AJ Four Ways: Text Only (by date) | headlines only
DANCE
IDEAS
- Somebody Just Gave Boston Ballet $10M
The money was given by “an anonymous, long-time patron” of the organization who found themselves “inspired” by its transformation during Nissinen’s time there, according to the news release. – People
- Singer Cassandra Wilson, 70
Wilson’s catalog showcased the full breadth of her native Mississippi’s musical heritage, drawing primarily from jazz but spanning every foundational American genre. – Los Angeles Times
- Yo-Yo Ma At 70
“There’s a real relationship between the way he plays and the way he talks. There’s a sense of gathering the room, gathering a community, and you’re drawn into the emotional experience of his playing.” – The New York Times
- A Filmmaking Couple And The Hit That Transformed Both Their Careers And Their Relationship
When Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi — famous in their native Spain as “Los Javis” — took their film La Bola Negra to Cannes this year, they earned a 20-minute ovation, the Best Director prize, a bidding war over distribution rights, and Oscar buzz. They’ve also learned something serious about themselves. – The New York Times
- A Kentucky High School’s Production Of “Ragtime: Was Abruptly Cancelled. Then Broadway Spoke Up.
Last week the principal of Louisville’s performing arts high school told the cast and crew that the school district had cancelled their production due to community concerns about subject matter. The students posted a video online; it quickly tallied a million views. Among the many responses were members of the current Broadway team. – Playbill
ISSUES
- Should Marc Chagall’s Famous Painting Be Taken Off The Ceiling Of The Paris Opera?
Perhaps surprisingly, that is possible: in 1962, the untitled work’s 24 canvases were glued to a plastic shell which was then installed on the dome of the Palais Garnier’s ceiling over the original 1869-71 mural by Jules-Eugène Lenepveu — whose great-great-great-great-grandnephew is now campaigning to have his relative’s work uncovered. – Artnet
- Thousands Of Japanese Are Moving A Historic Castle — Hauling It By Hand
In 2015, the fortified tower of Hirosaki Castle was moved, in one piece, about 260 feet from its old site to allow repairs to the compound’s outer walls. Now a horde of volunteers, working 80 at a time pulling ropes, are pulling the tower back to its site, centimeter by centimeter. – AFP (Yahoo!)
- Director Of The Art Gallery Of Ontario To Depart After 10 Years
Within the Canadian art scene, Stephen Jost’s leadership has been polarizing. He has drawn praise for making a significant investment in modern and contemporary art at the AGO. But Jost’s tenure was also marred by controversy over the past few years. – ARTnews
- Philadelphia’s Academy Of Natural Sciences To Close After 200 Years
The Academy of Natural Sciences will close its Parkway museum at the end of the month, ending a nearly 200-year run as a destination for generations of visitors. The museum, founded in 1812 and opened to the public in 1828, has long been a fixture for families, students and educators. – 6 ABC
- Kennedy Center Will Remove Major Outdoor Sculpture
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts will remove a major outdoor sculpture from the center’s grounds on Wednesday. The work, installed in 2019, was targeted for elimination after President Trump’s takeover of the center, according to internal documents obtained by The New York Times. – The New York Times
MEDIA
- Consider The Lowly Bollard
The posts come in many forms — retractable, rigid, ordinary, ornate, thick, thin. There are other objects that serve a similar purpose, including “sugar cube” barriers and hulking planters. At Lincoln Center, stylish, warped concrete blocks guard the square. – The New York Times
- Britain’s Working Class Is Getting Priced Out Of The Arts Entirely. Look Out For What Comes Next.
With the shrinking of arts instruction in schools and free higher education, it’s ever harder for non-rich artists to train. Then there’s the ever-rising cost of getting your work seen, even at open-access events like the Edinburgh Fringe. In response, Ivan Hewett writes, a “radical class-consciousness” is starting to appear. – The Telegraph (UK) (MSN)
- Scotland To Try Out A Basic-Income-For-Artists Scheme Like Ireland’s
“A pilot project in Scotland” — called the Scottish Artists Minimum Income initiative — “based on the Irish model could see an initial 2,000 writers, musicians, playwrights and visual artists secure almost £15,000 ($20,000) a year to help them pursue a career.” – The Herald (Scotland)
- How Did Brooklyn’s Skyline Go So Wrong?
Two decades ago, Downtown Brooklyn was well connected but underpopulated, a combination that drew armies of fresh college graduates, quintupling the population. It’s hard to believe how thoroughly and quickly the skyline has been remade in that time—and how shoddily. – Curbed
- City Audit Of Financially Troubled San Francisco Arts Center Is Complete
Calls for an audit of the African-American Arts and Culture Complex came after the nonprofit was consistently late with required reports on the spending of millions in city grant money. The audit found no misuse of funds but identified shortcomings with both the AAACC and the San Francisco Arts Commission. – San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)
MUSIC
- Oxford University Press Staffers Strike Over Offshoring
“Oxford University Press plans to offshore its financial operations department to EXL Services, which will provide the service from the (Indian) subcontinent. More than 30 Unite the Union members walked out on Tuesday over the plans, with the industrial action set to last until 11 September.” – BBC (Yahoo!)
- After 205 Years, The Saturday Evening Post Will Discontinue Its Hard-Copy Version
“The magazine’s January issue will be its last in print, according to Joan SerVaas, the president and publisher. In a letter to The Post’s 50,000 subscribers …, she attributed the decision to a combination of rising production costs, declining advertising revenue and shifting reader habits.’” – The New York Times
- Hong Kong’s Independent Bookstores Face Severe Pressure From Chinese Authorities
“(The shops), many of them tucked away … inside buildings, have long offered a refuge and a window to a freer world for some mainland Chinese readers seeking ideas suppressed at home. But these spaces now are under threat following a wave of bookseller arrests over alleged sedition under a 2024 national security law.” – AP
- Putin’s Crackdown On Literature
After Mr. Putin declared all-out war on Ukraine in 2022, he unleashed a devastating crackdown on free speech. That was initially confined to criticism of the war. Over time it spread, attacking a range of cultural expression. Now, the Kremlin is placing literature squarely in its cross hairs. – The New York Times
- Publisher Announces AI Bot Assistant For Health Care Books
Elsevier announced the launch of Nora AI, an AI-powered assistant available within Elsevier e-books through VitalSource’s Bookshelf platform. Nora AI enables users to ask questions and receive personalized, evidence-based answers drawn directly from Elsevier content. – Publishers Weekly
PEOPLE
- Somebody Just Gave Boston Ballet $10M
The money was given by “an anonymous, long-time patron” of the organization who found themselves “inspired” by its transformation during Nissinen’s time there, according to the news release. – People
- Singer Cassandra Wilson, 70
Wilson’s catalog showcased the full breadth of her native Mississippi’s musical heritage, drawing primarily from jazz but spanning every foundational American genre. – Los Angeles Times
- Yo-Yo Ma At 70
“There’s a real relationship between the way he plays and the way he talks. There’s a sense of gathering the room, gathering a community, and you’re drawn into the emotional experience of his playing.” – The New York Times
- A Filmmaking Couple And The Hit That Transformed Both Their Careers And Their Relationship
When Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi — famous in their native Spain as “Los Javis” — took their film La Bola Negra to Cannes this year, they earned a 20-minute ovation, the Best Director prize, a bidding war over distribution rights, and Oscar buzz. They’ve also learned something serious about themselves. – The New York Times
- A Kentucky High School’s Production Of “Ragtime: Was Abruptly Cancelled. Then Broadway Spoke Up.
Last week the principal of Louisville’s performing arts high school told the cast and crew that the school district had cancelled their production due to community concerns about subject matter. The students posted a video online; it quickly tallied a million views. Among the many responses were members of the current Broadway team. – Playbill
PEOPLE
- Somebody Just Gave Boston Ballet $10M
The money was given by “an anonymous, long-time patron” of the organization who found themselves “inspired” by its transformation during Nissinen’s time there, according to the news release. – People
- Singer Cassandra Wilson, 70
Wilson’s catalog showcased the full breadth of her native Mississippi’s musical heritage, drawing primarily from jazz but spanning every foundational American genre. – Los Angeles Times
- Yo-Yo Ma At 70
“There’s a real relationship between the way he plays and the way he talks. There’s a sense of gathering the room, gathering a community, and you’re drawn into the emotional experience of his playing.” – The New York Times
- A Filmmaking Couple And The Hit That Transformed Both Their Careers And Their Relationship
When Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi — famous in their native Spain as “Los Javis” — took their film La Bola Negra to Cannes this year, they earned a 20-minute ovation, the Best Director prize, a bidding war over distribution rights, and Oscar buzz. They’ve also learned something serious about themselves. – The New York Times
- A Kentucky High School’s Production Of “Ragtime: Was Abruptly Cancelled. Then Broadway Spoke Up.
Last week the principal of Louisville’s performing arts high school told the cast and crew that the school district had cancelled their production due to community concerns about subject matter. The students posted a video online; it quickly tallied a million views. Among the many responses were members of the current Broadway team. – Playbill
THEATRE
VISUAL
- She Who Controls The Logistics…
- Why Letting AI Do Our Writing Is A Bad Idea
The act of writing is an act of thinking, and to automate our paragraphs is to populate our screens with words without filling our minds with the ideas necessary to conceive of them. – Derek Thompson
- How Our Gamification Culture Kills The Spirit Of Play
The entire architecture of digital life – with its algorithmic feeds, frictionless production and the ambient expectation that we should be consuming or optimising at all times – nudges us towards chasing outputs rather than generating meaning. – Aeon
- What I Learned From China’s Robot Games
For the first hour or so, I found the Robot Games enthralling. What can robots already do, and where do they still fall short? Which robot will manage to crawl under an obstacle, and which will pitifully get stuck? But after a while, I suddenly realized that I had grown deeply bored. – Yascha Mounk
- The Fake Experts That AI Keeps Citing
The authors don’t actually exist, but are instead names that large language models repeatedly produce when tasked with generating experts in certain fields. – 404 Media