After nearly two years in which the stage went dark and the gallery door stayed shut, the world's cultural rooms are beginning to breathe again. This autumn, theatres, museums and festivals on several continents are opening their doors once more, from a Broadway house to a windswept triennial at the edge of Japan. The return is less a simple reopening than a quiet reminder of what people lose when they must experience art alone through a screen, and what they regain when they stand together before it once more.
Culture Returns This Fall: Broadway, Museums and Festivals Reopen Across the Globe
Culture is back, live, and alive
Mark
Why does a list of openings matter this much?
Mimi
Because it shows live culture coming back in many places at once: New York, Los Angeles, Washington, London, Oslo, Rimini, Suzu and Sydney.
Mark
Which of these are actually open now?
Mimi
American Utopia resumed last month, the Fellini Museum opened recently in Rimini, and the Oku-Noto Triennale is running until October 24.
Luke
And the rest are still ahead. Diana starts in November, the Courtauld reopens in November, and the Aitken show opens in October. Those are scheduled, not guaranteed.
Mark
The Smithsonian one seems unusual.
Mimi
The Arts + Industries Building, America's first national museum, is reopening temporarily for the first time in nearly two decades, for its 175th anniversary.
Luke
Worth noting that the piece says temporarily. It also doesn't say what health rules apply at any of these venues.
Mark
Anything about the Munch museum's timing?
Mimi
It's described as set to be a major attraction, but no opening date is given.
Luke
Right, so I'd treat that one as unconfirmed on timing. The article is a preview, not a verified schedule.
Il Polso
- For almost two years, theatres and galleries sat silent while audiences watched culture through glowing screens.
- Broadway is stirring back to life, with David Byrne's American Utopia resuming and Diana: The Musical preparing its November opening.
- Museums are racing to unveil new and restored spaces, from the Smithsonian's first national museum to London's renovated Courtauld Gallery.
- Festivals are testing the boundaries of art in far-flung places, as Japan's Oku-Noto Triennale stretches across forests, ice terraces and salt farms.
- Many of these runs are short or timed, so the window to experience them is narrowing toward late 2021 and spring 2022.
After nearly two years in which the stage went dark and the gallery door stayed shut, the world's cultural rooms are beginning to breathe again. This autumn, theatres, museums and festivals on several continents are opening their doors once more, from a Broadway house to a windswept triennial at the edge of Japan. The return is less a simple reopening than a quiet reminder of what people lose when they must experience art alone through a screen, and what they regain when they stand together before it once more.
For the better part of two years, the idea of sitting in a dark theatre or standing shoulder to shoulder with strangers before a painting felt almost quaint. Theatres and museums went dark, and people made do with whatever they could reach through a screen. This fall, that is changing, with openings and reopenings stretching across several continents.
In New York, Broadway returns with David Byrne's American Utopia, whose run was postponed by the pandemic, and with Diana: The Musical, due in November. On the road, the Canadian Indigenous company Red Sky Performance is touring North America with Trace, a work drawn from Anishinaabe sky and star stories, running through November 27.
Museums are marking the moment too. Los Angeles's County Museum of Art is showing The Obama Portraits alongside a companion exhibit of 150 works centered on love, family and community. In Washington, the Smithsonian is reopening its historic Arts + Industries Building for the first time in nearly two decades, with a forward-looking show called FUTURES. In London, the Courtauld Gallery reopens in November after a four-year renovation, and in Oslo a new Munch museum promises the world's largest collection of work by Edvard Munch.
Farther afield, Rimini's new Fellini Museum invites visitors into immersive multimedia and augmented reality, while Japan's Oku-Noto Triennale unfolds at the edge of the world in Suzu until October 24. In Sydney, the Museum of Contemporary Art opens Doug Aitken's New Era in October. Many of these runs close in late 2021 or spring 2022, so anyone hoping to visit should confirm dates, as conditions continue to shift.
For the better part of two years, the idea of sitting in a dark theatre or standing shoulder to shoulder with strangers in front of a painting felt almost quaint. Performing arts venues and museums went dark during the pandemic, and anyone who wanted a cultural fix got it through a screen. This fall, Newsweek reports, that is changing, with a spread of openings, reopenings and tours across several continents.
In New York, Broadway is the headline. David Byrne's American Utopia resumed performances last month, after its first return engagement was postponed because of the pandemic. Diana: The Musical is also drawing attention, with Broadway performances set to begin in November.
Dance is on the road as well. The Canadian Indigenous troupe Red Sky Performance is touring North America with Trace, a contemporary work inspired by Anishinaabe sky and star stories, which the production describes as a glimpse into humanity's origin and its future evolution. The tour, which runs from New York to Vancouver, continues through November 27, 2021.
Several major museums are marking the moment with new or restored spaces. In Los Angeles, the County Museum of Art is showing The Obama Portraits, on loan from the Smithsonian, and has built a companion exhibit around Black subjects and artists. It features 150 works from the past two centuries, centered on love, family and community, and runs from November to April 2022. In Washington, the Smithsonian is marking its 175th anniversary by reopening its historic Arts + Industries Building, America's first national museum, for the first time in nearly two decades. The show, FUTURES, is a wide-scale look ahead, with Virgin's Hyperloop train, a model of a floating city and a solar-powered spacecraft among the pieces.
In London, the Courtauld Gallery will reopen in November after a four-year renovation of its 18th-century building, with new galleries and spaces. Its collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist work, including Cezanne, Van Gogh, Manet and Renoir, will be joined by a new commission from Cecily Brown for the curved wall of a historic staircase.
In Oslo, a new museum called Munch is set to become a major draw on the city's waterfront. It will hold the world's largest collection of work by Edvard Munch, best known for The Scream, alongside work by other contemporary artists. In Italy, the Fellini Museum opened recently in Rimini, the director's hometown on the Adriatic coast. Honoring the maker of La Dolce Vita and La Strada, it combines immersive multimedia, augmented reality and video installations, and visitors can take a role in the experience.
Farther afield, the Oku-Noto Triennale is under way in Suzu, Japan, at the northern tip of the Noto peninsula, a place the festival describes as the furthermost edge of the world. Held every three years, it sets contemporary installations among forests, ice terraces, salt farms and ocean views, and runs until October 24, 2021. In Sydney, the Museum of Contemporary Art opens Doug Aitken: New Era in October. The American multimedia artist's show includes Sonic Fountain II (2013/2015), a large sound installation built into rocky terrain inside the gallery, and NEW ERA (2018), an immersive video work inspired by the history of mobile phone technology.
Several of these runs end in late 2021 or spring 2022, so anyone planning a visit should confirm dates, since pandemic conditions continue to shift.
Citazioni salienti
Red Sky Performance's Trace offers a glimpse into our origin as well as our future evolution.— Description of Trace, as quoted by Newsweek
Vuoi la storia completa?
Leggi l'originale su Newsweek ↗
Culture & Arts