davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1960-10-23

prised to hear people COM
plain of the acoustics, for he
thinks they are excellent,
except perhaps for the per-
formers on the stage. ! agree
with him, and think that all
that Constitution Hall needs
is a better supply of oxygen,
which could be created by a
good air-conditioning system.
But an opera house WASH
ington does not have. Can
opera house also can be an
ideal legitimate theater.) Is
it not reasonable to expect
that if the first unit of the
Cultural Center were a 1850
TO l,700 seat opera house "a
very large one), well designed
and built using every modern
device and facility. there
might be a stirring Of ma
tional interest in the Gull
tural Center. now so sadly
lacking?
With this house the Cul-
tul'al Center could gain ex-
perience not only as builders
but as providers of enter
tainment. In. let US say, 10
years time the Cultural Cen
ter would have many an
swers to the questions of sub
sidy. Of potential audience,
Of the creation Of programs,
Of management. Asking for
SIS million for a Job nobody
knows anything about, has
raised little sympathy-or
money-in the first two years
the Center campaign has ex-
iSted.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1960-10-23
THE SHAPE
OF THINGS
DispIoyAdds
ToMeunino
OfArt
BY RICHARD HIRSCH
Director Allentown Art Museum

The Museum of Modern
Art. in New York. is pres
emily occupied with a drive
to raise $25 million for the
expansion of its galleries.
Alfred H. Barr, jr.. direc-
tor Of collections of the
Modern, at the start Of the
campaign made a bold play
to gain public acceptance Of
the plight" of his institu-
ton. On the ground floor,
he displayed works Of art as
the Museum of Modern Art
(and Mr.. BARR believes that
they should be. Other gall
leries, on another level, pre-
sent paintings and sculpture
under the crowded" condi-
tions which. according to the
story. will inevitably prevail
within a few years.
Crowded Displays
1t seemed q good argu-
ment.
Along with many others,
the Modern, within its pres
ent walls, probably has many
times more art warehouSed
in its reserves" than it has
works displayed in its gal
lerieS.
What Barr did to show
examples Of future over
crowding backfired. Many
visitors at the Modern have
felt the crowded" displays
have added greatly to their
understanding of the paint
ings involved.
This has revived a long
standing dispute about what
the installation of a mu-
scum collection is supposed
to do" for the onlooker.
Is its purpose to explain?
Is it to interpret? Is it to
create an atmosphere for the
viewers perception or should
it merely enshrine the work
and, TO repeat a museum
cliche. let the work speak
for itself?
Apparently, there is no pat
answer to any Of these ques-
tions?
Mr.. Barr and the Modern
obviously believe that the
significant work Of art is best
revealed or is more revelatory
when 1t is singly enshrined,
isolated from the work Of
other artists, isolated, even.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1960-10-23
NEWS OF MUSIC
What to Build First
5. At Cultural Center?

ter should come from Gov
eminent subsidy or from an
endowment fund.
8. The non-theatrical func-
tons of the center should
be emphasized. There should
be many educational and
eXhibitional Activities mu-
scum, a library. circulating
exhibits, recordings. tapes,
films, etc.; a reading room,
a listening room. television
and radio, educational and
recreational workshops, etc.
4. If funds for the entire
center are not Immediately
available, it should be built
piece meal. A large opera
house ana concert hall (aS
a single unit should be
priority No. !.
The Smith reports suggeS-
ton that the center make its
facilities available and to buy
and subsidize performances
created by outside groups is
a good one. The annual cost
OF the actual repertoire it
proposes as typical would be
staggering. Involved are four
symphony orchestras, four
opera companies and one for
operetta, four ballet compa-
MES. and four theatrical
groups. including the Com
edie Franchise and the Old
Vic, to say nothing Of q large
number of smaller produc-
tions in all fields of the per-
forming arts. Would not the
endowment fund. to pay for
such an ambitious program
be larger than the SIS mil
lion the Cultural Center's
building will cost?
Big Issue to Be Settled
If the work of the Cultural
Center is going to be Subsi-
died by the Government or
an endowment fund, this
matter should be definitely
settled before the public is
asked to pay for the build
ing itself-before even the
plans are approved--because
obviously the physical re-
quirements Of the Cultural
Center will be quite different
if it is a going concern buy
ing opera, symphonies, clas-
sic dramas, and the other
tangible symbols of culture
from what the requirements
will be if it is simply a fine
facility to be used by the
atrical and other artistic
groups for the entertainment
of the citizens of Washing
ton. This question the Smith
report does not face un-
equivocally. and 1t may be
that considerable support
from foundations and in
dividuais will not be forth
coming until it is faced.
No fault can be found with
the Smith reports suggeS-
ton that a wide variety of
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1960-10-23
TODAY

presents: The Queen Of Spades" bv
Teh1sikoysky. Lisner Audit05iu Il \
Lloyd, Maria al Gerlsndo, Elaine
Cecilia ward, Lee CssS, Eunice Al
berts, Phyllis FrankeI, Mary ANA
Stable, Carl Kaiser, william MUIR
ply. Dancers: Edith JereIl, Thomas
ductor. Paul Galway.
NATIONAL GALLERY ORCHESTRA.
R ReHs G sSUTsnS sGSss
Gallery Of Art, s pm. Five Variants
Of Dives and Lazarus. Vaughan vii.
. nanns: Three Movements From A
sS9ef Or ash nEGso EoT;n cSn'i TS
chamber orchestra. Toch.
MARnYN MASON, organ. Washing
Concerto No: g, Handel; Three
aPef mipoT a Bach oS oIssn s sgmpno TSs
= soEerby.
WESTMINSTER CHOIR FESTIVAL
SERVICE. Elaine Brown, conductor;
william Partridge, organ. First Bap.
tist Church. Sixteenth and Q streets
s isSm. s3ss l R A MSsls e sssS
BERNICE FRACTION, soprano; Rich.
ard Weilenmann, piano. Barker Hall,
4 pm. Music BY Mozart. Puccini,
Handel Gianini. Dittenhaver. Beach
CThe recital Of Hebecea spaatE, an:
Corcoran Gallery, has been can.
celed because Of illness Of the artist.)
TOMORROW
(lo concerts announced.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1960-10-23

that in an exhibition. the
pictures. sculptures or OBJ
jects are merely hung or set
out in some sort of logical
sequence. The doors then
open to the public, and the
show is on.
Actually. nothing Of the
sort occurs.
Installation is one Of the
fundamental means whereby
a museum professional car
ries out his responsibility to
the public. Installation in
wolves showmanShip. assorted
esthetic skills, sensitive ia
miliarty with the evolution
Of mans arts. strong belief
in the Importance of the
visual experience and, finally.
the talent of making such
an experience actually take
place for the casual viewer.
The arts, down 10000 years
Of history, have always been
forms of intense, meaningful,
clear communication. This is
their purpose.
The museum is heir to this
single purpose. To be living.
the museum must apply IT.
self and all its resources to
heightening. if possible, the
impact of these clear state
ments for an often distracted
public, just in from noisy
traffic.
Hence the need for
thoughtful installation, care
fully balanced lighting, intel
ligent labelling, wisely chosen
proximities Of one work to
another.
The paradox in good mu-
scum and exhibition inStalla-
ton is that, when 1t is well
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1960-10-23

from other works by the same
artist created in a different
period"
This concept, If one reads
the critics these days, is not
universally shared. Many
have enthusiastically hailed
the galleries which had been
installed as horrible exam
Pies" They have found them
to be a good start in the di-
rection of helpful interpre-
tation of schools of artistic
thought. In other words,
some of our critics want the
museum - any museum - to
teach more, to interpret more.
ASsuredly, this is one of
the museums prime func-
tions. Museums emphatically,
are educational institutions.
There are, however, many
different levels at which they
should teach. The history of
the evolution of the arts,
handsomely. though only &C
cidentally, accomplished in
the crowded" galleries at the
Modern, is but one of these
levels.
Both Essential
In failing to recognize this,
the critics, perhaps. have
gone overheard. In failing to
recognize the value of purely
interpretive displays, the
Modern Museum has erred in
precisely the other direction.
Both are parts of the
varied. the stimulating, the
instructive and the emotional
experience which every mu-
scum should provide. Neither
is better" Both are essential.
Generally, the public feels
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1960-10-23

educational, recreational. and
eXhibitional facilities be Of
fered - museums. dioramaS.
audio visual aids, phono-
graph records. 1.-THE works
Of Beethoven, Schubert, Verdi,
Shaw. Emily Dickinson. and
the voices Of Franklin D.
Roosevelt and winston
Churchill would furnish
memorable experiences in a
type Of photograph library
not nearly as common as it
should be in this country"
Smith report, page So
However. are not these
projects Of secondary i'm
portance?
Is not the Cultural Center
primarily a complex Of thea
tiers, however these theaters
may be used or however they
are paid for?
The Smith report rightly
extols "showmanShip" in SELL
ing the idea Of the Cultural
Center. Is it not possible that
the glamour Of the word
"theater" is more closely al
lied with showmanship than
the appeal of the term "audio-
visual aids?
Why q Hybrid Monster?
OF all the proposals of the
Smith report, it may be that
one calling for the construc-
ton Of an opera house.
concert hall" will be the
cause OF the most debate. The
plans for the Cultural Center
inclSde five auditoriums of
varying sizes. The Smith re-
port calls the theater Of 1900
seats the medium sized"
opera house (which Is like
calling a Cadillac limousine a
medium sized carr and sug-
gestS the first theater to be
built be a 5000 seat combina-
ton all-purpose opera house
concert hall.
Now possibly Washington
should have a mammouth
5000 seat opera house or a
5000 seat concert hall, but is
it not the most dispiriting
proposition in the world to
think Of the Cultural Center,
which will contain everything
and be the finest institution
of its kind in the world, start
ing of with a hybrid monster
that is not either one thing
or another?
A theater is a theater, q
concert hall is q concert hall
i'm some cases the two might
be combined. but in our SIS
million Cultural Center, which
eventually will embrace every
thing, let us have the first
unit a masterpiece that will
interest the entire Nation in
the completion Of the Center.
Opera House Lacking
What this first unit should
be is not Of the utmost i'm
portance-concert hall, thea.
ter, chamber music audi
forum, or puppet show pa
vilion. That a concert hall is
OF greater immediate i'm
portance than a theater I
doubt. for we already have
Constitution Hall.
OF the many people who
like Constitution Hall as an
auditorium DR.. Howard
Mitchell is one whose opin-
ion counts for a great deal.
He has told me on several
occasions that he is sur
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1960-10-23
Fontosy Shows Barton

John hurry Barton'S frst
one-man show in Washing
ton is composed Of IA paint
ings at Fantasy Gallery, 1865
Connecticut avenue NV,
through next Saturday.
open daily $3.50 to s.
All the paintings are abb
stract. in a retrospective sur
vey Of five years or so. Ear
lier works are CubiSt, with
precisely delineated forms.
angular or curved. and an
occasional recognizable i'm
age or fragment thereof.
(E.g., Still Life With De-
canter." His SELF Portrait"
must be q remote likeness.
one hopes, as it is q tangle
Of forms which suggest 3
lobster in some respects.
His work has changed in
the past few years. and Is
loosen in handling and COM
position. Guitar Variations"
is a pattern of heavy black
lines over colors and heavy
interlocking gray stripes
dominate He that lives by
the Sword"
The New York Public Lii
brary. Metropolitan. Brook
Ign and Newark Museums
own examples Of Mr.. Bar
tons work. He has recently
painted murals for the New
York Board Of Education.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1960-10-23
BY DAY THORPE
Star Music Critic

star MUSIC Critic
Since 1858, when the Ma
tional Cultural Center was
established, the young or
gani9ation devoted to the
performing arts has had
success in acquiring a plot
Of ground on the banks OF
the Potomac.
Plans have been drawn
UP by Edward D. Stone. a
well-known architect.
Congress made the original
land available with the. I'M
derstanding that the Cultural
Center would raise the money
necessary to erect the build
ing from private sources. To
the chagrin Of the Cultural
Center very few Of these
sources have so far been dis
covered.
The design has shown lit
tie evidence Of any practical
application, and the sponsors
have had absolutely nothing
to say about the plan for the
eventual use Of the building.
Operation Proposal
No act Of the new Cultural
Center, therefore. has been
more wise or necessary than
its decision last summer to
employ an experienced man
to submit a proposal fer the
operation Of the Cultural
Center. II the proposal were
adopted, there would then be
q concrete proposition to
which foundations and in
dividualS alike could say
either Eyes, this should be
supported" or mo, we think
our money can be put to
better use elsewhere"
The Center retained Carl
ton Sprague Smith, formerly
chief Of the music division
Of the New York Public
Library, who had prepared a
similar report for the Lin
coin Center in New York.
= The first draft Of the IT.
page report which Mr.. Smith
has submitted makes inter-
esting reading for every
WaShingtonian who would
like to see an improvement
in our city's existing facili-
ties for the performing arts.
Not everybody will agree
with the reports conclusions,
hut now for the first time
there is a basis for reason
able discussion of the matter.
Four Major Suggestions
The four most important
suggestions Of the Smith re-
port are:
/. The Cultural Center
should present its entertain
ment, not produce it. That is,
it should buy its shows, not
create them itself.
2. Money to run the CEN
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1960-10-23

done. no one should notice it.
Many museum people. be-
ing human, let themselves be
carried away, as at the Mod
ern, by the attractions Of
their own inventiveness. The
installation is then reviewed
by the critic; the art becom-
ing almost secondary.
Elsewhere, a museum may
neglect the arts of inStalla-
ton. Then the museum visitor
becomes aware Of footache.
the works seem worthy only
Of cursory notice. or to de-
mand effort to be seen, ex-
perienced or enjoyed.
Proper Balance
The ideal is somewhere be-
tween overemphasiS and neg
lect, as the ideal museum
program requires balance be-
tween its teaching and It's
emotional functions.
When balance is achieved
the many. many hours Of
toiling with display panels,
arranging the sequence Of
displays within a given ral-
lery, the hours of focusing
lights unobtruSively to their
most favorable angle to make
each piece of art the more
memorable. will have been
worth the thoughtful plan
ming, the painstaking care,
the physical labor.
At the level Of its inStalla-
tons q museum first starts to
serve artist and audience,
bringing them together In
communion.
This is the ideal. Some
times 1t Is realized.
tcopyright. 1850. Gen. Features Corp.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1960-10-23

CAIllUIIlOIl WLIlCLl Lie NIONcEl~
ment of Wet Nam has or
ganized abroad in co-opera-
ton with a foreign museum.
The collection will remain
through December 8.
Part of the exhibition has
come from the Wet Nam
Ministry of Education, drawn
from museums and art CEN
tiers in that nation, accom-
panied by Nghiem Than.
archaeological chief Of the Ma
tional Institute for Historical
Research of Saigon. This
collection was transported by
the United States Navy,
which also carried a second
shipment across the Atlantic
from the Royal Museum of
Brussels. Belgium; a third Sc
lection has been lent by the
Peabody Museum of Cam
bridge, Mass.
Ancient Cultures
One section of the exhibit
ton features archaeological
Objects for persons, inter-
ested in ancient cultures.
Thomas M. Beggs. director of
the National Collection of
Fine Arts. who wrote the abb
Sorbing interesting introduce
ton to the catalogue. points
out that in the land we know
as Wet Nam. ancient civiliza-
tons fiourished thousands of
years ago in the valley of the
Red River. Outstanding
archaeological objects include
those in bronze and stone
from the ancient Cham civili-
Zation approximately 300 to
1900 ADD. Excavations in
she 1940s at an important
site. Oc-eo. recovered rare
gems and jewels. gold por-
trait coins and canoes show
ing Greco-Roman kinship.
Exquisite examples are in the
exhibition.
Students Of sociology and
international relations will be
particularly interested in the
shows chronological items.
Artists. designers, students
and many laymen will find
the examples of arts and
crafts enchanting. A large
and varied display Of pottery:
magnificently carved elephant
tusks: and little silver ele-
plants bearing howdahs
which will arouse the cupidity
of Democrats as we'll as Re-
publicans: gorgeous brilliantly
colorful fabrics. and costumed
dolls: and paintings and
prints with a Western flavor
are some of the objects which
will undoubtedly draw Wash
ingtonians on return visits to
this fascinating display from
Wet Nam.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1960-10-23

man shows or have particle
pated in group exhibitions in
Washington for two decades
or more.
Early this year the Nord-
ness Gallery began to issue
laudable little monographs
generously illustrated, on
each artist exhibited there.
No. in this series Of dis
tinguished Exhibitions Of
American Art" was devoted
to Karl Zerbe, one Of the 6
artists now showing 1t ABA.
zerbe's small group ranges
over his interest in birds
COwl" woodcut). q figure
composition ("Broken Mir
ror"), his experiments with
the acrylic medium, and abb
stractionS of the Arctic.
more about this group ex-
hibition next week.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1960-10-23
Sextet at A. B. A.

An exhibition by six Ameri-
can artists. all represented by
the Nordness Gallery, New
York City, recently opened at
ABA international Gallery of
Modern Art, 3l44 M street,
Georgetown second floor.
Four Of them are nationally
known. and have had one
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1960-10-23
Annual Show

Edgar Hamilton Fair Funk
is having his annual one-man
show Of oil paintings and
watercolors Saturday and
Sunday. october 20 and %,
at the OAR Chapter House Of
the District Of Columbia So
ciety, 1882 Massachusetts Av-
enue NV. from 2 to 7: tea
from 5 to 7.
He is showing about so
landscapes and marines, Of
Virginia. Maryland, West Vir-
ginia, Georgetown, D. c., and
Newport, r. I.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1960-10-23
Art Of Sumi-e

sunni" is the Japanese
word for the stick of COM
pressed SCOT which, rubbed in
water becomes the inky black
medium essential to the
writing and painting of
Oriental artists. "E" in Japa-
nese means painting. An
exhibition Of Sumi-e-paint-
ing with inks on view at
the Hiratsuka Nippon CAL
lery, 31l6 NJ street NV.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1960-10-23

Buddha Of DOng-DuOng,
bronze Of the Sd or 4th
century AID, an out
standing sculpture in the
exhibition Art and Ar
cheOlOgy Of Wet Man,"
which will open Wednes-
day at the Natural His
tory Museum.
through october 81. (Tues-
day through Saturday IL to5.)
These beautiful ink paint
ings. Of landscapes, trees.
Towering branches. fruit.
fish, birds and animals, are
all by a contemporary master
Of this art, Ukai Uchiyama.
whose work and teaching are
the subjects of q new book,
THE Art of Sumi-e" by Kay
Morrissey Thompson (Charles
E. futile Co., Rutland. YER
mont; $8.75. Trained at
important American art
schools and a professional
artist. Mrs. Thompson, wife
Of Comdr. w. K. Thompson,
jr., Of the United States Coast
Guard. took advantage of his
three years. tour of duty In
Japan, to study with Mr..
Uchiyama. She discusses
him and his art, gives ex-
plantations based on his
teachings. The book is a
series of lessons to illustrate
techniques handed down
from ancient times. It has
more than so illustrations,
many in color. reproducing
his works, such as those at
the Hiratsuka Nippon Gal
lery. Keiko Moore, director.
gives a lucid description of
Sumi-e, in part.
The arts of calligraphy
and sumi-e are close not only
in materials. but in the sin
gular action of the brush
stroke. The accomplished
artist-writer must attain a
coordination between mind
and hand resulting in an I'M
hesitating. strong yet senSi-
tive stroke best described as
controlled freedom. The art
lists intent is to interpret the
spirit Of natures beauty and
strength in Q direct and
forceful manner"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1960-10-23
Wisconsin Artist

Alfred SesSler Is q master
Of graphic techniques, Is
demonstrated in his one -man
show Of more than 20 prints
in the Division of Graphic
Arts print gallery, Smithson-
ian building, through October
81. open every day 9 to
4:30.)
But he employs this vir-
tuosity to create as revolving
a gallery Of types as I have
seen since viewing the last
Joan Erbe show. There is a
difference In their subjects,
however. Miss Erbe's are mon
sters. whereas Prof. Sessler'S
are human but range from
merely certifiable to being
candidates for strait jackets.
Since he is professor Of art
at the University of Wiscon-
sin. and presumably looks
each day into groups of fresh
young faces. one wonders
where he gets his uniformly
Sardonic point of view.
At any rate. he presents
stupid old hays and their
masculine counterparts In
autographs and wood cuts,
in colors and black and white.
When not dealing with senile
delinquents. he depicts tan
gled woods Of dead and twist
ed trees, in complex semi
abstract patterns, some of
real beauty. such as Still
Life, Driftwood." His macabre
subjects have repaid him by
winning a staggering roster
of awards in various art exhi-
billions Of his native State
Wisconsin, and a number
outside; and he is represented
in permanent collections.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1960-10-23
Virginia Artist

An exhibition Of paintings
bv Carmen Sherlock OF
Waynesboro, Va, sponsored
by Collectors Gallery George
town, is at Harrigan's Res
taurant, 100 Ninth street
S.W. Cat H, through Octo-
Der.
The collection Of 20 items
represents several techniques.
The majority are oils done in
angular strokes and heavy
pigment, successful in pro-
ducing a shimmering effect
Of light in her Gloucester
harbor scenes. These are
presumably the fruits Of her
study last summer with Max
we'll Starr in the Massachu-
sets art colony.
Her watercolors on wet pa
per Of Siamese cats. her
portrait" Of a violin. an ex-
cellent design incorporating
an instrument she studied at
one time, and q vivaciouS
representational watercolor
of a boat at q wharf, are well
done.
A few paintings appear
confused or muddy; but the
majority constitute q pleas
ing show.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1960-10-23
ART NEWS OF THE D. C. AREA
Asian Art Exhibition
Is Fabulous Show
BY FLORENCE S. BERGMAN
Star Art Critic

THE Art and Archaeology Of Wet Man, Asian Cross Road
Of Cultures fabulous. three faceted exhibition which
will open next Wednesday in the Natural History Museum
Tenth street and Constitution NV under auspices
Of the National Collection of Fine Beautifully installed
in Hall % Second hoor it is the first major archaeological