed “The Wrestler,” will focus on ballet dancers in “Black Swan,” described as a supernatural thriller that stars Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis as rival ballerinas. The film will be co-financed and distributed by Fox Searchlight, according to the Hollywood Reporter.’

Theater

• Group looks at Heider Center’s future
  Coulee News
  “If the performances at the Marie W. Heider Center for the Arts are even bigger and better next season, one of the reasons might be the series of meetings that took place recently. Back in May, members of the the Heider Center Board of Directors learned that they had won a Cultural Facilities Assistance Grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board. Part of the award included funds to conduct an organizational and community assessment. The assessment was conducted by Megan Matthews through the auspices of the Wisconsin Arts Board and began with a three-hour meeting of the board. Board member Jean Ledman said that although none of the board members are paid, attendance for the Friday meeting (and the Saturday meetings as well) was 100 percent.”
• A Need To Reinvent Theatre
  Detroit Free Press
  "Theaters need to understand that they are the pulse of society. But for theater to have the important place in society that it deserves, it needs to be almost a town hall -- a place where people come for ideas, to converse, to be angry and sometimes to be comforted."

Other

• The Artful Manager: Weekly Summary
  ArtsJournal.com
  "Here are this week's posts to The Artful Manager, a weblog on the business of arts & culture written by Andrew Taylor, Director of the UW-Madison’s Bolz Center for Arts Administration and hosted by ArtsJournal.com." 
• Americans for the Arts Job Bank
  Americans for the Arts
  “Americans for the Arts Job Bank is the premier electronic recruitment resource for the industry. Here, employers and recruiters can access the most qualified talent pool with relevant work experience to fulfill staffing needs.” 
• Arts Wisconsin’s ArtsJobs site:
  Arts Wisconsin is your connection to jobs in the arts across Wisconsin and globally.
   

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Falling for dance
“Kanopy dance member and choreographer Kerry Parker talks about her life as a dancer, and her experiences working on "Autumn Heart," a program that presents multiple artistic visions, each with an individual theme.”
 

THURSDAY, 11/12

IN THE NEWS

Visual Arts/Museums

• State of the Art - Big Sensors, Shrinking Cameras
  New York Times
  “Why can’t someone just build the perfect camera? I mean, come on — we’re not asking for the world, just a handful of prerequisites: 1. Small enough for a pants pocket. 2. A big sensor. 3. Interchangeable lenses. 4. Simple, well-laid out controls. 5. Full manual controls. 6. Canned scene modes for beginners…..”

Arts and Creativity in Education

• What Happened To The Education Campaign Pledge?
  Blog: Real Clear Arts/Judith H. Dobrzynski on Culture
  One speech does does not a policy make, but some people are wondering about President Obama's commitment to arts education after hearing his speech on education last week. Delivered in Madison, Wisc., on Nov. 4, the president's speech to Wright Middle School discussed his plans for overhauling the educational system on a national level. As one reader of Real Clear Arts pointed out to me, it contained not a single word about art or creativity.”
• Curb Center program advances creativity on Vanderbilt campus
  VU Cast (Vanderbuilt University)
  “Creativity, an increasingly valued aspect of life and work in college and beyond, is the subject of an innovative new program at Vanderbilt University offered through its Curb Center for Art, Enterprise and Public Policy. The Curb Program in Creative Enterprise and Public Leadership was launched this fall, funded by the university and a multi-year gift from the Mike Curb Family Foundation.  “Vanderbilt is excited to be the first university to offer a scholarship program for undergraduates that explicitly focuses on cultivating creativity and leadership,” said Bill Ivey, director of the Curb Center and a national expert on arts policy. Five first-year students and one junior are currently serving as Vanderbilt’s first Curb Scholars.  In addition, 15 undergraduate Residential Fellows are participating in a creative campus living-learning experiment in the Barnard and Vanderbilt residence halls. The Curb Center, launched in 2003 with a $3.5 million gift from music executive Mike Curb, is administering the program.”
• Porn star and pastor debate at UWO
  WLUK-TV
  OSHKOSH – “A pornography star and a pastor may seem an unlikely duo. But the combination drew a sold-out crowd at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh on Wednesday night. As they have done at other venues, the two shared the stage to address a controversial topic with an unconventional approach.  More than 1,000 students and faculty attended.”
• Theater rededicated
  River Falls Journal
  “About 70 people gathered at a ceremony to rededicate the UW-River Falls Blanche Davis Theatre Oct. 24. On stage, theater faculty cut toilet paper from the set of “Urinetown, The Musical,” the latest production, instead of ceremonial ribbon.”

Community Arts

• Artist's portraits of fallen soldiers given as gifts to those who grieve
  Wauwatosa Now
  “Joanne Bowring paints to say, "Thank you." The Wauwatosa artist creates portraits of soldiers, most from Wisconsin, who have given their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan or died here after serving. She sends her work to the soldiers' families as a way of expressing appreciation.”

Literary

• Tune in Monday for more Dudek
  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
  “We are what we watch, but what are we watching - and how is it shaping us? Starting Monday, Duane Dudek, the Journal Sentinel's film critic since 1995, extends his gaze, and his insights, to the television screen. He'll sort out what's happening on your TV and why, with a particular eye toward the local scene along with the shows and trends that affect our TV viewing - and our world.”

Media Arts

• In theory, bringing Hollywood to Chicago is sound game plan
  Chicago Tribune
  “Is Chicago about to become a big-time movie location for indoor shoots? If all goes according to plan, the city will be home to an enormous new soundstage complex sometime next year, located in almost 50 acres of buildings that formerly housed Ryerson Steel on the Near Southwest Side. In theory, it could mean Chicago will be a draw for the kinds of movies that necessitate large-scale special effects. Despite a recently announced $5 million infusion from a state grant, the project has yet to be officially announced, and a certain tempering of expectations is in order. Chicago has been down this path before; in the past, talk of other soundstage proposals never quite got off the ground despite initial excitement.”
• MGM headed for sale - Studio library, logo may be auctioned off soon
  Variety
  MGM may be the best known logo in the entertainment business, but the company seems headed for another possible garage sale. Several sources say they expect that MGM will essentially be auctioned off within the next few weeks.  This would mean that a major, such as Time Warner, could buy the MGM-UA library while another entity might acquire the logo, and yet another deal could be made for United Artists. Sources speculated that Kirk Kerkorian, who has already bought and sold MGM twice, might buy the logo once again.”
• The eXpressions Journal planning to sue OnMilwaukee.com
  The_AV_Club
  “Ras Kennedy, also known as The eXpressions Journal guy, quits Back in September we reported on Brady Street fixture Ras Kennedy’s decision to leave local art publication The eXpressions Journal. Known simply as “The eXpressions Journal guy,” Kennedy was notorious for walking up to strangers—or the same person dozens of times—and asking, “Are you creative? Do you like to write?” as a way to get them to participate in his magazine. When Kennedy announced his departure, we thought that was the end of eXpressions Journal guys hassling people outside of Walgreens. But it turns out that’s there’s actually another Ras—as in Ras Trammell, the publication’s publisher, who's looking to start a war with OnMilwaukee.com.”
• Gore's Current TV Shifts From User-Generated Content
  Los Angeles Times
  "Current TV's retrenchment shows the difficulty of grafting the freewheeling culture and sensibilities that have thrived over the Internet onto established mediums like television.... [J]ust as advertisers have shied from supporting websites that feature amateur video, so too they appear no more willing to support user-generated content on TV."
• Indie-Film History Goes Back A Hundred Years
  NPR
  "Nickelodeons were once as common as coffee shops, and the nickel-a-pop silent films they showed were as disposable as YouTube videos. That made for a lot of competition in the early days of the movie business -- competition that fueled the rise of an indie-films culture as early as 1909."
• Is Technology Dumbing Down Japanese?
  New York Times
  When I first moved to Kyoto in 1999, I knew about 50 words of Japanese. My attempts to string together a few broken phrases were met with excessive praise, and I assumed everyone was being nice. “No,” I remember my friend Yuki saying. “People mean it. They really are impressed.” She was referring to the widespread belief that Japanese, with its nuanced formal expressions and three different writing systems, is a uniquely complex language.

Performing Arts

Dance

• Football Smackdown: Bruce Weber's Roberto Bolle’s Athlete in Tights
  Vanity Fair
  Just as VF Daily’s heartthrob smackdown started heating up, a new candidate entered the race: Roberto Bolle, the 34-year-old Italian ballet sensation, who is the subject of Vanity Fair contributing photographer Bruce Weber’s new book, Roberto Bolle: An Athlete in Tights (teNeues), out this week.

Music

• New violist makes self at home with Fine Arts Quartet
  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
  “The Fine Arts Quartet has a new violist, which is a little like saying that Spinal Tap has a new drummer. Three members of the resident string quartet at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee have been with the group for 25 years or more, a remarkable record of stability - but Nicolò Eugelmi, now in his fifth month with the group, is its fourth violist since 2000. Replacing a member of an elite quartet is less formal than orchestra auditions. "It's a handshake and trust," said cellist Wolfgang Laufer. But the group had to follow university hiring rules to advertise the opening nationally. After receiving 45 résumés and tapes, the quartet played with four candidates in person. In that setting, Eugelmi's playing shone.”
• Kaiser: orchestras FAIL
  Washington Post
  “Michael Kaiser, in the Huffington Post, has this week addressed the elephant in the living room: some orchestras are not going to make it. There are striking parallels between orchestras and newspapers in this recession. For a couple of years (even longer, in fact, in the orchestra world) there have been talks of imminent closings. So far, nearly everyone has managed to struggle along, with a few exceptions: the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and the Rocky Mountain News in the newspaper world, the Honolulu Symphony, which has just filed for bankruptcy protection, in the orchestral one. (Expand "orchestra" to "classical music institution" and you could throw in the Baltimore Opera and the Connecticut Opera). But a number of institutions are threatened, or on the verge of bankruptcy.”
• Note:  Kaier’s Article in Huffington Post

Theater

• Sew What? local costume designers give insight to their craft
  Volume One
  “When you watch a theater production, what do you notice first? The careful delivery of well-crafted lines? The shadows cast by the actors as they step into the spotlight? The first few notes of music that float over the air as the curtains are drawn back? While the words, motions, and music are integral parts of the show, one thing that ties them all together is the dress. As a past costumer myself, I can attest that not only is it an art full of creativity and innovation, but this time-consuming and, at times, exhausting field adds that note of believability that most shows would fail without.”
• Letter to the Editor:  ‘Music Man’ hits all high notes
  Baraboo News Republic
  “A big congratulations to the Baraboo Theater Guild for their current production of the "Music Man." Terrific cast, wonderful music, great dancing, a story to make you laugh and cry and sing. Director Tina Lang has outdone herself. If you haven’t seen it, you still have a chance this coming weekend. Take your kids, your parents, your uncles and aunts, your in-laws. You’ll go home a happier person.”
• Obit:  Douglas Campbell, Former Artistic Director of Guthrie
  Guardian UK
  “The actor Douglas Campbell, who has died aged 87, made a significant impact in theatre on both sides of the Atlantic. A working-class boy from Scotland who rose to play lead roles at the Old Vic, he later became a distinguished and revered actor in Canada. Like his mentor, the director Tyrone Guthrie, he believed passionately in the virtues of the thrust stage for performing Shakespeare, a belief that led him to theatres from Stratford, Ontario, to Minneapolis and Sheffield. A socialist, pacifist and vegetarian, he delighted audiences as Falstaff, a character who reflected perfectly his larger-than-life personality and capacity for enjoyment.”

VIDEO OF THE DAY

 

MindpoolLive
Open Mic is a series of profiles featuring the music and interviews of musicians and songwriters from around the country. In this inaugural episode, Mindpool Live profiles the soulful sound of Milwaukee's own Hayward Williams. Hayward shares his story and plays material from his upcoming release, "Cotton Bell." This live performance was recorded at Third Ward records. Mindpool Live is currently seeking underwriting support for the physical and digital distribution of this series. If your business is interested in discussing an opportunity please contact Ryan or Josh at info@mindpoolproductions.com. We hope you enjoy Open Mic.

 

WEDNESDAY, 11/11

IN THE NEWS

Visual Arts/Museums

• Grace's gallery turns 30
  Capital Times
  “The Grace Chosy Gallery bridges the gap between traditional and avant garde, old and new, regional and nationally known artists. It is this versatility, as well as the high quality of the work displayed on some 180 linear feet of wall space that has made this Monroe Street gallery a Madison artistic institution for 30 years. The gallery celebrates its third decade this month with a wide-ranging show comprising 30 artists. Each submitted one to four pieces, from woodcuts and etchings to large-scale paintings and sculpture. "I try to keep a mix of representational and abstract art," said Karin Ketarkus, gallery owner and manager, referencing new wildflower watercolors by Paula Scheutte Kraemer and bold paintings by Wendell Arneson, pieces that seem different in almost every way.”
• Thought Experiment No. 1, and More Inappropriate Alarm Clocks - A short quiz, followed by responses to readers.
  New York Times
  “Question: What is the difference among these three photographs?”
• Mother Nature, AKA Valerie Hegarty, Alters Jasper Francis Cropsey
  Blog: Real Clear Arts/Judith H. Dobrzynski
  “How would you go about updating, reinterpreting, a Hudson River School painting? We'll soon see one answer, from artist Valerie Hegarty. On Wednesday, Hegarty will install a site-specific work on the High Line, the elevated park built on a disused rail corridor along the Hudson River, which is turning out to have a snug connection with contemporary art even before the Whitney Museum branch is built there (if it is). Her "artwork often poses as artifacts of art history gone awry," and this installation -- on the wall between section 1, which is complete, and section 2, which is under construction -- references a painting (above) by Jasper Francis Cropsey, Autumn on the Hudson River, 1860.”
• Ink breakthrough puts the shine into printed images
  New Scientist
  “The difference between a matt and a glossy painted surface shows that there's more to the appearance of real-world objects than colour alone. But reproducing that variation in printed images has been beyond the capabilities of even the best colour printers. Now an international team of computer scientists says that could soon change thanks to a printer that can reproduce sheen as well as colour.”

Community

• Another Arts Funding Battle Won--Now What?
  Cricket Toes
  “Remember last month when Miltown was gripped in the throes of yet another arts kerfuffle? Sure ya do. The Milwaukee Arts Board (MAB) was on the budgetary butcher's block as Mayor Tom Barrett proposed that a lion's share of its funding be cut, leaving only its $50,000 head intact and causing it to beg in a faint whisper, "Kill me." As is the usual reaction to such a threat, a landslide of frantic emails, tweets, phone calls, text and Morse code messages spread throughout the artsy community. Most resolved to fight the cut, but others--namely myself, Jonathan West and a measurable number of blog readers--said, in effect, meh.”

Arts and Creativity in Education

• Schools shun Kindle, saying blind can't use it
  San Francisco Gate
  “Amazon's Kindle can read books aloud, but if you're blind it can be difficult to turn that function on without help. Now two universities say they will shun the device until Amazon changes the setup. The National Federation of the Blind planned to announce Wednesday that the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Syracuse University won't consider big rollouts of the electronic reading device unless Amazon makes it more accessible to visually impaired students.”
• Creative Chaos - Art academy fulfills demand for art at all ages
  Courier Press(IN)
  “Laura Mitchell calls it "creative chaos," and there is always some of it going on at Mitchell Art Academy and Clay Studio at 333 State St. in Newburgh. Whether it's children using eggs to make their own paints in the manner of Renaissance masters or adults playfully getting their hands all messed up with clay around a potter's wheel, people there are making art, learning and having fun, Mitchell said. "I've always kind of had this dream, and this is it," she said, gesturing at her studio with its painting tables, pottery and art works.”
• Make-A-Messterpiece lets kids get creative ... without cleaning up
  Chicago Daily Herald
  “A bell regularly rings throughout the day at Make-A-Messterpiece as kids come in ready to make a creative mess. The studio lets kids spend the day painting, coloring, cooking and working on crafts without worrying about the cleanup. "Kids in a lot of homes are told: 'Go play, but don't make a mess,'" said general manager Sarah Cole. "This facility is to let your whole creativity shine." Since opening in September, the specialized art studio in Glenview has been an instant success.”
• Peter Diamandis: the joy of taking risks
  New Scientist
  “Peter Diamandis, CEO of the X Prize Foundation, wants to use our competitive instincts to make the world a better place. After handing out $10 million to the first private team to achieve suborbital space flight, he's extended his X-prize concept into earthly realms such as automotive engineering, genomics and health care. And while he still sends billionaires to the International Space Station as managing director of the firm Space Adventures, he's lately teamed up with futurist Ray Kurzweil to create the Singularity University, where young entrepreneurs are trained to think about global issues. Ivan Semeniuk spoke with Diamandis about his ongoing ventures on and above the planet.”

Literary

• La Crosse Marine killed in World War II is remembered in new book
  La Crosse Tribune
  “It's been 65 years since Merlin Mosey, a Marine corporal from La Crosse, was killed by Japanese artillery fire during the World War II battle for the island of Saipan. But Mosey, who had planned to become an auto mechanic, is remembered in the new book "The Wisconsin 3,800," about Wisconsin residents who died in World War II and are buried overseas or missing in action. Author Tom Mueller of Oak Creek wrote about the lives and deaths of more than 30 of them.”
• Why writers define the first world war
  The Guardian UK
  “As well as its other horrific innovations, this was the first occasion when those in the firing line could record their experiences The links between the first world war and literature are enshrined in our culture: the war poets are taught in schools, and their descriptions of the horrors of the trenches have entered – and to an extent informed – our national consciousness. But why was it this war, above all others, that found its way into words?”
• Sassoon Archives Online: The First World War Poetry
  New York Times
  “The Archive of Oxford University placed a digital Siegfried Sassoon collection online on Wednesday, made up of materials from Oxford and Cambridge, as well as the New York Public Library and the Harry Ransom Center in Austin. At its opening, the site focuses on variations in the manuscripts of Sassoon’s war poetry from his collections “The Old Huntsman,” “Counter-Attack” and “Picture Show.”

Media Arts

• Preserving history is his call of duty
  Beaver Dam Daily Citizen
  “Editor’s Note — In honor of Veterans Day, the Daily Citizen is running a series of stories about veterans. opportunity to reach for world class industrial and technical success."  A Beaver Dam man has spent the last 10 years capturing history and working to make sure veterans are honored. Bob Frankenstein has collected more than 400 stories from veterans, and said the process takes about three interviews. He also wrote a book on local World War II history, worked to construct a memorial park, a veteran’s museum and a memorial hall.”
• Couch Potato Nation: Americans More Attached to TV Than Ever
  Wall Street Journal
  “A scene from “Damages” with Rose Byrne (left) and Glenn Close, a show that’s so  good it may be sapping the national will. Americans, who have never shied away from TV, are more attached to the tube than ever. The average person watched four hours and 49 minutes of television a day in the 2008 to 2009 season, an all-time high that’s up four minutes from the prior year and a rise of 20% from a decade ago, according to a Nielsen study released today. The average household watched a whopping 8 hours and 21 minutes of television a day, according to the study. That’s up from just an hour and 50 minutes in 1991, the first year to be included in the study.”
• From Justice Kennedy, a Lesson in Journalism
  New York Times
  WASHINGTON — The school newspaper at Dalton, a private school in Manhattan, contained a cryptic note from its editors last Friday. “We are not able to cover the recent visit by a Supreme Court justice due to numerous publication constraints,” the note said. It promised “an explanation of the regrettable delay” in the next issue. It turns out that Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, widely regarded as one of the court’s most vigilant defenders of First Amendment values, had provided the newspaper, The Daltonian, with a lesson about journalistic independence. Justice Kennedy’s office had insisted on approving any article about a talk he gave to an assembly of Dalton high school students on Oct. 28. Kathleen Arberg, the court’s public information officer, said Justice Kennedy’s office had made the request to make sure the quotations attributed to him were accurate.”

Performing Arts

Music

• Music won’t ‘stop’ at show - Wisconsin Singers return to hard rock classics, Broadway
  Badger Herald
  “With more than 40 shows in one year, this is the Wisconsin Singers’ only performance on campus, and they have catered to students’ wishes. While not forgetting their Broadway roots with medleys from “West Side Story” and other musicals, the first act is almost exclusively rock ‘n’ roll. Elvis, Kansas, Aerosmith and Jet are sung in up to eight-part harmonies and accompanied by choreography.”
• Watch concerts free online at BillboardLive.com
  GM Today/AP
  LOS ANGELES (AP) – “A new Web site allows music lovers to watch concerts for free online, choosing from five different camera angles as they watch. BillboardLive.com says its new concert-viewing Web site offers visitors different perspectives on performances by Alicia Keys, Usher, David Archuleta, Daughtry and other artists yet to be announced. Music fans can select from five different views as they take in full concerts by these artists, focusing solely on the drummer or guitarist if they choose.”

Theater

• More 'Lombardi' plans
  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
  “A few more details about the Broadway production of "Lombardi" were made public this week when the project was formally announced. The New York Times on Saturday broke the story about the play, which is to be based on the biography of Vince Lombardi written by David Maraniss. Eric Simonson, who was born in Milwaukee, is writing the play. The play is scheduled to debut on Broadway in the fall of 2010, and it will feature a multi-character cast. It will not be a musical. Tony Ponturo, one of the producers of "Lombardi," wants the play to appeal to theater-goers who know Lombardi's story, theater-goers who don't know his story but love good theater and non-theater-goers who are sports fans. "Sometimes we need to go back in our history to learn lessons for today," Ponturo said. "Vince Lombardi's name is on the Super Bowl trophy, but many young people do not know the story of this man."

VIDEO OF THE DAY

 

Readers Pic:  a site installation sculpture made up of [now only] two catenary lines of bundled stinging nettles that cross in the air above the fire pit. The work was first made to have six layered lines and as it weathers and the lines break it became four and now two.
 

TUESDAY, 11/10

IN THE NEWS

Arts and Creativity in Education

• Going beyond test scores
  Capital Times
  “Rob Meyer can't help but get excited when he hears President Barack Obama talking about the need for states to start measuring whether their teachers, schools and districts are doing enough to help students succeed. "What he's talking about is what we are doing," says Meyer, director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Value-Added Research Center. If states hope to secure a piece of Obama's $4.35 billion "Race to the Top" stimulus money, they'll have to commit to using research data to evaluate student progress and the effectiveness of teachers, schools and districts.”
• UWO student radio station amasses awards
  Oshkosh Northwestern
  “Students in the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh's radio/TV/film program were recognized in two recent broadcasting contests. Daniel VanDenEng was named “Best DJ” for “Country 101” in the combined television and radio categories of the National Student Production Awards at the National College Media Convention Oct. 30. The program airs on WRST-FM, the University's student radio station.”
• UWMC expansion on-schedule
  WAOW-TV Wausau
  WAUSAU (WAOW) – “An update now on the expansion of an area college. UW Marathon County broke ground on this new project in August and it is now well underway. University leaders say since the site is small, the work has to be done in phases. Despite the size, they say construction is on-schedule and the work should continue.”
• High school student learns English by song
  La Crosse Tribune
  ARCADIA - The lead actor in this year's Arcadia High School musical didn't speak English when he arrived at the school three years ago. Felipe Martinez also hadn't been on stage or sung with a school choir. "I came to choir, sat in the tenor section and watched," the 17-year-old high school senior said. "I'd smile and nod." Though he liked music, he said he never had an opportunity to participate in his native Guatemala. Martinez, who immigrated with his family, was able to find his niche and become comfortable with his English fine arts.”
• 'On, Wisconsin!' hooks state ears from the start
  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
  Madison — “If Wisconsin's essence were distilled to one four-note riff, it would be this: D, C-sharp, E, D. Whether played on trumpets or pianos, sung by sopranos or tenors, thumped from synthesizers or shouted by rappers, those four musical notes are encoded into Wisconsin's DNA. The notes, as well as the rest of the ditty that would become not just the Badger fight song but Wisconsin's state song, were first performed 100 years ago Tuesday when a glee club warbled "On, Wisconsin!" for the first time in practice followed by the first known public performance at a pep rally the next day. A few days later, on Nov. 13, 1909, the University of Wisconsin band played the tune during a football game at Camp Randall - a 34-6 drubbing by the University of Minnesota.”

Community Arts

• Arts groups win, 4th of July parties lose in Milwaukee city budget
  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
  “Art trumped patriotism in the Common Council arguments for small-ticket items in Milwaukee's 2010 city budget. But neither issue was quite that black-and-white. In council floor action last week, supporters of the arts rallied to defeat Mayor Tom Barrett's recommendation to cut city funding for grants to arts groups from $160,000 to $50,000. Had the mayor's plan prevailed, the Milwaukee Arts Board also would have lost a $25,000 state matching grant, for a net loss of $135,000 from this year's $185,000 in city and state funds. Ald. Michael Murphy, chairman of both the city Arts Board and the council's Finance & Personnel Committee, pushed through a budget amendment to maintain the arts grant funding at this year's level. But one way he did it was to sacrifice $25,000 in funding for art in city buildings. The amendment also changes Election Commission members' pay from a salary to a per-meeting payment.”
• Bringing Down the House -  Saving the Grand Opera House Art
  WBAY-TV Green Bay
  “A major renovation project at the Grand Opera House in Oshkosh will force portions of the ceiling to come down in just a few days. Right now crews are removing much of the art work. Stripped right down to its shell, the Grand Opera House is about to undergo a major renovation to its ceiling. The art that was once on display is now being removed and preserved as repairs are made. "It's very important," executive director Joe Ferlo said, "to do this as carefully as safely and as thoroughly as possible, because you only want to do this work once, but at the same token there's a lot of intricate work with wall coverings and art work and painting that was done originally and in the 1980s, and we want to be true to that."

Literary

• Wisconsin's poet laureate writes poetry for the people
  Wisconsin State Journal
  “Befitting the position she holds, the question "What is a poem supposed to be?" is one that Marilyn L. Taylor, Wisconsin's state poet laureate, has seriously considered. She has an easy answer, but it's one about which she also is adamant: Poems are supposed to be accessible. "I think my No. 1 issue with contemporary poetry is much of it is obscure and much of it doesn't address the reader and I find that inexcusable," she said. That doesn't mean a poem must be simple, however: "A little ambiguity is fine because it's OK to have to work," Taylor added.”

Media Arts

• Calatrava inspires the mothership in ABC's Sci-Fi drama "V"
  Blog: Art City, Mary Louise Schumacher of the Journal Sentinel
  “An art museum director from another city, who will remain nameless, years ago once said this of Santiago Calatrava: You can look at his structures in one moment and see something beautiful and poetic, while in the next, with even a subtle shift of mood or perspective, you seem to be gazing upon "Darth Vadar's summer home." I will never forget that, in part, because it had the powerful ring of truth. He or she (not giving a thing away here!) said this before the Calatrava-designed museum opened here, and it was the first time I'd heard someone take Calatrava to task in such strong terms.”
• Melodie Wilson Succumbs To Cancer At Age 59
  WISN TV Milwaukee
  MILWAUKEE – “The Milwaukee community has lost a familiar face. Veteran broadcaster Melodie Wilson has succumbed to cancer. She was 59 years old. She died Monday at her River Hills home, with her husband and four children nearby. While she first became to known to Milwaukeeans in her role as a television news reporter, she made her mark helping them in their fight against breast cancer.”
• Chip Duncan walks the walk
  Third Coast Digest
  “Filmmaker and author Chip Duncan perched comfortably on a stool in the living room of friends Friday night as he retold story after story about his travels to Afghanistan, Darfur, Ethiopia  and Pakistan, the focus of his latest book, Enough To Go Around (SelectBooks, $34.95) He had the rapt attention of a crowd of more than 30, who came to see this award-winning documentarian who produced the recently aired public television biography on Herbert Hoover and is currently working with the likes of Danny Glover and Harry Belafonte on a production about Kenyan photojournalist Mohamed Amin. Dressed in jeans and a sweater, Duncan  worked the audience with his eyes and gestured with his hands to emphasize his points. But the Waukesha County resident didn’t have to. His words about the security scares and custom details he encountered in these embattled regions are often documented on the nightly news, making the subject matters all-too familiar to the group.”

Performing Arts

Music

• Madison music scene prevents big riders
  Daily Cardinal
  “The rock ’n’ roll scriptures have told of the artists’ backstage as a magical place—a mythical landscape of long-legged bombshell groupies where rail liquor is laughed at and personal caterers lay out feasts for the greater good of Mick Jagger. So that raises the question, where do all these festive items of rock revelry come from? At the base of this backstage circus is the “concert rider,” a document containing the list of items needed by the artist and crew for the show. It is the task of the hosting production company to fulfill this list of needs, which always goes beyond dinner and a bottle of wine. Perhaps the holy grail of all riders, Van Halen’s 1982 tour, featured a 53-page rider that demanded brown M&Ms be discarded from the rest of their bite-sized candies. The rider also requested four cases of Schlitz malt liquor and one large tube of KY jelly. Clearly, this was rock ’n’ roll gluttony at its finest.”
• Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago a positive cultural experience
  Daily Cardinal
  “So last week’s decrying of Lil Jon was fun, but a ranting column like that is not very productive without alternatives and guidance, so running it concerned me and got me thinking. What is a recently productive listen to match and counter Lil Jon’s unproductivity? What can unite as many people while being personally, socially and artistically gratifying/appealing? The Black Album? Even after watching “Fade to Black” and seeing the impressive way Jay-Z works, it is not the artistically stirring answer I’m looking for. It’s too technical here rather than personal. Something Animal Collective? Something White Stripes? Again, neither group is as unifying nor as intimately engaging. After writing last week’s column, however, the answer came quicker than expected: Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago.”

Theater

• A play about coach Vince Lombardi set for Broadway
  GM Today
  NEW YORK – “OK, Cheeseheads. Get ready to visit Broadway. "Vince," a play about the legendary Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi, is planned for New York next season. Producers Tony Ponturo and Fran Krimser say the play by Eric Simonson will open during the fall of 2010. The cast, director and opening date have yet to be announced. Simonson's play is based on David Maraniss' best-selling book "When Pride Mattered." Lombardi coached the Packers from 1959-67, winning five league championships in nine years.”
• Riverwest proves to be a good spot for Florentine Opera practices
  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
  “It makes sense that "Tosca" would be the first production ever rehearsed in the Florentine Opera's new Riverwest home. The tragic hero in the Puccini masterpiece is Mario Cavaradossi, the lover of singer Floria Tosca, and Tosca's first five words in the libretto are "Mario!", "Mario!" and (calling angrily) "Mario! Mario! Mario!" That's music to the ears of the Florentine's new landlord, Mario Costantini, a factory owner, opera lover and civic activist who over the years helped found a Riverwest youth center, launched the citywide "Mad Hot Ballroom" school dance competition and helped put together the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center at 325 W. Walnut St.”

Other

• What's Wrong With Charitable Giving—and How to Fix It
  Wall Street Journal
  “It's hard to overstate the crisis facing charitable giving today. So let me just say it as plainly as I can: Much of current philanthropic giving, by foundations and individuals, neither meets the needs of our charitable organizations nor addresses some of our most urgent public needs. Foundation practices today are too bureaucratic, inflexible and cautious, and too focused on short-term objectives. Too often, the process and procedures of grant making are more tailored to the needs of foundations and their trustees than to the requirements of nonprofits.” See the complete Philanthropy report.

WHEN YOU GO

Arts and Creativity in Education

• Dan Ariely, Behavioral Economist and Best-Selling Author - Wisconsin Union Directorate's Distinguished Lecture Series continues with the behavioral economist & author
  The Isthmus
  November 10
  “Dan Ariely is the James B. Duke Professor of Behavioral Economics at Duke University and visiting Professor at the MIT Media Lab. A behavioral economist, Ariely’s research shows that we all succumb to irrationality in situations where rational thought is expected. He is an expert on how people actually act — and why they act — in all kinds of business and economic environments, and what this means for business innovation, strategy, marketing and pricing.”
• Carthage Wind Orchestra fall concert Tuesday night
  Racine Journal Times
  November 10
  KENOSHA – “The Carthage Wind Orchestra will present its fall concert, "Special Delivery", at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday night in A.F. Siebert Chapel, 2001 Alford Park Drive. There is no admission fee. The soloist will be soprano Laura Kaeppeler, a senior music education major from Kenosha. She will sing a set of four Carl Sandburg poems scored for voice and band by Lew Buckley, former director of the United States Coast Guard Band.”
• “Arts, Inc.: Greed, Neglect, and our Cultural Rights”
  November 12
  “Former Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts and recent Arts and Humanities leader for President Obama’s transition team, Bill Ivey has been exploring the nexus of art and public policy for decades. But his provocative book, Arts, Inc.: How Greed and Neglect Have Destroyed Our Cultural Rights, and his continuing work both inside and outside the beltway suggest that nexus is missing essential connections. Come share his vision for a federal, state, and local public arts policy that reaches wider and digs deeper than the system we’ve come to know.”

Community Arts

• On Stage with TCD: The Week in Highlights 11/11 to 11/17
  Third Coast Digest
  Various Sites & Dates
  “It’s definitely a week for all kinds of string music, from the multifaceted Turtle Island Quartet accompanying a Cuban danzón to violinist Guillermo Figueroa who will join the UWM Fine Arts Quartet. But it’s also a week for college shows in general, from the blues/theater showcase at UWM to the raucous Sondheim classic, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, at Carroll University.  Also: Holmes and Watson get locked in a room and sing their way out.”
• Downtown Madison: Holiday Open House, Saturday, Nov. 28
  WisBusiness
  November 28
  MADISON, Wis. – “Downtown Madison welcomes one and all to kick off the holiday season at the Downtown Holiday Open House, Saturday, November 28, 2009, from 10 am to 6 pm, on State Street and the Capitol Square. Free and open to the public. Information is at http://www.visitdowntownmadison.com or (608) 443-1974. Holiday Open House Activities include:”

Folk Arts/Folklife

• KR Bluegrass Band to perform in Burlington
  Racine Journal Times
  November 18
  BURLINGTON – “The Burlington Lyceum Club will host an Old Time Barn Dance Show at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18, at the Veterans Terrace in Echo Park, 588 Milwaukee Ave. (Highway 36). Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The program will be in the Patriot Center in the lower level. Use the entrance (under the canopy) on the east side of the building, which is handicapped-accessible. People in wheelchairs, or who have difficulty climbing stairs, may take the elevator to the lower level.”
• Museum to host tour and theater program
  Racine Journal Times
  November 19
  KENOSHA – “The Civil War Museum, 5400 First Ave., will present "Up Close and Personal: Curator Tours and Theatre Programs," featuring a curator-guided tour of "The Fiery Trial" exhibit at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19. During the tour, meet a woman portraying Caroline Quarlls and learn about southeastern Wisconsin's involvement in the Civil War. As a 16-year-old girl, Quarlls escaped from slavery in Missouri. The portrayal recounts her journey through Illinois and Wisconsin. The curator's tour looks at the artifacts and stories presented in "The Fiery Trial" including Quarlls' letters.”

Performing Arts

Dance

• Babes in Toyland comes to Lake Country
  Living Lake Country
  November 13-14
  “Are you looking for a special holiday treat to enjoy with the family? “Babes in Toyland, the ballet” is a new presentation of the Lake Country Dance Theatre’s ballet company. All ages will enjoy this family-friendly production where ballet is combined with just the right amount of spoken word to help the audience have a full, theatrical experience. As with any good tale, good battles evil, the good guys win, and everyone lives happily ever after. In between you will meet nursery rhyme characters, a moth queen, and puppets.”
• Milwaukee’s Magical Holiday Tradition Returns
  Milwaukee Ballet
  December 11 - 27
  “Come along with Clara, Fritz and Marie as they find themselves awake in their own dream on a magical journey around the world. This world-class spectacle features elaborate scenery, lavish costumes and stunning dance by the professional Company with special appearances from young dancers in Milwaukee Ballet School. Performed live by the Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra and Milwaukee Children’s Choir, Tchaikovsky’s captivating score transports you to a magical world filled with marching soldiers, flying angels, dancing dolls and pirouetting snow fairies.”

Theater

• Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps
  The Isthmus
  November 10-15
  “Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Monty Python and you have The 39 Steps, Broadway's most intriguing, most thrilling, most riotous, most UNMISSABLE comedy smash! The mind-blowing cast of four plays over 150 characters in this fast-paced tale of an ordinary man on an extraordinarily entertaining adventure. Winner, two Tony Awards®! Hilarious fun for theater-lovers of all ages!”
• Play focuses on life behind bars
  Racine Journal Times
  November 14
  RACINE - The "Inside," a drama production written by Keith Fenderson, will be staged at 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, at the Racine Theatre Guild, 2519 Northwestern Ave. Inside" depicts a brutally honest account of life behind incarcerated walls within a stage play. This is the fourth stage-play production written, directed and produced by Fenderson of The Faces Group Non-Profit Inc. His previous productions, "Druggies," "Dopehouse" and "Lost Souls Found," received high praise in Racine.”
• Pot Luck and a Play – The Stops
  Press Release
  November 15
  “What are you doing after church on Sunday? StageQ suggests that you come to a potluck at the Bartell, followed by The Stops, our current show about three church organists who are members of the North American Lady Organists Guild! On Sunday, November 8th, St. John's Lutheran Church is sponsoring a potluck at noon in the Bartell lobby. And we'll do it again on Sunday, November 15th at noon, this time hosted by First Congregational United Church of Christ at the Bartell.The three ladies, Ginny, Euglena and Rose, will join parishioners and audience members for a a couple of hours of food and fellowship. Bring a dish to pass, and stay to see the show at 2:00 pm!”
• Watch your back: Forward Theater’s debut deals in deception
  77 Square
  November 22
  “There's something strange about Eve Harrington. When we first meet her, she seems shy and modest, even mousy. Then Eve says she's seen the same play every night for weeks. She idolizes the leading actress, Margo Channing. She sounds ... obsessed. I suspect that, if the time of the play "All About Eve" were today instead of 1951, Eve would soon be slapped with a restraining order. But this is postwar America -- apparently a less suspicious time -- and so Eve enters the inner sanctum of the theater elite, slowly revealing a manipulative streak and a relentless, destructive ambition.”