ArtsJournal Classic

AJ Four Ways: Text Only (by date) | headlines only

DANCE

    IDEAS

    • Good Morning:

      Today’s AJ highlights: This morning, the commercial pressures eroding artistic integrity, the search for meaning in a fast-paced media landscape, and celebrate the enduring impact of dance and architecture.

      The integrity of creative forms is being challenged by the economics of streaming. Critics argue that Netflix has completely upended the movie business by removing the need for films to be “profitable, pretty, sexy, intelligent, funny, well-made,” and other qualities that once defined cinema (n+one). This same commercial logic is blamed for both the soaring popularity and wreckage of the documentary form, which has been degraded by the demand for cheap, time-consuming “docuseries” (Stat Significant). Meanwhile, the Golden Globes have returned to the spotlight, but critics argue the for-profit structure of the revitalized awards body may be more problematic than ever before (Los Angeles Times).

      In response to the unstoppable tide of technology, Eurythmics producer Dave Stewart argues that musicians must embrace AI and immediately begin licensing their voices and skills, warning, “Otherwise they’re just going to take it anyway” (The Guardian).

      And then there’s the permanence of great art and the need for new leadership. Paul Taylor’s masterpiece, “Esplanade,” turns 50, and the landmark modern dance continues to inspire new generations (The New York Times). On the institutional side, the Pew Arts and Culture program has named Christina Vassallo as its new leader, following her work in Cincinnati and Philadelphia (Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)).

      All our stories below.

    • Paul Taylor’s “Esplanade” At 50

      How the landmark modern dance was created, whom it influenced, and why it’s still magical today. – The New York Times

    • Why Are We Curious About Some Things And Not Others?

      All this infophilia raises an important question: if we like information so much, why don’t we seek out more of it? – Psyche

    • Dallas Black Dance Theatre Makes Its Interim Artistic Director Permanent

      Richard A. Freeman Jr. served on an interim basis for two seasons, including holding the company together through the turmoil following the firing of 10 dancers for attempting to unionize. – KERA (Dallas)

    • Pew Arts And Culture Names A New Leader

      Christina Vassallo, 45, follows Paula Marincola, who retired in October after serving as the center’s first director, since 2008. After leaving the Fabric Workshop in 2023, Vassallo became director of the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati. – Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)

    ISSUES

    • Princeton’s New Museum Is An Important Building

      This extraordinarily rich design is certainly assertive throughout, but it is completely in synch with the nature of an institution that has been collecting for 255 years, one that inevitably reflects the sprawling curiosity and a worldliness—or lack thereof—among generations of Princetonians. – James Russell

    • Louvre Leak Causes Water Damage To Art Work

      “Between 300 and 400 works” were affected by the leak discovered on 26 November, the museum’s deputy administrator, Francis Steinbock, said, describing them as “Egyptology journals” and “scientific documentation” used by researchers. – The Guardian

    • Solving An 800-Picture Art Heist In Slow Motion

      Some 800 paintings have been taken from the collection since 1945, in one of the most devastating spates of art theft in Germany’s postwar history. Canvas by canvas, however, they are being filled in as the artworks are returned from around the world through a marathon exercise in detective work and cultural diplomacy. – The Times (UK)

    • Workers At Louvre Vote Unanimously To Strike

      “The museum is in ‘crisis,’ with insufficient resources and ‘increasingly deteriorated working conditions,’ said the unions’ strike notice to Culture Minister Rachida Dati.” – AP

    • Eight Matisse Prints Stolen In Brazil

      “In a daylight robbery on Sunday, two armed thieves stole eight prints by Henri Matisse and at least five engravings by Brazilian modernist painter Cândido Portinari from the Mário de Andrade Library in São Paulo.” – ARTnews

    MEDIA

    MUSIC

    • Gertrude Stein Knew She Was A Genius — And That The World Would Only Realize It After She Died

      “‘Those who are creating the modern composition authentically are naturally only of importance when they are dead,’ Stein once wrote. Accordingly, she spent a good portion of her life making arrangements for her afterlife.” – The New Republic

    • Why Small Publishers Are In Crisis

      There’s a sense that big publishing has stopped investing in people, authors, and good writing, and is just producing huge amounts of product, which means a completely oversaturated market and overstuffed bookstores. – LitHub

    • Small Presses Are Underfunded And In Crisis

      The crisis is a shame, because “generally small presses take risks that bigger publishers don’t, so we end up with some really interesting and original writing.” Then there’s the intimacy of dealing from start to finish with the physical fact of a book. – LitHub

    • Jane Austen Still Has Us In A Chokehold

      “Austen’s characters are archetypes. That’s what makes them so relatable today. We all know someone who’s awkward and ingratiating, like Mr. Collins, clever and independent, like Lizzie, or reticent and reserved, like Mr. Darcy.” – NPR

    • A Spicy Gay Hockey Book Has Become A Global Phenomenon TV Show

      Rachel Reid, author of many same-sex sports romances, on Heated Rivalry’s scorching HBO debut: “It’s like I opened a door and there was on the other side a million people screaming. … It’s been really cool, but also it doesn’t feel real at all.” – Washington Post (Yahoo)

    PEOPLE

    • Good Morning:

      Today’s AJ highlights: This morning, the commercial pressures eroding artistic integrity, the search for meaning in a fast-paced media landscape, and celebrate the enduring impact of dance and architecture.

      The integrity of creative forms is being challenged by the economics of streaming. Critics argue that Netflix has completely upended the movie business by removing the need for films to be “profitable, pretty, sexy, intelligent, funny, well-made,” and other qualities that once defined cinema (n+one). This same commercial logic is blamed for both the soaring popularity and wreckage of the documentary form, which has been degraded by the demand for cheap, time-consuming “docuseries” (Stat Significant). Meanwhile, the Golden Globes have returned to the spotlight, but critics argue the for-profit structure of the revitalized awards body may be more problematic than ever before (Los Angeles Times).

      In response to the unstoppable tide of technology, Eurythmics producer Dave Stewart argues that musicians must embrace AI and immediately begin licensing their voices and skills, warning, “Otherwise they’re just going to take it anyway” (The Guardian).

      And then there’s the permanence of great art and the need for new leadership. Paul Taylor’s masterpiece, “Esplanade,” turns 50, and the landmark modern dance continues to inspire new generations (The New York Times). On the institutional side, the Pew Arts and Culture program has named Christina Vassallo as its new leader, following her work in Cincinnati and Philadelphia (Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)).

      All our stories below.

    • Paul Taylor’s “Esplanade” At 50

      How the landmark modern dance was created, whom it influenced, and why it’s still magical today. – The New York Times

    • Why Are We Curious About Some Things And Not Others?

      All this infophilia raises an important question: if we like information so much, why don’t we seek out more of it? – Psyche

    • Dallas Black Dance Theatre Makes Its Interim Artistic Director Permanent

      Richard A. Freeman Jr. served on an interim basis for two seasons, including holding the company together through the turmoil following the firing of 10 dancers for attempting to unionize. – KERA (Dallas)

    • Pew Arts And Culture Names A New Leader

      Christina Vassallo, 45, follows Paula Marincola, who retired in October after serving as the center’s first director, since 2008. After leaving the Fabric Workshop in 2023, Vassallo became director of the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati. – Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)

    PEOPLE

    • Good Morning:

      Today’s AJ highlights: This morning, the commercial pressures eroding artistic integrity, the search for meaning in a fast-paced media landscape, and celebrate the enduring impact of dance and architecture.

      The integrity of creative forms is being challenged by the economics of streaming. Critics argue that Netflix has completely upended the movie business by removing the need for films to be “profitable, pretty, sexy, intelligent, funny, well-made,” and other qualities that once defined cinema (n+one). This same commercial logic is blamed for both the soaring popularity and wreckage of the documentary form, which has been degraded by the demand for cheap, time-consuming “docuseries” (Stat Significant). Meanwhile, the Golden Globes have returned to the spotlight, but critics argue the for-profit structure of the revitalized awards body may be more problematic than ever before (Los Angeles Times).

      In response to the unstoppable tide of technology, Eurythmics producer Dave Stewart argues that musicians must embrace AI and immediately begin licensing their voices and skills, warning, “Otherwise they’re just going to take it anyway” (The Guardian).

      And then there’s the permanence of great art and the need for new leadership. Paul Taylor’s masterpiece, “Esplanade,” turns 50, and the landmark modern dance continues to inspire new generations (The New York Times). On the institutional side, the Pew Arts and Culture program has named Christina Vassallo as its new leader, following her work in Cincinnati and Philadelphia (Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)).

      All our stories below.

    • Paul Taylor’s “Esplanade” At 50

      How the landmark modern dance was created, whom it influenced, and why it’s still magical today. – The New York Times

    • Why Are We Curious About Some Things And Not Others?

      All this infophilia raises an important question: if we like information so much, why don’t we seek out more of it? – Psyche

    • Dallas Black Dance Theatre Makes Its Interim Artistic Director Permanent

      Richard A. Freeman Jr. served on an interim basis for two seasons, including holding the company together through the turmoil following the firing of 10 dancers for attempting to unionize. – KERA (Dallas)

    • Pew Arts And Culture Names A New Leader

      Christina Vassallo, 45, follows Paula Marincola, who retired in October after serving as the center’s first director, since 2008. After leaving the Fabric Workshop in 2023, Vassallo became director of the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati. – Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)

    THEATRE

      VISUAL

      WORDS