We need a revision of what cultural giving means: Artists creating new work should be the primary beneficiaries of extended support, not buildings. (Even ones as arresting as the Shed, which, gently iridescent, seems sometimes to billow, its roof and walls rolling back and forth on enormous rails.) Indeed, the Shed announces its emphasis on commissioning in the first sentence of its mission statement. It could also address a fuller range of needs: studio space, career advice, touring organization, production expertise, child care, health benefits. These, for artists who aren’t celebrities, are the conditions required for ambitious work to be made from the ground up.

Source: New York Times March 28, 2019 07:52 UTC