The fabulous Adler boys

Today it was reported that Jerry Adler, virtuoso harmonica player, died 10 days ago. He was the "lesser known" of the fabulous Adler boys. Larry Adler garnered more fame (having the distinction of dying 9 years before his brother), but apparently Jerry was equally talented--and they were known to play duets, too. If you thought that the harmonica was only an instrument for blues, then you haven't heard these guys play. Plenty available on You Tube (playing "Rhapsody in Blue") &c. RIP and long live the harmonica concerto!

How does a museum "acquire" an "@" sign?

You have to hand it to the Museum of Modern Art in New York for its p.r. hubris: it announced today that it has "acquired" the "@" sign! One might legitimately ask: is this the original @ sign? Their answer: no, of course not. All right, maybe I'm being a little picky here. What they've actually done (since it's not possible to acquire @) is to designate it a work of art, a seminal design creation worthy of celebration. I can't disagree with that.

The '@' Symbol
Image source: MOMA. Ray Tomlinson. @. 1971. Here displayed in ITC American Typewriter Medium, the closest approximation to the character used by a Model 33 Teletype in the early 1970s, according to MOMA.

"Is criticism a pointless exercise?" asks a music writer

From The Boston Globe (via Arts Journal.com)

New OC appointee to California Arts Council speaks out

Wylie Aitken shares his thoughts in an interview with Orange County Register arts writer Richard Chang.

Dan Pink Wows OC Audiences (Again)

For someone who claims that he was not especially into the arts as a kid, best-selling author Daniel Pink has managed to become one of the most persuasive evangelists for creativity the world has ever seen! All right, perhaps I'm indulging a just a wee bit of hyperbole (perhaps it's due to St. Patty's Day!), but the verve this guy displays when presenting example after example of how it's the right side of the brain that's going to save the future of America is as entertaining as it is infectious. He certainly had nearly 1,000 people in the palm of his hand at Monday's lecture at the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa, presented by ArtsOC, OC Department of Education, OC Performing Arts Center and 4th District PTA. Three breakouts after the presentation were packed (more than 1/3 of the lecture attendees remained for them) and included panels, a video/PowerPoint presentation from ArtsOC, and Q&A sessions. This event is a re-invented reprise of his appearance in OC two years ago, which reverberated with the community so strongly that it merited a command performance again this year. It has again created a buzz that we hope will translate into action: advocacy, improved management practices in business, arts organizations and education, as well as more generous philanthropic support to make it all happen. Check out more photos of the event here. If you attended the event, please feel free to comment here--or on our Creative Edge arts education blog.

After hiccup with City of Fullerton, Monkey Wrench is back!

Monkey Wrench Collective has announced its theatre production plans and has launched its website.

How the arts contribute to the local economy...

Thanks to Anne Olin, who is a local consultant and executive administrator for the Orange County Funders Roundtable, for passing this along:

We've all heard arguments about how the arts enrich the cultural life of communities. But what about their power to contribute to local coffers? The Boston Globe reports on findings of a study that found six cultural institutions in a town near Boston "generate nearly double their budgets in local spending annually, creating scores of jobs along the way." Combined, these six institutions—arts and history centers, a public garden and library—spend about of $6.3 million annually for operations and support some 87 full-time equivalent jobs. These are numbers that the Globe says, "would make any small to mid-size business proud." More impressively, however, the report found that these organizations generate nearly double their own budgets annually—or $11.4 million—in local spending. Nearly one-third of that, or $4.1 million, is generated by the two branches of the Framingham Public Library. “We’ve become more of a cultural institution,’’ said the library’s director, Mark Contois. “We host over 700 programs per year such as Friday films and Sunday concerts.’’ And it gets better. The study predicts that if these institutions maintain their spending levels, the six organizations will spur $127 million in local spending and contribute to the creation of more than 2,000 jobs over the coming decade. If they also spend $20 million on planned renovations, the study projects it will result in another $36 million in spending and 537 more jobs. The heck with art for art's sake . . . it's the economy, stupid. —Bruce Trachtenberg