This online feature accompanies the feature package in the fall 2011 issue of JEA’s magazine, Communication : Journalism Education Today, vol. 45, no. 1. The magazine is a benefit of membership in JEA. Join today.
Spotlighting
LIVE PERFORMANCES IN TUNE WITH THE NOW
BY HOWARD SPANOGLE
Live translates as local – events reporters can see, touch or experience. For readers, live requires authenticity – been there, heard them, laughed with the performer, thought about decisions on stage, visualized painters at work, stooped with photographers to see another angle – all making it possible for readers to absorb the perspective.
Alert publication staffs know that live delivers status – reporting that is reliable and effort that is commendable. The marquee advertises enduring endorsements, values that advisers and editors need to use to help the staff make selections that deliver the beat.
The best publications serve their readers by providing continuous coverage of arts participation and events. Their editors avoid the trap of filling pages with summaries from promoters websites and reviews of CDs, films or concerts that have already been well publicized. Instead, writers, photographers and editors search for original arts coverage, which can be found in large and small schools and communities.
How to determine arts coverage that meets the marquee standards always adds a challenge, one that requires looking beyond the obvious and one demanding brainstorming and awareness of reader needs.
Advisers and editors can talk to those “in the know” about the local arts scenes to develop skills about effective choices for entertainment coverage. They also can consider the ideas and experiences of Nathan and Rebecca Johnson, young Denver professionals who have produced or supported a wide range of music – jazz, gospel and classical – and who have searched for satisfying arts experiences, whether film, theater, food or big-name productions, such as U2 concerts and Cirque du Soleil shows.
What may arts-conscious readers find helpful on entertainment pages?
WORTH: How should values and aesthetic merit affect reporters’ decisions?
Rebecca: “I had a professor who was forever repeating his favorite triad that I have adopted as the basis for my evaluation of creative work: unity, variety and balance. What gives a work a sense of unity, a through-line, a cohesive arc? What brings variety, surprise or sparkle? How is balance maintained among all the parts and in relation to the whole? When I reflect on the songs, concerts or plays that move me, I find that they fulfill all three: unity, variety and balance ”
EMPHASIS: What deserves attention? The obvious versus the angle?
Nathan: “A good article not only helps the reader but also furthers the artistic development of the performer or artist. An artist can experience great growth through the reporter’s interview process. The artist’s articulation of his or her vision for the work and the concrete steps to achieve it can be clarified in a way that is helpful to the artist as well as to the reporter and to the story.”
“For reporters who are trying to develop the skills of meaningful criticism, it may be worthwhile to read major sources after attending an event that receives coverage. The goal is to review the review of the event. The process becomes a form of mentoring that allows young journalists to learn from seasoned professionals. To find good mentors, look to The New York Times, The New Republic and The New Yorker for critical review that goes far deeper than the immediate event to include history and context.”
“Behind-the-scenes stories expose readers to future opportunities both as art creators and as art consumers. Bands now have members who write daily blogs about what their lives and jobs are like. I like to read Willie Williams’ blog – he’s the artistic designer for U2.”
INNOVATION: How should writers find original art to cover?
Rebecca: “Meaningful coverage requires curiosity and passion. Many successful bands, plays, movies and visual art works have gained recognition with help from the efforts of a reporter to draw early public attention. KCRW, a college radio station in Santa Monica, Calif., gave early critical exposure to artists – now well known – such as Coldplay and Norah Jones.”
Nathan: “Read blogs and listen to new music podcasts to learn about artists who are beginning to gain attention. For example, I receive a weekly email summary of new music releases from AllMusic.com, which makes it easy for me to skim or to click for more in-depth reviews. The website also allows me to research the artist’s entire career and body of work. The information gives context to the new release.”
Rebecca: “Sit through the movie credits. As you watch the various positions scroll across the screen, pick a job you don’t understand and research it. Look beyond the actors to others who apply their craft to create the artistic outcome on screen.”
PROMINENCE – Who or what deserves the limelight?
Rebecca: “Local recurring events – they certainly happen in schools – provide the opportunity for development over time. For example, a lot of communities offer a regular art walk or gallery tour. In Denver, the Santa Fe Art District opens its doors on first and third Fridays. Changing exhibits and themes provide interest year-round. Taking the time to experience a recurring event several times will allow for development of informed connections and unique stories.”
Nathan: “Opportunities are unlimited for high school publications. Small events desperately need cultivation and can benefit from coverage. Because of that, the performers are more likely to grant interviews and access so that the reporter has the opportunity to more fully explore the artistic process.”
Rebecca: “Size is not a guarantee of quality. For local coverage, a reporter should consider keeping tabs on specific venues that have a reputation for bringing in good talent. Although it’s important to do independent research and reviews, why not leverage the selection process of those in the business? A Denver neighborhood venue called Larimer Lounge holds only a couple hundred people and has a knack for picking interesting talent that often shows up later in larger venues.
“In 2004, Larimer Lounge hosted an emerging Montreal band, Arcade Fire. Unfortunately, I missed that show, but I was in the crowd of 10,000 when the band returned three years later to play Re d Rocks Amphitheatre. This year, when their album, ‘The Suburbs,’ won a Grammy Award, many mainstream sources seemed caught by surprise.
“The joke among my concert-going friends was, ‘Arcade who?’ Local arts coverage played a role in helping me discover this band.
INFLUENCE – How should publication choices influence readers?
Nathan: “I grew up in a community with a small, minimal local newspaper and an even smaller, straightforward school newspaper. It wasn’t until college, when I was exposed to more influential newspapers and publications, that I realized how powerful arts coverage can be.
“Beyond promoting an event, a good arts article can challenge the reader to think critically. It can impart background, which gives context, and can provide readers with aesthetic values to keep in mind when interacting with the art.”
Rebecca: “Realistically, a reader can never attend every event that is covered. But good arts coverage can enrich readers even if they do not participate directly in the event. A good arts writer knows how to accomplish that purpose and benefit for the reader.”
Tad Simons – Mpls.St.Paul Magazine’s arts and entertainment editor Tad Simons writes on the local arts scene in the Twin Cities Reader, City Pages, St. Paul Pioneer Press, American Theatre magazine, BackStage, Variety and The Washington Post. During his 25–year career, Simons has covered theater, books, music, visual arts, dance, film and performance art (including politics). His articles and essays on these and other subjects have won more than 30 local and national awards for editorial excellence. Readers can follow him at blogs.mspmag.com/themorningafter/.
SIMONS SAYS
The cool adviser will be giving student delegates
Tad’s take on BEST 7 for conventioneers
- Airport food delight
- French Meadow Bakery (local hotspot with an airport branch)
- Arty shop to visit
- The Walker Art Center gift store
- Blogs to read
- ‘The Morning After’ at mspmag.com
- ‘Max About Town’ at minnpost.com
- Painting to see
Exhibit: Young People’s Ofrenda at Minneapolis Institute of Arts: a special exhibit of high school student work about Mexico’s Day of the Dead.
- Media info/entertainment
- Great TV show on TC arts: MN Original (TPT – Channel 2)
- Can watch episodes at mnoriginal.org
- City Pages (free alternative weekly)
- Minnesota music groups’ CDs to note:
- Gayngs, ‘Relayted’
- Haley Bonar, ‘Golder’
- Atmosphere, ‘The Family Sign’
- Radio sound
- The Current FM 89.3 (innovative rock station, Minnesota Public Radio)
SIMONS SAYS
The cool adviser will be giving student delegates
Tad’s take on BIG 5 for conventioneers
- The Walker Art Center (and sculpture garden)
- Minneapolis Institute of Arts
- Minnesota History Center
- The Guthrie Theater
- Weisman Art Museum (on University of Minnesota campus)
CONVENTION PLANNERS SAY
The cool adviser will be giving student delegates
A chance to write the best review:
Create a blog on which the staff can place mini-reviews (four or five paragraphs) about worthwhile choices – as below or something else a staff member discovers. Be observant, and practice tips suggested by ARTS speakers.
- A featured speaker presentation – check convention program.
- Three most enjoyable convention booths to visit.
- Most surprising workshop session.
- What makes a hit dance at a convention with thousands attending.
- How Minnesota welcomes visitors, from airports to hotels to restaurants.
TWIN CITIES SAY
The cool adviser will be giving student delegates
A heads up with this idea:
Take a story home in your suitcase. Discover something print worthy for your readers. Consider these possibilities:
- A story about favorite or eye-demanding paintings – written by three to five staff members – discovered at Twin Cities museums or galleries.
- Outdoor art that connects to experiences ‘back home.’
- A place or visit that connects to a book students read in their curriculum.
- A science exhibit that conveys the excitement of that field.
- Architecture that expands the imagination – again try the multiple-writer approach.
Places that inspire ideas:
- For a traditional art museum: http://www.artsmia.org/ The Minneapolis Institute of Arts
- For a modern art museum/performance art/film: http://www.walkerart.org/ Outside – The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden at The Walker Art Center. Target Free Thursday Nights.
- Performance Opportunity – Minneapolis Institute is attached to The Children’s Theatre Company: http://www.childrenstheatre.org
- Performance and Architecture – The Guthrie Theater: http://www.guthrietheater.org/
- In Saint Paul Minnesota History Center/The Capitol: http://www.minnesotahistorycenter.org/
- The Mill City Museum (run through Minnesota History Center, next door to the Guthrie): http://www.millcitymuseum.org/
- Science Museum of Minnesota: http://www.smm.org/
- Weisman Art Museum: http://www.weisman.umn.edu/
- Minnesota Center for Book Arts: http://www.mnbookarts.org/
- Music – tons of great music – Fine Line Music Café, First Avenue, some venues may be 18+ however. Minnesota Orchestra: http://minnesotaorchestra.org
- Hennepin Theatre Trust (The State, Orpheum, Pantages and Century theaters): http://www.hennepintheatretrust.org/
- New dance space: The Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts: http://www.thecowlescenter.org