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DANCE
IDEAS
- Director of the Flint School of Performing Arts working with Management Consultants for the Arts
Flint School of Performing Arts’ Director will lead this celebrated and impactful division of the Flint Institute of Music and be a voice for community performing arts education in the region. They will collaborate with FIM’s leadership around FSPA’s major organizational direction and directly supervise their administrative and educational direct reports in the day-to-day work of the School. A successful Director will nurture FSPA’s strong assets and traditions while bringing their own voice to the role with empathy, diplomacy and a solid dedication to Flint. Meaningful experience in an arts education environment, experience leading teams and shepherding organizational direction, and developing resources and programs will be strong assets. Flint School of Performing Arts has engaged Management Consultants for the Arts to lead the search, and interested candidates may apply for this position by visiting this link: https://www.mcaonline.com/searches/director-fspa
The annual salary range for the Director starts at $115,000; benefits include comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage and a retirement plan with an employer contribution. Flint School of Performing Arts has engaged Management Consultants for the Arts to facilitate this important search; Thomas Pearson, Carlton Ford, and Christopher Mossey are leading the search. A search committee of FIM leadership led by Rodney Lontine hopes to make a final decision by Q4 of 2026, with the new Director beginning work in the first quarter of 2027.
FIM Flint School of Performing Arts (FSPA) is one of the largest community schools of the arts in the country. The school serves roughly 3,500 students of all ages each year on an annual budget of about $2.5 million, with an endowment that covers close to half of operating expenses. More information on Flint School of Performing Arts can be found at https://thefim.org/fspa/.
- Artistic Director – Studio Theatre working with Management Consultants for the Arts
Studio Theatre is seeking its next Artistic Director, someone to cultivate and champion the artistic vision of Studio, planning seasons of stellar, thought-provoking contemporary theater written by significant playwrights and presented by a mix of local, national, and international artists. Studio Theatre has engaged Management Consultants for the Arts to lead the search, and interested candidates may apply for this position by visiting this link: https://www.mcaonline.com/searches/artistic-director-studio
The salary range for this position is $195,000 – $210,000. Studio Theatre offers a generous benefits package including medical insurance with a partial employer contribution and a funded HRA, dental and vision insurance, and FSA; long-term disability insurance; life insurance; 401K with an employer match; and commuter benefits. Studio Theatre’s time off policies include annual vacation, paid holidays, additional floating holidays, and separate sick leave. The hiring decision will be made by the full Studio Board upon consideration of a recommendation by the Search Committee. Studio Theatre expects to make a final decision early in 2027 with the new Artistic Director on site in Summer 2027.
As it approaches its 50th Anniversary, Studio Theatre is a mainstay of the Washington, D.C. theatre scene, offering bold artistry, challenging themes, and top production values in deliberately intimate spaces. Spanning 48 seasons and more than 350 productions, Studio has grown from a company that produced in a single rented theatre to one that owns a substantial multi-venue complex stretching half a city block in the heart of D.C.’s dynamic 14th Street corridor. With four theatres under one roof — all of them smaller than 225 seats — Studio’s productions now reach some 40,000 people annually, with audiences from across D.C., Virginia, and Maryland. More information on Studio Theatre can be found at https://www.studiotheatre.org/.
- Dancing in the Dark
Good Morning,
Aeon argues Silicon Valley has a science-fiction problem — an industry building the future from novels it read as blueprints when they were written as warnings. The writers, meanwhile, want their words back: US publishers and authors sued Google over the copying that trained its AI (Publishers Weekly). The Walrus profiles the Canadians who’d like to stop the machines altogether.
The Trump administration is keeping Smithsonian board seats vacant, reshaping the institution without ever making an argument (The New York Times). The EU (as promised) canceled a Venice Biennale grant over Russia’s participation (ARTnews). And if you need a field guide to any of this, Adi Magazine makes the very interesting case for rereading Mark Twain right now.
Finally: terrified to dance at weddings? There’s now a VR app for practicing where nobody can see you (NPR).
All of today’s stories below.
- Terrified To Dance At A Party, Nightclub, Or Wedding? Now There’s An App For That
Dance Guru is a virtual reality application in which a digital teacher, seen through your headset, walks you through the steps for salsa, waltzing, bachata or cha-cha — repeating as many times as you need, with no human there to make you self-conscious or to get impatient or bored. – NPR
- Andrew Lloyd Webber Warns Of Broadway Crisis After “Cats” Closing
Andrew Lloyd Webber has addressed the closing announcement of CATS: The Jellicle Ball, pleading for “theatre owners, unions and producers to come together urgently to address what is a crisis coming to a head.” – Broadway World
ISSUES
- Major Collection Of Mexican Art, Including Kahlos And Riveras, Is Going On Tour. Angry Mexicans Fear It Won’t Come Back.
The privately-owned Gelman Santander Collection, whose 68 pieces include 10 paintings by Frida Kahlo along with works by Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco, and others, is scheduled to spend two years touring Europe. Some citizens, unconvinced that the art will come home, are suing to keep it in Mexico. – Los Angeles Times (Yahoo!)
- EU To Cancel Venice Biennale Grant Over Russia Participation
Over the weekend, a European Union commission followed up on its earlier threats to cancel a €2 million grant to the Venice Biennale, citing Russia’s participation in the event this year as its reasoning. – ARTnews
- Louvre Jewel Robbery Suspects Say They Were Hired To Steal By Mastermind Client — Who Was “Disappointed”
“The suspects, named locally as Abdoulaye N and Ghelamallah A, claimed they had broken into the Louvre’s Apollo gallery on the orders of a client they refused to name out of fear for their families. … The alleged mastermind … ‘wasn’t happy’ with the outcome. ‘He thought we could have taken more.’” – The Guardian
- Ex-COO At Atlanta’s High Museum Of Art Pleads Guilty To Embezzlement
“The U.S. Justice Department said on Monday that former High chief operating officer Brady Lum pleaded guilty to a single charge of felony theft. Prosecutors accused him of stealing more than $600,000 from the museum by doctoring invoices and approving personal purchase transactions.” – Georgia Public Broadcasting
- How The University Of North Texas Censored An Art Exhibition
Initially, the administrators discussed removing some of the pieces from the show. But then the provost texted that he wanted to take down the entire exhibition instead. Michael McPherson wrote, “I think it’ll be easier to manage any barking from our friends in Austin.” – NPR
MEDIA
- Report: UK Humanities Programs Being Axed By Hard-Up Universities
Analysis of the latest official data by the academy for the Guardian shows that nearly 4,000 academic posts in social sciences, humanities and the arts have been axed in one year alone. – The Guardian
- Trump Admin’s Critique Of The Smithsonian Is Laughably Wrong
Even when judged by the standards of the form, the White House’s anti-woke polemic is a shoddy piece of workmanship not unlike the peeling blue sealant in the $15 million renovation of the Reflecting Pool. – The New Republic
- Trump Administration Is Keeping Smithsonian Board Seats Vacant, And Nobody Is Saying Much About It
“There have been three openings on the board since April, and by October, the terms of three more trustees will have expired. But the names proposed by the board, which have not been publicly disclosed, have yet to make their way to Congress, and without clear explanation.” – The New York Times
- The Private Concierges Of Rome (Culture On Demand)
The secret to the company’s success lies in its network of “partners”—museums and churches and palazzi, but also artists and photographers and scholars. Each has something special to offer if they can be persuaded to provide it. – The Atlantic
- Why Debates Over Free Speech Can Lead To So Much Fury
“The free speech wars of recent years are not just about rules – they’re about what it means to be a good person.” – The Guardian (UK)
MUSIC
- Revisiting Mark Twain In The Age Of Trump
Satire makes fun of something to expose its truth in a way that can be notoriously difficult to decode. What is often misread in Twain’s most famous novel is this: he satirically uses racism to ridicule racism. – Adi Magazine
- US Publishers And Authors Sue Google Over Its Training Of AI
“Publisher Hachette Book Group, Cengage Learning, and Elsevier, as well as author Scott Turow, are the named plaintiffs in the lawsuit, … contending that the tech giant has engaged in widespread copyright infringement in developing its Gemini AI models.” – Publishers Weekly
- A Punctuational Divide (We Need To Evolve)
Now that we can react to a friend’s needy text or an enemy’s infuriating post in real time and with minimal reflection, we need reliable substitutes for extraverbal cues more than ever. – The Atlantic
- The Fault Lines Of PEN America’s Support Of Free Speech
PEN America currently sits on a widening fault line, one that divides old-school liberalism, which treats the right to speak as more important than any particular ideology, from a surging and fiercely ideological left that sees Israel and Zionism as its enemy. – The Atlantic
- Could We Stop Demonizing BookTok Now?
Last week’s New Yorker has a rather intense article on the uselessness of BookTok for real book discussion. This woman begs to differ. – BBC
PEOPLE
- Director of the Flint School of Performing Arts working with Management Consultants for the Arts
Flint School of Performing Arts’ Director will lead this celebrated and impactful division of the Flint Institute of Music and be a voice for community performing arts education in the region. They will collaborate with FIM’s leadership around FSPA’s major organizational direction and directly supervise their administrative and educational direct reports in the day-to-day work of the School. A successful Director will nurture FSPA’s strong assets and traditions while bringing their own voice to the role with empathy, diplomacy and a solid dedication to Flint. Meaningful experience in an arts education environment, experience leading teams and shepherding organizational direction, and developing resources and programs will be strong assets. Flint School of Performing Arts has engaged Management Consultants for the Arts to lead the search, and interested candidates may apply for this position by visiting this link: https://www.mcaonline.com/searches/director-fspa
The annual salary range for the Director starts at $115,000; benefits include comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage and a retirement plan with an employer contribution. Flint School of Performing Arts has engaged Management Consultants for the Arts to facilitate this important search; Thomas Pearson, Carlton Ford, and Christopher Mossey are leading the search. A search committee of FIM leadership led by Rodney Lontine hopes to make a final decision by Q4 of 2026, with the new Director beginning work in the first quarter of 2027.
FIM Flint School of Performing Arts (FSPA) is one of the largest community schools of the arts in the country. The school serves roughly 3,500 students of all ages each year on an annual budget of about $2.5 million, with an endowment that covers close to half of operating expenses. More information on Flint School of Performing Arts can be found at https://thefim.org/fspa/.
- Artistic Director – Studio Theatre working with Management Consultants for the Arts
Studio Theatre is seeking its next Artistic Director, someone to cultivate and champion the artistic vision of Studio, planning seasons of stellar, thought-provoking contemporary theater written by significant playwrights and presented by a mix of local, national, and international artists. Studio Theatre has engaged Management Consultants for the Arts to lead the search, and interested candidates may apply for this position by visiting this link: https://www.mcaonline.com/searches/artistic-director-studio
The salary range for this position is $195,000 – $210,000. Studio Theatre offers a generous benefits package including medical insurance with a partial employer contribution and a funded HRA, dental and vision insurance, and FSA; long-term disability insurance; life insurance; 401K with an employer match; and commuter benefits. Studio Theatre’s time off policies include annual vacation, paid holidays, additional floating holidays, and separate sick leave. The hiring decision will be made by the full Studio Board upon consideration of a recommendation by the Search Committee. Studio Theatre expects to make a final decision early in 2027 with the new Artistic Director on site in Summer 2027.
As it approaches its 50th Anniversary, Studio Theatre is a mainstay of the Washington, D.C. theatre scene, offering bold artistry, challenging themes, and top production values in deliberately intimate spaces. Spanning 48 seasons and more than 350 productions, Studio has grown from a company that produced in a single rented theatre to one that owns a substantial multi-venue complex stretching half a city block in the heart of D.C.’s dynamic 14th Street corridor. With four theatres under one roof — all of them smaller than 225 seats — Studio’s productions now reach some 40,000 people annually, with audiences from across D.C., Virginia, and Maryland. More information on Studio Theatre can be found at https://www.studiotheatre.org/.
- Dancing in the Dark
Good Morning,
Aeon argues Silicon Valley has a science-fiction problem — an industry building the future from novels it read as blueprints when they were written as warnings. The writers, meanwhile, want their words back: US publishers and authors sued Google over the copying that trained its AI (Publishers Weekly). The Walrus profiles the Canadians who’d like to stop the machines altogether.
The Trump administration is keeping Smithsonian board seats vacant, reshaping the institution without ever making an argument (The New York Times). The EU (as promised) canceled a Venice Biennale grant over Russia’s participation (ARTnews). And if you need a field guide to any of this, Adi Magazine makes the very interesting case for rereading Mark Twain right now.
Finally: terrified to dance at weddings? There’s now a VR app for practicing where nobody can see you (NPR).
All of today’s stories below.
- Terrified To Dance At A Party, Nightclub, Or Wedding? Now There’s An App For That
Dance Guru is a virtual reality application in which a digital teacher, seen through your headset, walks you through the steps for salsa, waltzing, bachata or cha-cha — repeating as many times as you need, with no human there to make you self-conscious or to get impatient or bored. – NPR
- Andrew Lloyd Webber Warns Of Broadway Crisis After “Cats” Closing
Andrew Lloyd Webber has addressed the closing announcement of CATS: The Jellicle Ball, pleading for “theatre owners, unions and producers to come together urgently to address what is a crisis coming to a head.” – Broadway World
PEOPLE
- Director of the Flint School of Performing Arts working with Management Consultants for the Arts
Flint School of Performing Arts’ Director will lead this celebrated and impactful division of the Flint Institute of Music and be a voice for community performing arts education in the region. They will collaborate with FIM’s leadership around FSPA’s major organizational direction and directly supervise their administrative and educational direct reports in the day-to-day work of the School. A successful Director will nurture FSPA’s strong assets and traditions while bringing their own voice to the role with empathy, diplomacy and a solid dedication to Flint. Meaningful experience in an arts education environment, experience leading teams and shepherding organizational direction, and developing resources and programs will be strong assets. Flint School of Performing Arts has engaged Management Consultants for the Arts to lead the search, and interested candidates may apply for this position by visiting this link: https://www.mcaonline.com/searches/director-fspa
The annual salary range for the Director starts at $115,000; benefits include comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage and a retirement plan with an employer contribution. Flint School of Performing Arts has engaged Management Consultants for the Arts to facilitate this important search; Thomas Pearson, Carlton Ford, and Christopher Mossey are leading the search. A search committee of FIM leadership led by Rodney Lontine hopes to make a final decision by Q4 of 2026, with the new Director beginning work in the first quarter of 2027.
FIM Flint School of Performing Arts (FSPA) is one of the largest community schools of the arts in the country. The school serves roughly 3,500 students of all ages each year on an annual budget of about $2.5 million, with an endowment that covers close to half of operating expenses. More information on Flint School of Performing Arts can be found at https://thefim.org/fspa/.
- Artistic Director – Studio Theatre working with Management Consultants for the Arts
Studio Theatre is seeking its next Artistic Director, someone to cultivate and champion the artistic vision of Studio, planning seasons of stellar, thought-provoking contemporary theater written by significant playwrights and presented by a mix of local, national, and international artists. Studio Theatre has engaged Management Consultants for the Arts to lead the search, and interested candidates may apply for this position by visiting this link: https://www.mcaonline.com/searches/artistic-director-studio
The salary range for this position is $195,000 – $210,000. Studio Theatre offers a generous benefits package including medical insurance with a partial employer contribution and a funded HRA, dental and vision insurance, and FSA; long-term disability insurance; life insurance; 401K with an employer match; and commuter benefits. Studio Theatre’s time off policies include annual vacation, paid holidays, additional floating holidays, and separate sick leave. The hiring decision will be made by the full Studio Board upon consideration of a recommendation by the Search Committee. Studio Theatre expects to make a final decision early in 2027 with the new Artistic Director on site in Summer 2027.
As it approaches its 50th Anniversary, Studio Theatre is a mainstay of the Washington, D.C. theatre scene, offering bold artistry, challenging themes, and top production values in deliberately intimate spaces. Spanning 48 seasons and more than 350 productions, Studio has grown from a company that produced in a single rented theatre to one that owns a substantial multi-venue complex stretching half a city block in the heart of D.C.’s dynamic 14th Street corridor. With four theatres under one roof — all of them smaller than 225 seats — Studio’s productions now reach some 40,000 people annually, with audiences from across D.C., Virginia, and Maryland. More information on Studio Theatre can be found at https://www.studiotheatre.org/.
- Dancing in the Dark
Good Morning,
Aeon argues Silicon Valley has a science-fiction problem — an industry building the future from novels it read as blueprints when they were written as warnings. The writers, meanwhile, want their words back: US publishers and authors sued Google over the copying that trained its AI (Publishers Weekly). The Walrus profiles the Canadians who’d like to stop the machines altogether.
The Trump administration is keeping Smithsonian board seats vacant, reshaping the institution without ever making an argument (The New York Times). The EU (as promised) canceled a Venice Biennale grant over Russia’s participation (ARTnews). And if you need a field guide to any of this, Adi Magazine makes the very interesting case for rereading Mark Twain right now.
Finally: terrified to dance at weddings? There’s now a VR app for practicing where nobody can see you (NPR).
All of today’s stories below.
- Terrified To Dance At A Party, Nightclub, Or Wedding? Now There’s An App For That
Dance Guru is a virtual reality application in which a digital teacher, seen through your headset, walks you through the steps for salsa, waltzing, bachata or cha-cha — repeating as many times as you need, with no human there to make you self-conscious or to get impatient or bored. – NPR
- Andrew Lloyd Webber Warns Of Broadway Crisis After “Cats” Closing
Andrew Lloyd Webber has addressed the closing announcement of CATS: The Jellicle Ball, pleading for “theatre owners, unions and producers to come together urgently to address what is a crisis coming to a head.” – Broadway World
THEATRE
VISUAL
- The Canadians Who Want To Stop AI In Its Tracks
Canadians are hugely wary: a Leger poll found 85 percent of respondents want the government to regulate the technology. But that number doesn’t convey just how frightened many are. – The Walrus
- Silicon Valley’s Science Fiction Problem
Steve Wozniak, Apple’s co-founder, gave expression to this ethos in 2017 when he said: ‘We are the people who make fantasies real.’ It sounds inspiring, but it is important to know which parts of those fantasies they’re choosing, and which parts they’re leaving out. – Aeon
- Is It Really Possible To Map The Odyssey?
The ancient Greek polymath Eratosthenes, who was the first person to measure the circumference of the Earth, disputed that the Odyssey had anything to do with geography. He said: “You will find the scene of the wanderings of Odysseus when you find the cobbler who sewed up the bag of the winds.” – The Conversation
- Survey: Americans Support AI Companies Transferring Half Their Stock To A Public Fund
According to a new national survey of 1,690 adults from research firm Verasight, 69% said they support “forcing” AI firms to transfer half their stock to a public sovereign wealth fund that would, in theory, pour AI profits back into the economy and even provide direct payments to Americans. – Fast Company
- It’s Possible That We’re Coming To The End Of Literacy
How can we tell? Well, a lot of ways. One grim statistic: “Gambling has become a more common leisure activity than reading a book.” – The Atlantic