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Posts about Culture wars

St. Paul Mayor Coleman presses for SPCO settlement; musicians weigh new proposal

Posted by: Claude Peck Updated: March 22, 2013 - 10:59 AM

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St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman last week pressed management and musicians of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra to resolve their labor dispute and get back to playing concerts.

An open letter today from Dobson West, president of the SPCO, said Coleman "expressed his concern forcefully to both sides that the remainder of our concert season is at risk and a cancellation of that season would result in serious long-term consequences for the SPCO and the city."

Coleman asked SPCO management to make a new proposal to musicians, "containing significant concessions," West wrote.

Musicians are meeting Friday to consider a new proposal from management that would eliminate a two-tier pay scale that they have opposed. It also offers them a guaranteed annual salary of $60,000, an increase of $4,000 from the last offer, but still well below what they had been making before being locked out last October in this dispute. Also on the table is an increase in the minimum guaranteed overscale so that no musician will receive less than 80 percent of what they currently earn in overscale, versus a previous offer of 50 percent.

Other revisions in the current offer cover areas of early retirement, insurance benefits, the size of the orchestra and the process for making decisions on personnel and programming.

As has happened at least once before, the musicians are deciding whether to accept these new contract provisions in a "play and talk" scheme that would allow concerts to begin as more negotiations are scheduled between now and June 30. Management said it must reach a decision on this proposal not later than April 8, after which time it would have to cancel the remainder of the concert season.

Musicians are expected to have an announcement on the plan later on Friday. Look for updates at startribune.com when they become available.

Walker film interns resign, blast museum's 'callous negligence' in staff and program cuts

Posted by: Colin Covert Updated: March 22, 2013 - 2:43 PM

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Photo courtesy of Walker Art Center

Photo courtesy of Walker Art Center

In a move designed to protest staff and program cuts in Walker Art Center’s film and video division, the department’s three interns resigned Wednesday afternoon.

Jeremy Meckler, Courtney K. Sheehan and Matthew Cole Levine announced their walkout in a statement emailed to Walker staff accusing the museum’s management of “general disrespect towards a longstanding, talented, and loyal staff” and “callous negligence” that “was felt with particular sting in the Film/Video department.” The three had spent a total of five years working at the Walker.

The museum this month has undergone a bruising round of layoffs and restructuring in the face of rising admission prices and falling revenues. Two weeks ago Walker management laid off Film and Video Program Manager Kathie Smith, with Assistant Curator Dean Otto, who handled primarily programming responsibilities, assuming Smith's administrative duties. Otto and Film and Video Curator Sheryl Mousley are now the department’s remaining fulltime staff.

With a $1 million gift from the Edina-based Bentson Foundation, Walker extensively remodeled its cinema in June 2012, yet the museum’s film programming has declined. Longrunning film series including “Women in the Director’s Chair,” the “Global Lens” world cinema survey, and the gay-themed “Queer Takes” are gone from the calendar, and the cinema sits dark most days. Screenings have fallen by about 20 percent in the last five years, from an average of 170 to 140 a year, said Ryan French, the Walker’s director of marketing and public relations. Visual and performing arts programs also have been curtailed. Walker's most successful recent film event was last summer's festival of Internet kitten videos.

“The Walker has been reducing its overall programming and budget to overcome a gap between income and expenses. We’re reducing program levels and the staff that support those programs,” French said. He said the free summer Music and Movies in the Park program and the popular, ticket-selling British Arrows television advertising showcase will remain. “Having a reduction in programming from 170 to 140 but having a great space to do it in is a good thing.” 
 

Minnesota Orchestra dispute gets TV airing

Posted by: Claude Peck Updated: December 2, 2012 - 6:21 PM

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Minnesota Orchestra board member Doug Kelley disagreed with veteran cellist Tony Ross about nearly every point the two debated Friday night on TPT's "Almanac" program.

At issue is the labor dispute at the orchestra that has locked out musicians since Oct. 1 and caused cancellation of all concerts through the end of the year.

Ross renewed the musicians' call for an independent financial analysis to clear up with he called "fuzzy numbers" in the orchestra's annual reports and public statements.

Kelley said the board has been "as transparent as can be" when reporting on its annual budgets, including in its lobbying of the Minnesota Legislature in 2010 for $14 million in bonding authority for its renovation project at Orchestra Hall.

Kelley refuted the musicians' claim that they were largely unaware of the orchestra's dire money crunch in the last few years. "We told you exactly what we were doing, and you guys know every bit about that," Kelley said, referrring to a meeting between management and musicians in May, 2010.

At that meeting, then Board Chair Richard Davis told the musicians that a reported balanced budget in 2009 was achieved only "by utilizing a large endowment draw."

"We are willing to do this in the short term to protect you and and the organization," said Davis, according to documents obtained by the Star Tribune. "But we cannot continue this policy long term because it will threaten the endowment. We need you to fully understand the scope of the financial challenges because we will need your help in addressing these in contract negotiations."

Ross, a member of the musicians' negotiating committee, said "they did talk to us" about finances, but he characterized the meeting as "a clumsy attempt to negotiate early."

Referrring to last week's unanimous vote of no confidence by musicians in orchestra CEO Michael Henson, Ross said that Henson and other senior managers "have created the most toxic work environment you can imagine."

Kelley said that after a recent committee meeting to discuss it, "Mr. Henson has the unanimous full support of the board."

Pancakes for better theater

Posted by: Claude Peck Updated: August 23, 2012 - 4:45 PM

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A recent Star Tribune commentary critical of various aspects of the local theater scene has stirred a spirited response on Facebook and local websites.

One outcome is a pancake breakfast this Saturday at which theater artists hope to continue talking about some of the issues raised by director Bryan Bevell in this newspaper on Aug. 12. The breakfast idea, proposed by theater artist Samantha Johns on Facebook, has attracted 65 participants so far, including directors, actors, dancers and more. It's taking place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. outside the Ivey Building, 2714 E. 27th St., in Minneapolis. Classic, vegan and gluten-free cakes will be provided, but bring your own plate, mug, silverware and ideas.

Bevell bemoaned a scene that he described as "self-satisfied and uninspired, with little driving passion or evident purpose." Too much local theater, he said, avoids unpleasant subject matter. And there is too little honest and direct dialog about good and bad theater. 

Some commenters have agreed, while others have said Bevell overlooked any number of edgier theater artists and groups in the Twin Cities. The back-and-forth chat about the commentary has been summarized by Jay Gabler at the website Twin Cities Daily Planet. There also has been discussion at the local theater sites Callboard and Minnesota Playlist.

Dan Savage at the Pantages

Posted by: Claude Peck Updated: March 5, 2012 - 5:04 PM

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Dan Savage / Photo by Christopher Staton

Dan Savage / Photo by Christopher Staton

Dan Savage, syndicated sex-advice columnist and author of four books, makes a live appearance June 22 at the Pantages Theatre in downtown Minneapolis, just in time for Gay Pride.

 Savage, whose "Savage Love" column appears in alternative weeklies around the country (and in City Pages in the Twin Citieis) has been outspoken in defense of gay marriage, gay adoption and against school bullying.

His most recent book, “It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying and Creating a Life Worth Living,” was released in 2011 and became a New York Times Bestseller. Savage created the web-based "It Gets Better" campaign in 2010 as an outlet for video testimonials giving hope to gays facing bullying or other persecution or discrimination. He is editor of The Stranger in Seattle.

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, March 9. They are $43.50. Visit www.HennepinTheatreTrust.org or call 1.800.982.2787. Photo of Savage by Christopher Staton, provided by Hennepin Theatre Trust.

inside the StarTribune