Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Arts / Theater / Visual Art Seattle Times Specifically Cut Art Critic Position
Posted by Jen Graves on Tue, Nov 18, 2008 at 4:57 PM
As Eli Sanders posted on November 14 (for some reason our search engine is giving me a 404 error when I try to go to the post, so I can't link it right now), among the Seattle Times staffers to be let go is Sheila Farr, art critic.
Farr is one of many writers at the paper to take the buyouts, but it was more than a simple voluntary buyout. Farr explained in an email:
The newspaper is eliminating my position as art critic and offered me a different job doing some arts coverage as well as hard news. I decided not to do that and turned in an "expression of interest" in a voluntary lay-off, which was accepted. I will continue in my position as art critic until 12/12.
If the Times wanted to keep Farr but lose the critic job, then what is its reasoning for keeping a full-time theater critic? Is the paper sending a message to the city about the importance of theater over art? If so, how is it measuring that? (Or am I imputing too much actual intention to what may just be a roiling mess over there?)
Either way, it's depressing.
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1
I never expect good decisions from the management of the Seattle Times, but this one is particularly bad. Why don't they get rid of some of their useless editorial columnists instead? I can never understand what they're trying to say anyway.
2
I think you are imputing too much actual intention to the Times decisions. It would be hard to find any organization as poorly managed as the Seattle Times. Hate to lose any newspaper, even a bad one, but it is inevitable that the Times will go out of business.
4
Why a theater critic and not an art critic?
Simple - Blethen needs to be able to write off the theatre box seats and give them to his comrades using your tax dollars.
Next question?
Simple - Blethen needs to be able to write off the theatre box seats and give them to his comrades using your tax dollars.
Next question?
5
Farr was not the first to go in this regard. They eliminated Melinda Bargreen's music critic position months ago.... The theatre critic is probably next on the hacking list.
8
It's because major theatre companies purchase advertising, whereas major art galleries don't.
I expect it's also due in part to the fact that theatre productions open year-round, with several new offerings available on a weekly basis, whereas art galleries all turn over their exhibitions at pretty much the same time each month. It's a matter of throughput: one theatre critic can review two or three shows a week every week all year long, but one fine art reviewer, no matter how many gallery openings they manage to attend on First Thursday would be doing write-ups on showings two or three weeks old by the time they got around to publishing everything of note.
I expect it's also due in part to the fact that theatre productions open year-round, with several new offerings available on a weekly basis, whereas art galleries all turn over their exhibitions at pretty much the same time each month. It's a matter of throughput: one theatre critic can review two or three shows a week every week all year long, but one fine art reviewer, no matter how many gallery openings they manage to attend on First Thursday would be doing write-ups on showings two or three weeks old by the time they got around to publishing everything of note.
10
Seattle hasn't had a good arts-related writer for over a decade now... and now we are supposed to mourn the death of mediocrity?
11
Old Col. Blethen never liked any art and actively tried to kill both Cornish and the Seattle Symphony so it is no surprise that they would eliminate the Art Critic and Classical Music Critic positions. If Frank cannot turn the paper around it will go under. I am betting that his type A personality will do just that and in 18 months at the least or 5 years at the most.
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