AJ Four Ways: Text Only (by date) | headlines only
DANCE
IDEAS
- Five Year-end Observations about the state of Arts and Culture in 2025
We posted more than 6,000 stories across all forms of culture in 2025. When you pull back and look at them in aggregate, the individual crises—the closures in San Francisco, the lawsuits in D.C., the endless op-eds about the “death of cinema”—stop looking like isolated incidents. They resolve into a structural shift. - Artnet’s “The Worst Art We Saw In 2025”
By no means is all of this bad art actually from 2025, though a fair bit of it is. In fact, one choice (this writer’s personal favorite) has been on display in Philadelphia for more than a century, and it just keeps on looking god-awful. – Artnet
- The Walrus’ Year In Arts And Culture
These were the economic and political forces shaping culture in 2025. From the decline of the middle-class musician and the digitization of art to critical reassessments of literary heavyweights and political cinema… – The Walrus
- Twelve Stories That Defined 2025 For Museums
In the U.S., a tense political climate and moves by the Trump administration to exert more control over the country’s cultural institutions is creating new challenges for museums, both financially and ideologically. – Artnet
- In A Time Of Flattened Attention, It’s Time To Reconsider The Complications Of Saul Bellow
The persistent cultural resistance to Bellow, who remains popularly read yet broadly under-appreciated by the taste-making classes, comes in several flavors. Over the decades he’s come to be categorized by critics as a hundred different kinds of “too much”… – The Metropolitan Review
ISSUES
- Artnet’s “The Worst Art We Saw In 2025”
By no means is all of this bad art actually from 2025, though a fair bit of it is. In fact, one choice (this writer’s personal favorite) has been on display in Philadelphia for more than a century, and it just keeps on looking god-awful. – Artnet
- Twelve Stories That Defined 2025 For Museums
In the U.S., a tense political climate and moves by the Trump administration to exert more control over the country’s cultural institutions is creating new challenges for museums, both financially and ideologically. – Artnet
- 2025’s Big Art World Controversies
The (let’s say) unfortunate ways in which the Louvre’s inadequate security and deteriorating physical plant were revealed, a major gallery abruptly shutting down, two different arguments involving Vincent van Gogh, dissension among the heirs of one of Europe’s great art mystics, and, as usual, the Parthenon Marbles. – Artnet
- Was The Bayeux Tapestry Meant To Be Lunchtime Reading For Monks?
That’s the theory proposed by historian Benjamin Pohl. It’s fairly certain that the tapestry was conceived and designed by the monks of St. Augustine’s Abbey in Canterbury and stitched by skilled embroiderers nearby; Pohl argues that the 230-foot work was intended for, and first hung in, that abbey’s refectory. – Artnet
- 2026’s Most-Anticipated Museum Openings
Will the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi finally open its doors after all this time? That remains to be seen, but there’s certainly a chance! Here’s what you can look forward to in the coming months: – The Observer
MEDIA
- The Walrus’ Year In Arts And Culture
These were the economic and political forces shaping culture in 2025. From the decline of the middle-class musician and the digitization of art to critical reassessments of literary heavyweights and political cinema… – The Walrus
- Kennedy Center’s Threats To Sue Artists Who Cancel Are Ultimately Empty
Richard Grenell’s letter argues not only that Redd has harmed the Center’s finances, but that his withdrawal constitutes an “act of intolerance” driven by “the sad bullying tactics employed by certain elements on the left.” Grenell vows, “We will not let them cancel shows without consequences.” – The Atlantic
- Kennedy Center Board Rigged Bylaws So That Only Trump’s Appointees Could Vote
“The current bylaws, obtained by The Washington Post, were revised in May to specify that board members designated by Congress — known as ex officio members — could not vote or count toward a quorum. Legal experts say the move may conflict with the institution’s charter.” – The Washington Post (MSN)
- An “Art Vortex”: The Plan For New York State’s Most Strangely-Shaped Performing Arts Center
It is formally named the Empire State Plaza Performing Arts Center, but absolutely everyone calls it The Egg. The Albany landmark will soon reopen following a $19.5 million renovation, and executive director Diane Eber wants to make it a forum for immersive works — as she puts it, an “art vortex.” – Gothamist
- It’s Shocking How Radical Right Extremism Has Crept Into Mainstream Culture
Extremist messaging is now woven into music and YouTube videos, with one expert saying: ‘You can be radicalised sitting on your couch.’ – The Guardian
MUSIC
- In A Time Of Flattened Attention, It’s Time To Reconsider The Complications Of Saul Bellow
The persistent cultural resistance to Bellow, who remains popularly read yet broadly under-appreciated by the taste-making classes, comes in several flavors. Over the decades he’s come to be categorized by critics as a hundred different kinds of “too much”… – The Metropolitan Review
- The American Publishing Industry’s Tumultuous 2025
Much of the tumult came from the Trump White House, some more of it came from local and state officeholders banning particular books from school and public libraries, but perhaps the most worrying difficulties happened in a frequently overlooked but crucial corner of the industry. – Publishers Weekly
- LitHub’s 50 Biggest Literary Stories Of 2025
A book prize was “paused” when half the nominees dropped out because they objected to another nominee, Reading Rainbow came back, Salman Rushdie’s attacker was convicted of attempted murder, AI ruined the em-dash, and plenty more. – Literary Hub
- Check Out Some Of 2025’s Most Scathing Book Reviews
“Among the books being driven into the woods by pitchfork-wielding villagers this year: Louis C.K.’s masturbatory debut novel, Olivia Nuzzi’s delusional fortune cookie, Woody Allen’s autofictional kvetch-fest, and Kamala Harris’s 304-page excuse for ineptitude.” – Literary Hub
- How A Self-Published Unknown Author Became A Hit In 2025
A reclusive Georgia beekeeper accidentally writes a blockbuster: a gentle, allegorical novel that spreads through book clubs, Facebook aunties, and sheer goodwill, turning its humble author into a literary phenomenon he never planned to become. – Washington Post
PEOPLE
- Five Year-end Observations about the state of Arts and Culture in 2025We posted more than 6,000 stories across all forms of culture in 2025. When you pull back and look at them in aggregate, the individual crises—the closures in San Francisco, the lawsuits in D.C., the endless op-eds about the “death of cinema”—stop looking like isolated incidents. They resolve into a structural shift.
- Artnet’s “The Worst Art We Saw In 2025”
By no means is all of this bad art actually from 2025, though a fair bit of it is. In fact, one choice (this writer’s personal favorite) has been on display in Philadelphia for more than a century, and it just keeps on looking god-awful. – Artnet
- The Walrus’ Year In Arts And Culture
These were the economic and political forces shaping culture in 2025. From the decline of the middle-class musician and the digitization of art to critical reassessments of literary heavyweights and political cinema… – The Walrus
- Twelve Stories That Defined 2025 For Museums
In the U.S., a tense political climate and moves by the Trump administration to exert more control over the country’s cultural institutions is creating new challenges for museums, both financially and ideologically. – Artnet
- In A Time Of Flattened Attention, It’s Time To Reconsider The Complications Of Saul Bellow
The persistent cultural resistance to Bellow, who remains popularly read yet broadly under-appreciated by the taste-making classes, comes in several flavors. Over the decades he’s come to be categorized by critics as a hundred different kinds of “too much”… – The Metropolitan Review
PEOPLE
- Five Year-end Observations about the state of Arts and Culture in 2025We posted more than 6,000 stories across all forms of culture in 2025. When you pull back and look at them in aggregate, the individual crises—the closures in San Francisco, the lawsuits in D.C., the endless op-eds about the “death of cinema”—stop looking like isolated incidents. They resolve into a structural shift.
- Artnet’s “The Worst Art We Saw In 2025”
By no means is all of this bad art actually from 2025, though a fair bit of it is. In fact, one choice (this writer’s personal favorite) has been on display in Philadelphia for more than a century, and it just keeps on looking god-awful. – Artnet
- The Walrus’ Year In Arts And Culture
These were the economic and political forces shaping culture in 2025. From the decline of the middle-class musician and the digitization of art to critical reassessments of literary heavyweights and political cinema… – The Walrus
- Twelve Stories That Defined 2025 For Museums
In the U.S., a tense political climate and moves by the Trump administration to exert more control over the country’s cultural institutions is creating new challenges for museums, both financially and ideologically. – Artnet
- In A Time Of Flattened Attention, It’s Time To Reconsider The Complications Of Saul Bellow
The persistent cultural resistance to Bellow, who remains popularly read yet broadly under-appreciated by the taste-making classes, comes in several flavors. Over the decades he’s come to be categorized by critics as a hundred different kinds of “too much”… – The Metropolitan Review
THEATRE
VISUAL
- Here’s What’s Wrong With Letting AI Take Over Lower-Level Creative Work
What’s the harm, studio executives might wonder, if machines take over work that seems unchallenging and rote to knowledgeable professionals? The problem is that entry-level creative jobs are much more than grunt work. Working within established formulas and routines is how young artists develop their skills. – The Atlantic
- The Podcast Trap — Why Have I Stopped Listening To Music?
My change in listening habits comes from a compulsion that many people in my life share: to make every minute of the day as “productive” as possible. By that blinkered calculus, an informative podcast will always trump music. – The Atlantic
- 2025 Was The Year AI Didn’t Transform Our Lives (Like It Was Supposed To)
Silicon Valley promised 2025 would be the age of tireless AI agents. Instead, they clicked slowly, got lost in drop‑down menus, hallucinated baseball maps, and reminded everyone that the “Year of the Agent” is really the “Decade of Maybe.” – The New Yorker
- Study: How AI Spurs Creativity In Humans
“People think of AI as something that speeds up tasks or improves efficiency, but our findings suggest something far more interesting. When people were shown AI-generated design suggestions, they spent more time on the task, produced better designs, and felt more involved. It was not just about efficiency. It was about creativity and collaboration.” – SciTech Daily
- Study: Musical Expertise Relates To Other Cognitive Traits
Experienced musicians tend to possess an advantage in short-term memory for musical patterns and a small advantage for visual information, according to a large-scale international study. – PsyPost
