This is the first in a series of blog posts intended to emphasize pieces I found to be interesting and thought-provoking Arts articles featured in the news. Here are a few stories I’ve been following over the past week:

Artists Display More Grey Matter in their Brains
The Huffington Post reported on a study published in NeuroImage that Artists’ brains have more ‘grey matter.’ This study ultimately questions the “left brain / right brain” dichotomy for describing artists and creative types and indicates that brain structure may be a better distinguishing factor. Of the 21 artist-participants in the study, researchers found increased amounts of grey and white matter on both sides of the brain, not merely the right compared to the 23 non-artist participants. From my experience, this makes so much sense because I think opera singers and musicians have to channel both sides of their brain in order to be successful. For example, being “analytical, precise, and detail oriented” are all considered to be left brain traits, but being “creative, imaginative, and empathetic” are right brain characteristics. Great performers exhibit all of those traits.

An Economist’s Theory & Art
Thomas Piketty’s recent “Capital in the Twenty-First Century” is not only a New York Times best-seller, it’s currently sold out on Amazon. The book delves into a deep analysis of economic theory and cites centuries of data on wealth and economic growth. Noticeably missing from the 700-page compilation (and its index) is any mention of Art. Last Sunday, the New York Times ran an interesting article discussing this omission and applied Piketty’s economic theory to art collection by the wealthy. In 2013, as the article reports, worldwide auction sales of postwar and contemporary art climbed to a historic peak of over $6.8 billion dollars – over three times the amount in 2009. The article continues to argue that the art market is indicative of the growing worldwide income inequality and art is no longer affordable for the traditional professional base (lawyers, doctors, and dentists). Although the article mainly discusses art ownership, art isn’t merely about acquisition, but also experience. I think there is definitely an argument to be made that accessibility to the arts is actually increasing. More and more museums are offering free or discounted admission prices, we’ve seen a huge rise in street art (think the pseudonymous Banksy), and an increase of city-sponsored arts festivals. We’ve certainly seen increased access to opera performances with many great performers giving free concerts and the advancement of technology enabling live internet and theater broadcasts. Therefore, I think it’s important to discuss ownership and acquisition of physical pieces of art, but equally (if not more important,) is how that affects the accessibility to the art.

Korean Artist Depicts Seoul’s Rapid Change through Landmark Photographs
Speaking of street art (literally), the Huffington Post featured a neat collection of photographs by Korean artist Sungseok Ahn. Ahn documented the “historical present” of Seoul by projecting a decades-old image of a site juxtaposed to its current form. The result is a mixed photograph containing the past and the present. I highly suggest taking a peek here.

Osmo Vänskä & the Minnesota Orchestra
Last Friday the Washington Post featured a great article on conductor Osmo Vänskä and the potential for his return to the Minnesota Orchestra. I think the Minnesota Orchestra is a heartwarming example of an orchestra that has truly made itself part of the community. I had the pleasure of attending several performances by the orchestra while my family was living in Minnesota and the energy was palpable every time. During the lockout, several local petitions each reached over 5,000 signatures to re-instate/save the orchestra. As the Post article notes, Vänskä has even travelled back to Minneapolis to guest conduct. I am thrilled that it was announced today that Vänskä is returning to Minneapolis as music director!