Latest news with #ArtSpiegelman
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
PBS Doc on Iconic Cartoonist Cuts Trump Criticism
A PBS executive pushed for the removal of an anti-Trump cartoon in a documentary about famed artist Art Spiegelman. Stephen Segaller, of parent company WNET, said that his rationale was not to get in the good graces of the president, who has attacked PBS for pushing 'left-wing propaganda.' Rather, the comic's inclusion in the documentary feature, Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse, was a 'breach of taste,' The New York Times reported. The cartoon 'portrays what appears to be fly-infested feces on Trump's head,' according to the Times. The depiction of Trump was for the 2017 Women's March newspaper, RESIST! Trump signed an executive order on May 2 axing public funding for NPR and PBS, which he accused of 'spread[ing] radical, woke propaganda disguised as 'news.'' The call from American Masters executive producer Michael Kantor came in April about two weeks before the documentary was set to air. Filmmakers ultimately agreed. (A portion of the segment can be seen on Instagram.) 'We were told the film still has an anti-fascist message, and the audience can connect the dots themselves,' producer Alicia Sams told Documentary Magazine, which first reported on the decision. 'The irony of censoring someone who is a free speech advocate is maybe lost on PBS, but certainly not lost on us.' Sams and the other filmmakers questioned PBS's motives. They noted that the documentary had already been approved to air, and to do so in the 10 p.m. slot to allow for obscenities. 'If PBS cannot protect the free speech of its content creators and subject matters without fear of retribution from members of the government who may find their views displeasing, then how can it strengthen the 'social, democratic and cultural health' of the American people?' Sams and four other producers and directors wrote in a letter to executives at PBS and WNET, citing PBS's mission statement, according to the Times. 'Rather, your actions will have a chilling effect on the free speech of artists, filmmakers, and journalists who have long looked to public media as a platform for all Americans,' they wrote. Spiegelman, who won the Pulitzer Prize for the graphic novel Maus, sharply criticized the scene's removal in a statement attached to the filmmakers' letter. 'It's tragic and appalling that PBS and WNET are willing to become collaborators with the sinister forces trying to muzzle free speech,' he said. Segaller claimed that Trump's pressure on PBS—and on any institution that doesn't fall in line with his demands—was irrelevant. 'I don't think we'd have made a different decision if it had been a year earlier,' he told the Times.
New York Times
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Criticism of Trump Was Removed From Documentary on Public Television
The executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning 'American Masters' series insisted on removing a scene critical of President Trump from a documentary about the comic artist Art Spiegelman two weeks before it was set to air nationwide on public television stations. The filmmakers say it is another example of public media organizations bowing to pressure as the Trump administration tries to defund the sector, while the programmers say their decision was a matter of taste. Alicia Sams, a producer of 'Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse,' said in an interview that approximately two weeks before the movie's April 15 airdate, she received a call from Michael Kantor, the executive producer of 'American Masters,' informing her that roughly 90 seconds featuring a cartoon critical of Trump would need to be excised from the film. The series is produced by the WNET Group, the parent company of several New York public television channels. Stephen Segaller, the vice president of programming for WNET, confirmed in an interview that the station had informed the filmmakers that it needed to make the change. Segaller said WNET felt the scatological imagery in the comic, which Spiegelman drew shortly after the 2016 election — it portrays what appears to be fly-infested feces on Trump's head — was a 'breach of taste' that might prove unpalatable to some of the hundreds of stations that air the series. But the filmmakers have questioned whether political considerations played a role. They have noted that earlier this year, according to Documentary Magazine, which first reported the 'American Masters' decision, PBS postponed indefinitely a documentary set to air about a transgender video-gamer for fear of political backlash. Sams pointed out that their film had already been approved for broadcast — the filmmakers agreed it would be shown at 10 p.m. rather than 8 p.m., so that certain obscenities would not need to be blurred or bleeped — and that the call came a week after a Capitol Hill hearing in which Congressional Republicans accused public television and radio executives of biased coverage (the executives denied that accusation in sworn testimony). 'If PBS cannot protect the free speech of its content creators and subject matters without fear of retribution from members of the government who may find their views displeasing, then how can it strengthen the 'social, democratic and cultural health' of the American people?' Sams and four other producers and directors wrote to PBS and WNET executives last month, quoting from PBS's mission statement. 'Rather, your actions will have a chilling effect on the free speech of artists, filmmakers and journalists who have long looked to public media as a platform for all Americans,' they added. A statement from Spiegelman was appended. 'It's tragic and appalling that PBS and WNET are willing to become collaborators with the sinister forces trying to muzzle free speech,' he wrote. Segaller acknowledged the pressures facing his station, but insisted politics had not played a part in its decision: 'I don't think we'd have made a different decision if it had been a year earlier,' he said. PBS referred an inquiry to WNET. This month, Trump accused NPR and PBS of producing 'left-wing propaganda' and, in an executive order, instructed the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to end federal funding for them as allowed by law. The chief executives of all three organizations have challenged the legality of the move, which could decrease public media's revenue and alter their relationships with member stations. The filmmakers acknowledged that 'American Masters' had the right to demand the change under their licensing agreement. They acquiesced, Sams said, because the change would not affect the movie which they own, for distribution elsewhere. The documentary, in uncut form, had already played at film festivals and run theatrically at Manhattan's Film Forum and elsewhere, and is currently available on the streaming service Kanopy. The film chronicles the life and work of Spiegelman, 77, whose graphic memoir, 'Maus,' won a Pulitzer Prize in 1992. The book narrates his parents' experiences in the Holocaust and his latter-day reckoning with them — famously depicting the Jews as mice and the Nazis as cats. In their letter, the filmmakers highlighted the irony of editing a film about Spiegelman, given that — as the documentary shows — 'Maus' has been subjected to book bans in recent years. The removed scene features Spiegelman reading a short comic he drew about Trump in late 2016. It was printed in a magazine that his wife, Françoise Mouly, The New Yorker's longtime art editor, and daughter, the author Nadja Spiegelman, self-published and distributed at the 'Women's March' protest shortly after the 2017 inauguration. 'Even a TOWER full of Tic Tacs can't mask the toxic stench of Fascism!' the cartoon begins. It also features a swastika drawn into the border between panels. Defunding public television would further constrict the viability of topical documentaries, said Thom Powers, the founder of the DOC NYC festival, where 'Disaster Is My Muse' premiered last fall. 'The underlying question is, who is in the speaking-truth-to-power business today?' Powers said.
Los Angeles Times
18-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Art Spiegelman, Janinah Burnett and more: L.A. arts and culture this weekend
'Art Spiegelman is one of the most important cartoonists in the world working today. He tackled a subject that was enormous, and he established the medium as a serious literary form.' That's what Joe Sacco says of his fellow cartoonist in 'Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse,' a new documentary that explores the career and legacy of the artist, editor and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the acclaimed graphic novel 'Maus.' The 'American Masters' title, which won the Metropolis Grand Jury Prize at the DOC NYC Festival in November, features archival footage and stills, illustrations and new interviews with Spiegelman, as well as insights from his family and contemporaries, including cartoonists Robert Crumb, Emil Ferris, Jerry Craft and Bill Griffith, writer-artist Molly Crabapple and author J. Hoberman. A portion of the film sees Spiegelman deconstructing 'Maus' — which was based on his father's experiences as a Jewish immigrant and Holocaust survivor, as well as his own struggle to visualize it as an artist — and discussing its creation and impact alongside his wife, designer Françoise Mouly. Other sections recap his chapter as co-editor of comic magazines Arcade and Raw and revisit his most notable New Yorker covers. The film premiered earlier this week on PBS and is streaming online and available via the PBS app through May 14. It is a galvanizing watch about the power of art as a medium for processing humanity's most horrific events , and the lasting influence such brave creations will have for generations to come. I'm Ashley Lee, here with my fellow Times staff writer Jessica Gelt with more things to do and news to peruse. 'What They Saw: Historical Photobooks by Women, 1843–1999'The Getty Center's interactive pop-up reading room highlights more than 100 photobooks and encourages visitors to hold the books, read and flip through pages. The exhibition includes a selection of contemporary photobooks by female Southern California photographers, including Catherine Opie, Uta Barth, Jo Ann Callis, Elena Dorfman, Rose-Lynn Fisher, Judy Fiskin and Soo Kim. It is on view through May 11; the Getty's Central Garden will feature poetry inspired by the exhibition from Camae Ayewa (April 23) and Solange Aguilar (April 30). Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Drive, Brentwood. 'The Totality of All Things'Erik Gernand's play, which debuted in Chicago last year, explores the country's growing divide through the lens of a hate crime at a small-town Indiana high school. The Road Theatre Company production is part of Reflections on Art and Democracy, a citywide celebration of plays, salons, lectures, and concerts that raise awareness about the rise of fascism and antisemitism, as well as the power of art and design to resist them. Directed by Taylor Nichols, this West Coast premiere runs through May 25; Saturday's performance includes a talkback with the playwright. Road Theatre,10747 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood. Janinah BurnettBoston Court Pasadena continues its Just Jazz Foundation Series with this one-night-only concert, featuring songs from the artist's debut album, 'Love the Color of Your Butterfly,' as well as hidden gems from various eras of American musical history. Of course, this set list will be delivered with 'clazz' — her signature combination of numerous genres of music, including classical and jazz. Saturday, 8 p.m. Boston Court Pasadena, 70 N. Mentor Ave., Pasadena. — Ashley Lee FRIDAY🎸 AC/DC at the Rose Bowl The stalwart Australian rockers electrify the Arroyo Seco with their Power Up tour and opening act the Pretty Reckless.7 p.m. Rose Bowl, 1001 Rose Bowl Drive, Pasadena. 📖 🎭 Dark Library: Paris 1925 Visit Gertude Stein's apartment and mingle with such notable expats as Ernest Hemingway, Josephine Baker, F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda, via this intersection of multisensory mediums, including cocktails, dance and movement, and experiential design.7 and 9 p.m. Friday-Saturday, through April 26. New Musicals Inc., 5628 Vineland Ave., North Hollywood. 🎸 Graham Nash The singer-songwriter with the light tenor voice performs 'More Evenings of Songs & Stories 2025,' including his solo work and as a member of the Hollies and Crosby, Stills & Nash (and sometimes Young).8 p.m. Carpenter Performing Arts Center, 6200 E. Atherton St., Long Beach. 🎵 🎭 Shrek the Musical Jr. A benefit performance by middle school students with all donations going to help rebuild the Altadena Arts Magnet and Eliot Arts Magnet arts programs, which were severely affected by the Eaton fire. Admission is free but reservations are required.7 p.m. Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. SATURDAY🎤 Krush Groove Festival The Game, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Redman and Method Man are among the performers at the annual hip-hop festival presented by 93.5 Forum, 3900 W Manchester Blvd., Inglewood. SUNDAY📖 An Evening With Mark Hoppus The Blink-182 singer discusses his new memoir, 'Fahrenheit-182.'4 p.m. The Wiltern, 3790 Wilshire Blvd. 🎭 God's Favorite James Rice directs Neil Simon's 1974 comedy, loosely based on the biblical book of May 3. Long Beach Playhouse Theatres, 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach. 🎞️ Something Mysterious: The Art of Philip Seymour Hoffman The Academy Museum's tribute series to the late Oscar-winning actor continues this week with 'Magnolia' (1999, 7:30 p.m. Sunday) and 'The Savages' (2007, 7:30 p.m. Monday).Series continues through May 29. Academy Museum, 6067 Wilshire Blvd. An art project called 'The Goodbye Line' has been gaining steam — and users — in Southern California. Created by Adam Trunell and partner Alexis Wood, the interactive project consists of stickers placed on working payphones around the city, inviting passersby to call a free recorded line in order to say goodbye to something or someone. Trunell and Wood are posting these recordings online. The results are wildly varied, but almost always poignant. Beloved Devo frontman and all-around uber creator Mark Mothersbaugh has finally opened his MutMuz Gallery to the public. For years Mothersbaugh had used the space on Chung King Road in Chinatown, but he never invited guests inside. First up: his debut solo show of paintings and screenprints, 'Why Are We Here? No. 01.' 'Regency Girls,' a new musical comedy set in the era of Jane Austen, is making its pre-Broadway debut at the Old Globe in San Diego. Penned by TV writers Jennifer Crittenden and Gabrielle Allan, and directed and choreographed by Josh Rhodes, the show is 'both genuinely funny and unabashedly silly,' writes Times theater critic Charles McNulty. Fans of 'Pride and Prejudice' will likely savor the nonstop action, he speculates. Heidi Zuckerman will step down from her role as CEO and director of the Orange County Museum of Art in December, the museum announced this week. Zuckerman has overseen an extraordinary period of growth during her tenure, including the 2022 grand opening of the museum's new Thom Mayne, Morphosis Architects-designed home. Zuckerman is OCMA's 13th director since its 1962 founding and will help the executive committee search for a successor. The museum noted that in the two years since opening its new building, more than 500,000 visitors have stepped through its doors — a number 12 times greater than attendance in the old location. OCMA is not the only regional museum announcing a change in leadership. Adam Lerner, the executive director and CEO of Palm Springs Art Museum, announced this week that he decided not to renew his contract after four years at the helm of the institution. 'The museum is now stronger, more inclusive, and more engaged than ever — and I'm especially proud of the outstanding executive team we've built to carry that momentum forward,' Lerner wrote in a message about his decision to museum members. The 100th class of Guggenheim Fellows was announced this week and 16 L.A.-area honorees are among the 198 artists, scientists and more — across 53 disciplines — selected for the program. Writer-director-actor Miranda July is among the 2025 fellows, as is playwright Larissa Fasthorse, who is receiving funding in a new category for Indigenous Studies. 'At a time when intellectual life is under attack, the Guggenheim Fellowship celebrates a century of support for the lives and work of visionary scientists, scholars, writers, and artists,' Edward Hirsch, poet and president of the Guggenheim Foundation, said in a news release. 'We believe that these creative thinkers can take on the challenges we all face today and guide our society towards a better and more hopeful future.' The additional L.A.-area residents selected are Coleman Collins, UC Irvine, fine arts; Kyungmi Shin, fine arts; Raven Jackson, film/video; Mona Jarrahi, UCLA, engineering; Suk-Young Kim, UCLA, theater arts; Jingyi Jessica Li, UCLA, data science; Park Williams, UCLA, earth science; Mungo Thomson, film/video; Carolina Lithgow-Bertelloni, UCLA, earth science; Julie Tolentino, CalArts, fine arts; Carolyn Castaño, fine arts; Lauren Bon, Metabolic Studio, fine arts; Kerry Howley, general nonfiction; Emily Barker, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, fine arts. — Jessica Gelt Introducing Jesse Eisenberg — composer, lyricist and movie-musical director.
Chicago Tribune
28-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
What to do in Chicago: Deftones, Shemekia Copeland and a flower show at Garfield Park Conservatory
Deftones: With a 10th album reportedly on the way, the Deftones play the United Center on Monday night. More than 20 years ago, the Tribune called them 'a band that prefers to walk a crooked path.' Catch them before they play Glastonbury this summer. 7 p.m. March 31 at United Center, 1901 W. Madison St.; tickets from $214.50 at Snow Patrol: Following the release of their eighth studio album 'The Forest Is the Path,' the Northern Irish-Scottish indie rock band rolls into The Salt Shed. The band has come a long way since Derek died to 'Chasing Cars' during Season 11 of 'Grey's Anatomy.' Expect a potent mix of new and old. 7:30 p.m. April 1 at The Salt Shed, 1357 N. Elston Ave.; tickets $375 at Shemekia Copeland: The esteemed blues singer will perform music from her latest, Grammy-nominated album, 'Blame It on Eve.' It's no surprise the show is sold out, but if you can find a way, it'll be worth it. 8 p.m. March 30 at Space, 1245 Chicago Ave., Evanston; tickets at 'Sunny Afternoon': The American premiere of a jukebox musical documenting the early years of The Kinks is now playing at Chicago Shakespeare. Ray Davies, who was involved in the making of it, told the Tribune that it's meant for new audiences as much as longtime fans. And honestly, do The Kinks ever get old? Through April 27 in The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare on Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave.; tickets $104-$130 at Michael Yo: Perhaps you know him from his appearances on Joe Rogan's podcast — or maybe his own podcast, 'The Yo Show.' The actor and comedian will bring his latest stand-up show to Chicago. Sample his humor in his latest special, 'Snack Daddy.' 7:15 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. March 29 at The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave.; tickets (ages 16+, 2 drink minimum) at 'Art Spiegelman — Disaster Is My Muse': If you haven't read 'Maus,' Art Spiegelman's Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece … seriously? You're way overdue. And if you have, you already know this is the perfect moment to watch a documentary about this irreverent, cantankerous and uniquely American cartoonist. Even better, the film is followed by a Q&A with producer Alicia Sams and Chicago/Evanston cartoonist Emil Ferris ('My Favorite Thing Is Monsters'), moderated by WTTW's Mark Bazer. 1:45 p.m. March 30 at Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Ave.; tickets $12 at Midori: The renowned violinist who made her debut at age 11 with the New York Philharmonic will conclude her residency with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras with a concert this weekend. Midori, who serves as artistic director of the Ravinia Steans Music Institute Piano & Strings Program, will perform Derek Bermel's 'Spring Cadenzas' as part of the program. 3 p.m. March 30 at Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St.; tickets $25 at 'Rooted in Mystery': Stop and smell the flowers — but linger a bit longer to admire the roots. Garfield Park Conservatory's Spring Flower Show focuses this year on the essential role roots play in the lives of plants. And it goes well beyond serving as a delivery system for water and nutrients; they emit chemical and electrical signals vital to plant survival. Neat stuff. Through May 11 at Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 N. Central Park Ave.; tickets up to $10 (Chicago residents free) at True Colors Drag Show: Zizi D-Lite, Chrysanthemum, Chrome Snatchica and George David will perform at this drag showcase featuring performers with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The show, which has popped up around Chicago and Evanston regularly since August, offers a safe space for performers and a reminder to audiences of the power of creativity. 7 p.m. March 29 at Sketchbook Brewing Co., 821 Chicago Ave.; more on the free event at The Other Art Fair: Get your portrait taken by Anna Marie Tendler, artist and author of 'Men Have Called Her Crazy,' in Tendler's 'House of Self' photobooth. Find out what the Englewood Arts Collective is all about. Touted as an 'art adventure,' The Other Art Fair promises affordable, original art, immersive installations, performances and a bar. 5-10 p.m. March 28, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. March 29, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. March 30 at Artifact Events, 4325 N. Ravenswood Ave.; tickets $20-$25 (children under 12 free) at
New York Times
26-02-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
The New Yorker Celebrates 100 Years
On Tuesday evening, Art Spiegelman and Françoise Mouly were sitting at a sidewalk table outside Jean's, a chic night spot in the NoHo neighborhood of Manhattan. Nearby, writers, critics and cartoonists streamed past a black rope and a bouncer to attend The New Yorker's 100th anniversary party. Mr. Spiegelman, the graphic novelist who has been a contributor to the publication since 1992, puffed on a slender e-cigarette. Ms. Mouly, the magazine's longtime art editor, took in the scene. The two have been married almost 50 years. 'The New Yorker is the last of its kind standing, and tonight we're celebrating that,' Mr. Spiegelman said. 'I still remember meeting the great writer Joseph Mitchell in the magazine's hallway. I felt like I was in the presence of a monument.' Ms. Mouly, who recently curated a centennial exhibit of the magazine's covers for L'Alliance New York, a French cultural center, also reflected on the big night. Image The cartoonist Art Spiegelman, left, and the art editor Françoise Mouly, longtime New Yorker colleagues (and longtime husband and wife), arrived at the party. Credit... Dolly Faibyshev for The New York Times Jelani Cobb, a New Yorker staff writer and the dean of Columbia Journalism School. Credit... Dolly Faibyshev for The New York Times M. Gessen, a former staff writer at The New Yorker who is now an Opinion writer for The New York Times. Credit... Dolly Faibyshev for The New York Times Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
