arts

Harvard Goes To Hollywood

Mia Riverton Founder and President Harvardwood Los Angeles, California MIA RIVERTON, 30, is an actress/producer/writer who in 1999 cofounded a volunteer networking group for Harvard grads in the arts, media, and ...READ»

• Hyper Island Grooms the Next Generation of Digital Media
• How Y Combinator Schools Tech Startups
• Green? Yes. But Just How Sustainable Is Your Product?

A Small-Business Documentary Sparks Discussion

Last night I attended a small-business forum organized by Manhattan's Community Board 4 that addressed the problematic future of New York's small businesses. The meeting was held in conjunction with a screening of Virginie Alvine-Perrette's documentary, "Twilight Becomes Night."READ»

Leading in Times of Recession

Once again, Dickens classic introduction to The Tale of Two Cities captures our times: “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times….” In both uncertain economic times as well as at the height of a boom, effective ...READ»

Recession Fashion

The depressing economy may be prompting us to keep our wallets shut, but so far it's doing very little to curb our fashion obsession. Amidst widespread corporate layoffs, our nation elected a new president, and subsequent fashion coverage followed the historic event.READ»

Can We Laugh at Obama?

As the nation transitions from the erratic, divisive Bush-era into the historically momentous presidency of Obama the rhetoritician, some journalists are declaring crisis mode on a flourishing art form: the political satire.READ»

How the Recession is Impacting Music, Too

As the financial crisis ripples beyond Wall Street, the Classical music industry is being affected. Because this cultural segment relies on wealthy donors and audiences for its survival, opera houses and philharmonics are forced to cut back.READ»

What's In a Name -- Often Your Brand's Identity

An organization's name, logo, brand... their image, directly impacts peoples perception about it and how their products and services are valued. The same is true for museums.READ»

Is Hollywood Benefiting from the Current Recession?

The U.S economy may be in shambles, but for the movie industry, the next two months seem to signal a nice upsurge. Not only does the most universal form of escapist entertainment tend to fare especially well during economic ...READ»

Once Again, Oliver Stone Surprises Critics

Multiple Oscar-winner Oliver Stone may be adapting new tones as a filmmaker, but he has certainly not lost his ability to surprise those who claim to understand his style and artistic motivations. After the director adapted a ...READ»

Celebrities Rock the Vote...Do We Still Listen?

The idea of comparing Barack Obama to Paris Hilton may be preposterous, but the Democratic Candidate's status as a full-fledged cultural icon is undeniable. While Che Guevara used to be the most likely political figure to end up on an ...READ»

Emmys Hit by an Academy Awards-Curse?

Last Sunday's Emmy awards, like the night's big winner, Mad Men, failed to attract the desired fan attention; at 12.2 million viewers, the awards show's ratings were the worst since 1990. But unlike the decorated and critically ...READ»

'In the Family' Demonstrates Inspired First-Person Filmmaking

Earlier this week, I attended the New York premiere of filmmaker Joanna Rudnick's first-person documentary, In the Family, at the Paley Center for Media. Scheduled to run on October 1st on PBS, the film chronicles Rudnick's efforts to ...READ»

Spielberg Draws on Rear Window, Gets Slapped with a Lawsuit

When Disturbia, the pre-Transformers Shia LaBeouf-vehicle hit theaters last year, most critics made reference to its similarities to Hitchcock's universally hailed Rear Window. Both featured a murderer next door, an intently curious ...READ»

Complaining in Song

I recently paid a visit to the P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center in Queens that, through the summer, has hosted an exhibit entitled Arctic Hysteria: New Art from Finland.  As a native Finn, I generally consider it my patriotic duty to ...READ»

The Return of the Boy Band

With the early success of the newest Jonas Brothers album, the American teen idol--as opposed to kid idol--has finally dusted itself off. So-called bubblegum pop last ruled in pre-9/11 and pre-TMZ America, when high schoolers still ...READ»

New York's annual Fringe Festival Turns the Spotlight on Independent Theater

Off-Off Broadway is the perpetual underdog of New York's arts scene, but to a non-theater aficionado, exploring the wide-spanning thespian scene beyond Broadway can easily feel intimidating--like sitting away from the hipster kids' ...READ»

Mangled Words

More often than not, our intentions and outcomes do not match. Most of us, leaders at any level, ‘mangle’ our words from time to time. If “to err is to be human”, then to ‘mangle’ is to communicate. The real question is ...READ»

When you look in the mirror, see glass

I love to include quotes in my work, words spoken together that capture powerful emotions and messages. Last week, while facilitating a session, a participant asked me about one specific quote: “When you look in the mirror, see ...READ»

Rehearsal Can Make For More Effective Leadership

One of the great prevailing myths in the workplace is that our time is actually planned. In truth, our day is a series of interruptions and surprises. The best-laid plans give way to spontaneous conversations, debate, and ...READ»

Reframing Authenticity

Authenticity is a popular topic amongst leadership pundits. Unfortunately, much of the dialogue has been misleading, absent the critical conversation on role and characterization appropriateness. To be authentic, is not just to be ...READ»

Inner Work of Leadership

There is little doubt that self-awareness is the pivotal foundation of several popular leadership capacities such as Emotional, Social, Cultural and Aesthetic Intelligence. Self-awareness promotes self-inquiry; challenges to the ...READ»

The ‘when’ and the ‘what’ of leadership

‘When’ is different from ‘What’. ‘What’ suggests a thing, an item, an object, something that may easily be defined, observed, measured. ‘When’ suggests a time, an experience, a feeling. Whereas ‘what’ may ...READ»

Reclaiming the Power of our Senses

Have you ever witnessed a young infant smile at a stranger? The parent might turn and say, “She likes you”. How does that infant know that this is a person to smile for, or sometimes do the opposite - - turn away and cry. Babies ...READ»

Learning form Artists: Listening

‘Listening’ is a wildly popular and tenacious term in business. When we listen, we are available to new ideas, accessible to others, self-aware and aware of what is happening around us. As such, ideas grow, conflicts are ...READ»

Aesthetic Intelligence: A Leadership Capacity

Introduction to Blog This is a place to explore the emergent field of Organizational Aesthetics and the capacity, Aesthetic Intelligence. To date, artistic metaphors and methods have been employed by business to dramatize ...READ»