AJ Four Ways: Text Only (by date) | headlines only
DANCE
IDEAS
- European Union Threatens To Withdraw Funding For Venice Biennale If Russia Is Allowed To Participate
“This decision by the Fondazione Biennale is not compatible with the EU’s collective response to Russia’s brutal aggression,” said the EU commissioners for technology and culture. “Should the Fondazione Biennale … allow Russia’s participation, we will examine further action, including the suspension or termination of an ongoing EU grant to the Biennale Foundation.” – ARTnews
- Portland Has Millions Of Dollars In Unspent Arts Funding, And Arts Organizations Are Pleading For It
The government of Oregon’s largest city has $8.5 million in money from its (unpopular) Art Tax that has never been spent; this was reported shortly after the city cut arts grants by nearly half. – Oregon ArtsWatch
- Over Objections Of Musicians And Staff, Beatrice Venezi Confirmed As Music Director Of La Fenice In Venice
“Venezi, the daughter of a far-right militant and known for tossing her blonde mane in a popular shampoo ad, is seen as part of the (current) government’s declared aim of ending alleged left-wing cultural hegemony in Italy. … Critics say her conducting record is too slim for a post like La Fenice’s.” – ANSA (Italy)
- Phoenix Symphony Selects L.A. Phil Alum As Its Next Music Director
Chilean conductor Paolo Bortolameolli, who was associate conductor under Gustavo Dudamel at the Los Angeles Philharmonic through 2023, begins his term in Phoenix with the 2027-28 season. He will maintain his other current position, music director of the Teatro Municipal de Santiago, Chile’s national opera house, and the Filarmonica de Santiago. – Arizona Republic
- Costs To Produce Theatre In Britain Have Doubled In The Last Ten Years
The annual Theatre in the UK report from the Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre says that, despite soaring attendance, many theatres in Britain are expecting to post operating deficits — because, as costs have risen, ticket prices have not been raised so as not to drive away audiences. – The Stage
ISSUES
- European Union Threatens To Withdraw Funding For Venice Biennale If Russia Is Allowed To Participate
“This decision by the Fondazione Biennale is not compatible with the EU’s collective response to Russia’s brutal aggression,” said the EU commissioners for technology and culture. “Should the Fondazione Biennale … allow Russia’s participation, we will examine further action, including the suspension or termination of an ongoing EU grant to the Biennale Foundation.” – ARTnews
- The Collective Community Wound When Famous Buildings Burn
The fire will have obvious economic consequences for the city, particularly through the loss of businesses caught in and close to the fire. But the emotional effect of the fire will be felt by the city’s residents and visitors, particularly if the building lies in ruins indefinitely. – The Conversation
- Exodus Of Top Staff At The Art Gallery Of Ontario
Art Gallery of Ontario deputy director and chief curator Julian Cox will leave his post this April after eight years in the role, marking the latest departure at the Toronto museum since it became embroiled in a controversy over a failed plan to acquire a work by Nan Goldin. – ARTnews
- Russia’s Return To Venice Biennale Sparks Huge Backlash
“The claim that ‘culture is above politics’ is never neutral,” reads one open letter in response to the Biennale’s announcement. “In the case of contemporary Russia, this formula has become a political instrument used to promote aggression and advance state agendas while disguising them behind the language of cultural exchange and dialogue.” – ARTnews
- Over Half Of National Museum Of Sudan’s Holdings Have Been Looted
“A statue of the Nubian god Apademak stands alone in the courtyard of Sudan’s National Museum, one of the few survivors of systematic looting amid a (civil war) that has developed into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.” – NBC News
MEDIA
- Portland Has Millions Of Dollars In Unspent Arts Funding, And Arts Organizations Are Pleading For It
The government of Oregon’s largest city has $8.5 million in money from its (unpopular) Art Tax that has never been spent; this was reported shortly after the city cut arts grants by nearly half. – Oregon ArtsWatch
- Longtime Kennedy Center Patrons Contemplate A Shutdown
For many loyal patrons, the question has become how to fill the void left by the cancellations and the impending two-year closing. – The New York Times
- Longtime Kennedy Center Patrons Mourn — And Make Other Plans
Regulars who feel that the complex has been politicized and are now staying away miss what the Kennedy Center offered. But they’re not all staying home, and other performing arts institutions in and around D.C. are benefiting. – The New York Times
- The BBC Commissioned A Film About Health Care In Gaza, And Then Refused To Air It
“All these Palestinians told us that they thought the BBC would never run our film, and we really had to try and persuade them to talk to us because they didn’t and don’t trust the BBC.” The journalists were shocked to learn that the sources were correct. – Reveal
- The Performing Arts In The UK Aren’t Exactly Friendly To Working Parents
So says a new report, which “criticises the industry for failing to consider how it might adapt to better accommodate parents, with the result that many, in particular women, drop out.” – The Guardian (UK)
MUSIC
- Simon & Schuster Hires Former Amazon Exec As New CEO
The choice of Greg Greeley marks the first time in memory that Simon & Schuster had hired a CEO from outside the company. The 62-year-old Greeley succeeds Jonathan Karp, who announced last year that he was stepping down to found his own imprint. – AP
- Why The German Government Feels Threatened By Independent Bookshops
Independent bookshops are dangerous because they interrupt us. They do not optimise our curiosity. They derail it. Is that the reason why Germany’s culture commissioner, Wolfram Weimer, is now consulting the domestic intelligence agency before approving funds to bookshops? – The Guardian
- Nonfiction Book Sales Are Slipping — Except In This One Category
Sales of nonfiction books in the UK and Ireland in 2025 were down 6% from the previous year, with revenue at its lowest since 2014. For quiz books, however, it was the best year since recordkeeping began in 1998; sales in 2025 were up by almost a quarter from 2024. – The Guardian
- Amazon Pulls Sponsorship Of Paris Bookfair After Accusations Of Promoting AI Books
The SLF has been sharply critical of Amazon, arguing that it destabilises the book trade. In a statement reported by the Bookseller, it accused the company of seeking “to flood the market with fake AI-generated books, [which are] promoted by fake reviews, written by fake readers [and rise] to the top of fake rankings”. – The Guardian
- The Best Way To Read 100 Books A Year
Sure, there’s “be rich” or “have your minions do everything in life for you except reading,” but there’s also this: Read physical books. – Slate
PEOPLE
- European Union Threatens To Withdraw Funding For Venice Biennale If Russia Is Allowed To Participate
“This decision by the Fondazione Biennale is not compatible with the EU’s collective response to Russia’s brutal aggression,” said the EU commissioners for technology and culture. “Should the Fondazione Biennale … allow Russia’s participation, we will examine further action, including the suspension or termination of an ongoing EU grant to the Biennale Foundation.” – ARTnews
- Portland Has Millions Of Dollars In Unspent Arts Funding, And Arts Organizations Are Pleading For It
The government of Oregon’s largest city has $8.5 million in money from its (unpopular) Art Tax that has never been spent; this was reported shortly after the city cut arts grants by nearly half. – Oregon ArtsWatch
- Over Objections Of Musicians And Staff, Beatrice Venezi Confirmed As Music Director Of La Fenice In Venice
“Venezi, the daughter of a far-right militant and known for tossing her blonde mane in a popular shampoo ad, is seen as part of the (current) government’s declared aim of ending alleged left-wing cultural hegemony in Italy. … Critics say her conducting record is too slim for a post like La Fenice’s.” – ANSA (Italy)
- Phoenix Symphony Selects L.A. Phil Alum As Its Next Music Director
Chilean conductor Paolo Bortolameolli, who was associate conductor under Gustavo Dudamel at the Los Angeles Philharmonic through 2023, begins his term in Phoenix with the 2027-28 season. He will maintain his other current position, music director of the Teatro Municipal de Santiago, Chile’s national opera house, and the Filarmonica de Santiago. – Arizona Republic
- Costs To Produce Theatre In Britain Have Doubled In The Last Ten Years
The annual Theatre in the UK report from the Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre says that, despite soaring attendance, many theatres in Britain are expecting to post operating deficits — because, as costs have risen, ticket prices have not been raised so as not to drive away audiences. – The Stage
PEOPLE
- European Union Threatens To Withdraw Funding For Venice Biennale If Russia Is Allowed To Participate
“This decision by the Fondazione Biennale is not compatible with the EU’s collective response to Russia’s brutal aggression,” said the EU commissioners for technology and culture. “Should the Fondazione Biennale … allow Russia’s participation, we will examine further action, including the suspension or termination of an ongoing EU grant to the Biennale Foundation.” – ARTnews
- Portland Has Millions Of Dollars In Unspent Arts Funding, And Arts Organizations Are Pleading For It
The government of Oregon’s largest city has $8.5 million in money from its (unpopular) Art Tax that has never been spent; this was reported shortly after the city cut arts grants by nearly half. – Oregon ArtsWatch
- Over Objections Of Musicians And Staff, Beatrice Venezi Confirmed As Music Director Of La Fenice In Venice
“Venezi, the daughter of a far-right militant and known for tossing her blonde mane in a popular shampoo ad, is seen as part of the (current) government’s declared aim of ending alleged left-wing cultural hegemony in Italy. … Critics say her conducting record is too slim for a post like La Fenice’s.” – ANSA (Italy)
- Phoenix Symphony Selects L.A. Phil Alum As Its Next Music Director
Chilean conductor Paolo Bortolameolli, who was associate conductor under Gustavo Dudamel at the Los Angeles Philharmonic through 2023, begins his term in Phoenix with the 2027-28 season. He will maintain his other current position, music director of the Teatro Municipal de Santiago, Chile’s national opera house, and the Filarmonica de Santiago. – Arizona Republic
- Costs To Produce Theatre In Britain Have Doubled In The Last Ten Years
The annual Theatre in the UK report from the Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre says that, despite soaring attendance, many theatres in Britain are expecting to post operating deficits — because, as costs have risen, ticket prices have not been raised so as not to drive away audiences. – The Stage
THEATRE
VISUAL
- Yearning For The Meaning Of Consciousness
“What I find moving in these discussions is the intense yearning for a world that is more alive than secular scientists might think it is, a kind of seeking for a god that one suspects these scientists do not, at the same time, believe to exist.” – The American Scholar
- Roblox Is Hugely Popular — But What Is It Teaching Our Kids?
Roblox burgeoned during the COVID-19 pandemic; many of my students told me that their most cherished remote-learning memories were actually ditching Zoom classes to play Roblox together. – Psyche
- Is There Still Room For “Beautiful” Mathematics In An AI World?
- The Argument Against Optimizing
What you lose in optimizing morality is the same thing you lose in maximizing your airline-mile spend. In other words, nothing quantifiable—but precisely the chance to escape quantification, to orient toward something that cannot be counted, predicted, analyzed. – The Point
- Glasgow Used To Be An Arts Powerhouse, But It’s Losing So Many Arts Spaces
“Glasgow is slowly becoming a hollow shadow of the thriving, radical and creatively edgy place it once was. … If you’re a young creative person studying in Glasgow today, why would you stay here after graduation?” – The Guardian (UK)
