“Seven Guitars” was part of Portland’s August Wilson fest/ © Owen Carey 2012
Does it not feel a little like Monday? But no, we’re going to have to get into mid-week form right away. For the purposes of this post that means delivering you a few news bits you may have missed in the New Year’s haze.
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Let’s say that haze extended all the way back through 2012 and you needed a little help remembering that year’s salient points. Well, not to worry:
- Bob Hicks delivered a practically symphonic recollection of 2012 in the arts. That’s about all you’d need.
- I personally quite enjoyed Brett Campbell’s list of 2012 recordings of a classical bent.
- And I indulged in a little backward-gazing myself for a look at the shows and events that attracted me most.
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Maybe you want more of this time travel stuff? How about the Mercury’s list of arts events to remember from 2012?
And without hesitation we also offer ArtsWatch contributor Brian Libby’s lowdown on important developments in Portland architecture and urban design in 2012, which appeared on his website, Portland Architecture. Arts and architecture and urban design fit together ever so well.
So do the arts and parks, as well we know. They even are starting to get the idea in Los Angeles, and maybe we can learn something from their rigor.
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Was Portland the only city that passed an important tax measure to support the arts? No! You might even say that Detroit did us one better, because its metro area, suburbs and all, supported it.
A couple of more looks back:
Misha Berson has covered theater in Seattle for the Times for a very long time, so her year-end take on Seattle theater comes with CONTEXT and a celebration of the return of Intiman Theatre.
An interesting little debate erupted over the New York Times Magazine’s list of important musical figures who died in 2012, when it once again failed to include any classical musicians. New Yorker critic Alex Ross protested and then the Mag responded. I get Ross’s subtext: If the New York Times isn’t going to value classical music, then who in all the world of mainstream journalism and media will?
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Finally, we at ArtsWatch were EVER so happy to hear that Tomas Svoboda, our great resident composer, is on the mend from a stroke, out of the hospital and out of danger. A good way to start the year.