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Arts in the News: Rotten Tomatoes for Theater, A Bronze Girl, SXSW Festival, Remembering and Celebrating Women Artists

‘Rotten Tomatoes for Theater’ Website Raises $2 Million

“Show-Score,” a review-aggregating website for the theater world modeled after Rotten Tomatoes, has procured $2 million of funding from a group of investors both in and outside the theater industry. The funds will help Show-Score expand beyond New York to other theater hubs in the U.S. and abroad. Show-Score founder Tom Melcher also hopes to use the money to continue “harnessing the story of the audience’s reaction to theater,” an effort which involves accumulating fan art, Instagram posts, videos, and photography. The website currently has 125,000 registered members who have contributed nearly 200,000 member reviews to the database; professional critics’ reviews number about 17,000. Investors contributing to the new funds include Hollywood veteran Gail Berman as well as Business Insider founder Kevin Ryan. Hopefully the money will help make the site a valuable asset to the theater world and its patrons!

Bronze Girl Stares Down Wall Street Bull

The bronze statue of a charging bull on Wall Street has a new companion: a statue of a young girl. The temporary statue, named “Fearless Girl,” was installed by McCann New York advertising agency and client State Street Global Advisors, based out of Boston. The statue, depicting a girl defiantly staring down the iconic bull, may be a move to bring attention to State Street’s campaign to get more women into board roles; its installation also coincided with International Women’s Day and the anniversary of the launch of an exchange-traded fund (ticker SHE) devoted to tracking companies with higher levels of gender diversity in leadership roles. A plaque in front of the statue makes a reference to the fund, as it reads “SHE makes a difference.” The statue is set to stay on Wall Street for a week, though State Street is attempting to gain permission to leave the statue for an entire month (roughly coinciding with Women’s History Month). Amazing how strong and powerful a message such a small statue can send.

SXSW Festival Promises to Amend Contracts Amid Controversy

After facing a storm of criticism over what some bands have called a “deportation clause” in its performance contract, the South by Southwest (SXSW) Festival held annually in Austin, Texas has promised to make changes. The controversy began after a Brooklyn-based indie band, Told Slant, posted to Twitter that it would be pulling out of the festival as a result of finding a clause in the performance contract that allows SXSW to, among other things, “notify the appropriate U.S. immigration authorities” if performers violate contract rules. The “deportation clause” officially reads: “Accepting and performing unofficial events may result in immediate deportation, revoked passport and denied entry by US Customs Border Patrol at US ports of entry.” Told Slant’s withdrawal led to several other artists boycotting the festival. With the country–and world at large–especially on edge as a result of the current political climate, the “deportation clause” hit a nerve for many musicians who do not wish to endorse or participate in anti-immigration efforts. In the wake of the uproar, the CEO of the festival issued a statement that the clause in question will be removed from future contracts starting in 2018. Told Slant argues that the statement proves the powerful potential of collective action and the need for artists to stand together to fight against exclusion and injustice.

Remembering and Celebrating Women Artists on International Women’s Day

In honor of International Women’s Day as well as Women’s History Month, the National Museum of Women in the Arts is shining a spotlight on the women who have helped shape art history. In a social media campaign called #5womenartists, the museum is challenging individuals to publicly recognize five women artists. The museum wrote on its website, “If you ask someone to name five artists, they will likely name prominent male artists, but how many people can list five women artists?” The Huffington Post went one step further and compiled a list of 201 women and non-gender-binary influential artists–a list that they call “but a sample” of the many such artists who deserve attention and recognition. With regards to the list, the Huffington Post has issued a challenge to readers: “[I]f you come across an artist you’ve never heard of, we encourage you to look them up online or at a museum near you.” Hopefully the #5womenartists campaign and lists like those provided by the Huffington Post help to garner recognition for these amazing artists and their inspiring work.

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