The Arts Fuse Newsletter, September 4
Coming Attractions and Short Fuses! America on our Mind -- reviews of "America and Other Myths" and "American Voices." And Jeremy Frey's Baskets of Wonder
From The Editor's Desk:
A provocative Washington Post article by Rosa Boshier González raises some crucial questions about how artistic institutions such as art museums, though not limited to them, should best react to the climate crisis as it grows increasingly destructive. The immediate cause for alarm: the damage Hurricane Beryl did to the renowned Rothko Chapel in Houston. Because of damage to the building’s roof, walls, and three Rothko panels, the site will be closed until further notice. Writes Gonzalez: “damage to the chapel represents a new normal in the relationship between art and climate, which the greater art world will be forced to grapple with sooner or later.” She goes on to point out that “the National Centers for Environmental Information reported that the United States has experienced 376 weather and climate disasters since 1980, costing a total of $2.7 trillion when adjusted for inflation.” She also reports that “only half of museum directors surveyed have prepared their institutions for climate change. This lack of foresight or resources (or both) leaves a significant amount of the nation’s arts collection at risk.”
Too many of our museums and other institutions aren’t dealing with the new normal because they refuse to acknowledge that the old normal is history. Numerous Boston arts institutions remain in the grip of a consumer mentality that decrees that the arts be limited to providing entertainment, fashionable political point-scoring, and silent contemplation. But it is becoming increasingly clear that that is not good enough. Not when the American Repertory Theater — pledged to “Broadway or Bust” — may have to provide patrons with scuba gear as well as tickets at some point in the near future: “32 U.S. cities, including New York and San Francisco, are sinking into the ocean and face major flood risks by 2050.”
Instead of hugging the same old same old, our arts institutions need to reconsider the power of culture. González suggests art could be used as a way to help people “change their minds,” to assist them in moving past the status quo. Reacting to the climate crisis should be about more than mitigating its impact on buildings or lessening the considerable damage it inflicts on our lives. For arts institutions, it offers a “chance to rethink” and refocus, to see the arts “more as community activators,” to understand that they can “lead by example, showing how to respond to disaster and create a sense of community.” That challenge — to move beyond consumerist passivity — has yet to be fully grasped by America’s arts and culture establishment. But sooner or later it will have to be confronted. There are so many more storms on the horizon.
—Bill Marx, Editor-in-Chief
Note: From the Editor's Desk -- By Popular Demand.
Readers have asked that I post these weekly opinion pieces in the magazine — request granted.
Coming Attractions through September16 — What Will Light Your Fire
Compiled by Arts Fuse Editor
Our expert critics supply a guide to film, visual art, theater, author readings, and music. More offerings will be added as they come in.
September Short Fuses — Materia Critica
Compiled by Arts Fuse Editor
Each month, our arts critics — music, book, theater, dance, television, film, and visual arts — fire off a few brief reviews.
Book Review: “America and Other Myths” — Sucking “a Sad Poem Right out of America onto Film.”
By Trevor Fairbrother
In her fine book, Lisa Volpe examines mid-’50s picture-making expeditions taken across the US by photographers Robert Frank and Todd Webb.
Visual Arts Review: Baskets of Wonder – Jeremy Frey at the Portland Museum
By David D’Arcy
Beyond rich allusions to the past, Jeremy Frey and his generation of basket-makers are also creating objects that will leave your eyes spinning.
Classical Album Review: Pacifica Quartet’s Bracing Collection of “American Voices”
By Jonathan Blumhofer
When it comes to defining American music, Pacifica Quartet’s new recording offers some welcome food for thought.
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Editor-in-Chief
Bill Marx
wmarx103@gmail.com
