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Austin360 blogs > Austin Arts: Seeing Things > Archives > 2010 > February > 01
Monday, February 1, 2010
Arthouse goes viral with a micro-giving campaign
In a clever move perfectly in sync with not only our recessionary economy but also our Twitter-happy Internet-based times, Arthouse, the Congress Avenue contemporary arts center, has launched a micro-giving campaign that’s being worked entirely via Twitter and email.
The ‘I Heart Arthouse’ campaign launched today seeking $5 donations from 2,000 people. Appeals are being sent via social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook and by email lists.
Arthouse is currently in the midst of a major $6.6 million renovation to its downtown Austin home. More than $5 million has already been raised. Arthouse is set to re-open in late October.
Through Arthouse has big dollar donors, it also has a large audience of younger art patrons as well as artists themselves who love the free exhibits and programs Arthouse offers. Hence the month-long micro-giving campaign makes sense. No costly direct mail campaigns or expensive special events. Just a virtual passing-of-the-hat asking for a modest sum.
And that’s smart.
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Recent arts coverage
Austin’s alt-classical auteurs unleash their sixth symphonies | Austin Lyric Opera stages Chabrier’s ‘The Star’ | Q-and-A with Anne Akiko Meyers, violinistFollow @artsinaustin on Twitter
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Blanton Museum re-organizes management staff
After seven months on the job, new Blanton Museum of Art director Ned Rifkin has re-organized some of the senior staff.
Said Rifkin: “When I arrived, the Blanton had vacancies in a few important areas: museum education, Latin American art, and then, most recently, administration. My decision to create two deputy director positions to be filled by current talented and qualified staff members was an obvious move.”
Here’s a run down from a release sent over the weekend:
- Annette DiMeo Carlozzi, curator of American and contemporary art and also director of curatorial affairs, will become the Deputy Director for Art and Programs, and will oversee curatorial, education and collection management areas of the museum.
- Simone Wicha, director of development, will become Deputy Director for External Affairs and Operations, supervising fundraising, membership, communications, admissions, the cafe and museum store, as well as other financial and operational aspects of the museum.
- Jonathan Bober, who for more than 20 years served as both curator of prints and drawings and also curator of European paintings, will now focus primarily on works of European art, including works on paper. Multiple curators, according to their specific expertise and research areas, will now oversee works on paper.
- Ursula Davila-Villa, interim curator of Latin American art will be promoted to associate curator of Latin American Art.
- Sue Ellen Jeffers, registrar will become manager of collections, overseeing all art handling and preparation within the museum. Meredith Sutton, associate registrar, will become the registrar.
Carlozzi’s promotion means that the Blanton will soon be seeking a curator in the area of modern and contemporary art once they get the go-ahead from UT administration.
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Review: Austin Lyric Opera’s ‘The Star’
Combine a zany plot propelled by wacky characters, charming music laced with witty dialogue and a mad world made into a visually arresting mod funhouse and you have the utterly entertaining production of Emmanuel Chabrier’s ‘The Star,’ now getting a turn by Austin Lyric Opera at the Long Center.
Only now recognized for its brilliant goofiness after a century in obscurity, Chabrier’s 1877 opera bouffe is a sparkling confection — a bon bon for the opera connoisseur in this impressive, inventively-designed production by New York City Opera and Glimmerglass Opera.
And yet, with its mix of dialogue and singing — and thanks to some very clever direction by Alain Gauthier and droll dance moves by choreographer Jeff Michael Rebudal - this version of ‘The Star’ is also pure delight for any opera novice or musical theater aficianando.
Superbly conducted by Richard Buckley, who brilliantly extracted the lyrical wittiness in Chabrier’s exquisite score, ‘The Star’ is an opera bouffe that gently satirizes opera itself.
In this comic confection, King Ouf the First (tenor Jean-Paul Fouchecourt) scours his kingdom to find a subject to impale — a public execution, after all, being Ouf’s favorite birthday celebration. But unluckily, Ouf chooses a young peddler Lazuli (mezzo-soprano Deborah Domanski), whose star, the king’s astrologer, Siroco (basso buffo Kevin Glavin), reveals, is linked to Ouf’s.
And the problem? If Lazuli dies the king will die a day later — and Siroco 15 minutes after that. To complicate things, Lazuli falls in love with Ouf’s fiancée, Princess Laoula (soprano Nili Riemer)
After that, well, the plot spins comically out-of-control.
As Ouf, Fouchecourt is a remarkably gifted comic actor and sang with terrific lyricism. Domanski did well in the classic trouser role, all gangly moves capped by a sweet tone. Riemer impressed as Laoula. But it was the ensemble together in comic play that impressed the most.
So did the crazy yet stylish sets and costumes. Set designer Andrew Lieberman and costumer Constance Hoffman created a world where characters clad in saturated hues stood out against bright white surfaces and curving funhouse mirrors. Costume silhouettes are part period Toulouse-Lautrec, part animated Beatles movie, “Yellow Submarine.” Characters rode goofily adorned scooters on and off the stage. Ouf’s throne is giant, inflatable and yellow.
Special props have to go to the chorus who not only sang well but managing the abundant comic choreography with aplomb.
For a relatively young regional company, Austin Lyric Opera has made many a sophisticated gestures itself in its almost 25 years through tackling challenging contemporary repertoire, staging productions in non-traditional venue and premiering new operas.
Now, ALO demonstrates its sophistication again by joining the strata of international opera presenters who are smartly resurrecting forgotten jewels of the repertoire.
‘The Star’ continues at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 3 and 5 and 3 p.m. Feb. 7 at the Long Center. $29-$133. www.austinlyricopera.org
