AJ Four Ways: Text Only (by date) | headlines only
DANCE
IDEAS
- How AI Terminated 1,477 NEH Grants: A Naive Exercise in Casuistry
Nate Cavanaugh of DOGE (March 2025)From 2010 until its sudden termination by DOGE last April, I directed Music Unwound, an NEH-funded national consortium of orchestras and universities. A letter from Michael McDonald, the acting NEH chairman, informed me that the demise of Music Unwound represented “an urgent priority
- Grand Rapids Symphony – President & CEO
As it approaches its 100th anniversary in 2030, The Grand Rapids Symphony seeks an accomplished, mission-driven President & Chief Executive Officer to lead the organization through its next chapter of artistic excellence, community impact, national relevance, and long-term sustainability.
In partnership with a committed Board of Directors and Music Director Marcelo Lehninger, the incoming CEO will play a central role in propelling the Symphony’s artistic and organizational success, including through the development and implementation of strategies that will magnify its marketing and fundraising efforts; deepen community relationships; and fortify organizational culture and resilience.
The Symphony has an annual operating budget of approximately $12 million; an independent, non-profit Foundation dedicated to its financial success; an endowment of $42 million; an administrative staff of 27; and a complement of 77 exquisite musicians.
The Grand Rapids Symphony seeks candidates prepared for a projected date in late summer 2026. The hiring range begins at $220,000 and includes a competitive benefits package.
The search is led by Brett Egan and Syrah Gunning of the DeVos Institute of Arts and Nonprofit Management. Apply here or contact segunning@DeVosInstitute.net.
- Good Morning
Venice is turning into a political battleground — again, but louder. The EU is now threatening to pull funding from the Biennale entirely if Russia is allowed to participate, calling the decision “not compatible with the EU’s collective response to Russia’s brutal aggression” (ARTnews). Meanwhile, over in Venice proper, Italy’s far-right government has pushed through the appointment of Beatrice Venezi as music director of La Fenice — over the objections of musicians and staff — as part of its declared campaign to end what it calls left-wing cultural hegemony (ANSA (Italy)). Critics say her conducting record is too thin for the job. The government appears unbothered.
Harper’s has a pointed essay from 2024 arguing that contemporary art became predictable and dull precisely when politics took over — that the mandate to amplify marginalized voices crowded out the mandate to be inventive (Harper’s). The LA Review of Books pushes back, noting that “questioning the work risks being seen as questioning the identity” — which is its own kind of critical trap (LA Review of Books). It’s a debate worth having.
Portland has been cutting arts grants — nearly in half. It has also been sitting on $8.5 million in unspent arts tax revenue. Arts organizations are, understandably, asking questions (Oregon ArtsWatch).
All of our 20 stories below.
- The Once-Banned Street Music Of Afro-Uruguayans Has Leapt Back To Life
Candombe — not to be confused with candomblé, the syncretic religion created by Afro-Brazilians — was once confined to poor black neighborhoods in Montevideo. Now it has many thousands of practitioners and fans throughout the country. – The Guardian
- What If A “Day Job” Is The Foundation Of An Artistic Career?
Rather than sticking our heads in the sand—and hoping that belief, alone, will be the source of motivation we need to succeed—what if we focused on doing what it takes to play the game for as long as possible? – 3 Quarks Daily
ISSUES
- How Luxembourg’s Minister Of Culture Defended This Year’s Venice Biennale Entry
“The role of the state is not to filter works in the name of good taste,” Thill said, adding that art should challenge audiences rather than simply please them. He said the public debate surrounding the project proves that it is doing its job. – ARTnews
- Italy Pays €30 Million For Rare Portrait By Caravaggio
“The portrait, painted around 1598 and attributed to Caravaggio in 1963, depicts Maffeo Barberini, a nobleman who later became Pope Urban VIII. The painting was acquired from a private collection by the Italian state after over a year of negotiations and will now enter Rome’s Palazzo Barberini permanent collection.” – AP
- How Politics Made Contemporary Art Predictable And Dull
The ambition to explore every facet of the present was quickly replaced by a devout commitment to questions of equity and accountability. There was a new answer to the question of what art should do: it should amplify the voices of the historically marginalized. What it shouldn’t do, it seemed, is be inventive or interesting. – Harper’s
- 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
MEDIA
- Marseille Has A Thriving Artist Community. So Why Might The City Elect A Far Right Government?
If your experience of Marseille is limited to certain multicultural central neighbourhoods then it might be easy to assume that this is – and always will be – a leftwing city, an outlier in the far-right bastion that is the wider south of France. But Marseille’s politics have always been contested. – The Guardian
- 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
MUSIC
- The Global Elite Have Given Up On Spelling And Grammar
The literary breaches, while trivial, highlight a reality that has become all too clear: There’s an inverse correlation between power and proper punctuation. – The Wall Street Journal
- 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
PEOPLE
- How AI Terminated 1,477 NEH Grants: A Naive Exercise in CasuistryNate Cavanaugh of DOGE (March 2025)
From 2010 until its sudden termination by DOGE last April, I directed Music Unwound, an NEH-funded national consortium of orchestras and universities. A letter from Michael McDonald, the acting NEH chairman, informed me that the demise of Music Unwound represented “an urgent priority
- Grand Rapids Symphony – President & CEO
As it approaches its 100th anniversary in 2030, The Grand Rapids Symphony seeks an accomplished, mission-driven President & Chief Executive Officer to lead the organization through its next chapter of artistic excellence, community impact, national relevance, and long-term sustainability.
In partnership with a committed Board of Directors and Music Director Marcelo Lehninger, the incoming CEO will play a central role in propelling the Symphony’s artistic and organizational success, including through the development and implementation of strategies that will magnify its marketing and fundraising efforts; deepen community relationships; and fortify organizational culture and resilience.
The Symphony has an annual operating budget of approximately $12 million; an independent, non-profit Foundation dedicated to its financial success; an endowment of $42 million; an administrative staff of 27; and a complement of 77 exquisite musicians.
The Grand Rapids Symphony seeks candidates prepared for a projected date in late summer 2026. The hiring range begins at $220,000 and includes a competitive benefits package.
The search is led by Brett Egan and Syrah Gunning of the DeVos Institute of Arts and Nonprofit Management. Apply here or contact segunning@DeVosInstitute.net.
- Good Morning
Venice is turning into a political battleground — again, but louder. The EU is now threatening to pull funding from the Biennale entirely if Russia is allowed to participate, calling the decision “not compatible with the EU’s collective response to Russia’s brutal aggression” (ARTnews). Meanwhile, over in Venice proper, Italy’s far-right government has pushed through the appointment of Beatrice Venezi as music director of La Fenice — over the objections of musicians and staff — as part of its declared campaign to end what it calls left-wing cultural hegemony (ANSA (Italy)). Critics say her conducting record is too thin for the job. The government appears unbothered.
Harper’s has a pointed essay from 2024 arguing that contemporary art became predictable and dull precisely when politics took over — that the mandate to amplify marginalized voices crowded out the mandate to be inventive (Harper’s). The LA Review of Books pushes back, noting that “questioning the work risks being seen as questioning the identity” — which is its own kind of critical trap (LA Review of Books). It’s a debate worth having.
Portland has been cutting arts grants — nearly in half. It has also been sitting on $8.5 million in unspent arts tax revenue. Arts organizations are, understandably, asking questions (Oregon ArtsWatch).
All of our 20 stories below.
- The Once-Banned Street Music Of Afro-Uruguayans Has Leapt Back To Life
Candombe — not to be confused with candomblé, the syncretic religion created by Afro-Brazilians — was once confined to poor black neighborhoods in Montevideo. Now it has many thousands of practitioners and fans throughout the country. – The Guardian
- What If A “Day Job” Is The Foundation Of An Artistic Career?
Rather than sticking our heads in the sand—and hoping that belief, alone, will be the source of motivation we need to succeed—what if we focused on doing what it takes to play the game for as long as possible? – 3 Quarks Daily
PEOPLE
- How AI Terminated 1,477 NEH Grants: A Naive Exercise in CasuistryNate Cavanaugh of DOGE (March 2025)
From 2010 until its sudden termination by DOGE last April, I directed Music Unwound, an NEH-funded national consortium of orchestras and universities. A letter from Michael McDonald, the acting NEH chairman, informed me that the demise of Music Unwound represented “an urgent priority
- Grand Rapids Symphony – President & CEO
As it approaches its 100th anniversary in 2030, The Grand Rapids Symphony seeks an accomplished, mission-driven President & Chief Executive Officer to lead the organization through its next chapter of artistic excellence, community impact, national relevance, and long-term sustainability.
In partnership with a committed Board of Directors and Music Director Marcelo Lehninger, the incoming CEO will play a central role in propelling the Symphony’s artistic and organizational success, including through the development and implementation of strategies that will magnify its marketing and fundraising efforts; deepen community relationships; and fortify organizational culture and resilience.
The Symphony has an annual operating budget of approximately $12 million; an independent, non-profit Foundation dedicated to its financial success; an endowment of $42 million; an administrative staff of 27; and a complement of 77 exquisite musicians.
The Grand Rapids Symphony seeks candidates prepared for a projected date in late summer 2026. The hiring range begins at $220,000 and includes a competitive benefits package.
The search is led by Brett Egan and Syrah Gunning of the DeVos Institute of Arts and Nonprofit Management. Apply here or contact segunning@DeVosInstitute.net.
- Good Morning
Venice is turning into a political battleground — again, but louder. The EU is now threatening to pull funding from the Biennale entirely if Russia is allowed to participate, calling the decision “not compatible with the EU’s collective response to Russia’s brutal aggression” (ARTnews). Meanwhile, over in Venice proper, Italy’s far-right government has pushed through the appointment of Beatrice Venezi as music director of La Fenice — over the objections of musicians and staff — as part of its declared campaign to end what it calls left-wing cultural hegemony (ANSA (Italy)). Critics say her conducting record is too thin for the job. The government appears unbothered.
Harper’s has a pointed essay from 2024 arguing that contemporary art became predictable and dull precisely when politics took over — that the mandate to amplify marginalized voices crowded out the mandate to be inventive (Harper’s). The LA Review of Books pushes back, noting that “questioning the work risks being seen as questioning the identity” — which is its own kind of critical trap (LA Review of Books). It’s a debate worth having.
Portland has been cutting arts grants — nearly in half. It has also been sitting on $8.5 million in unspent arts tax revenue. Arts organizations are, understandably, asking questions (Oregon ArtsWatch).
All of our 20 stories below.
- The Once-Banned Street Music Of Afro-Uruguayans Has Leapt Back To Life
Candombe — not to be confused with candomblé, the syncretic religion created by Afro-Brazilians — was once confined to poor black neighborhoods in Montevideo. Now it has many thousands of practitioners and fans throughout the country. – The Guardian
- What If A “Day Job” Is The Foundation Of An Artistic Career?
Rather than sticking our heads in the sand—and hoping that belief, alone, will be the source of motivation we need to succeed—what if we focused on doing what it takes to play the game for as long as possible? – 3 Quarks Daily
THEATRE
VISUAL
- What If A “Day Job” Is The Foundation Of An Artistic Career?
Rather than sticking our heads in the sand—and hoping that belief, alone, will be the source of motivation we need to succeed—what if we focused on doing what it takes to play the game for as long as possible? – 3 Quarks Daily
- Why You Can’t Love A Clone
- Fighting Over Art And Politics Again (And Again)
Identity, even when mobilized as a force for visibility and justice, can shield art from critique—transforming dissent into offense and rendering criticism suspect. Questioning the work risks being seen as questioning the identity. – LA Review of Books
- 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
