ArtsJournal Classic

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

DANCE

    IDEAS

    • Merry Christmas

      Today’s highlights: The traditional art market is facing a reckoning as 2025 comes to a close. There was a flood of gallery closures and downsizings this year, marking a period of “endings more than beginnings” as the industry searches for a more sustainable model (ARTnews ). In the publishing world, the mass-market paperback is–shockingly– about to disappear from the U.S. market following a major distributor’s decision to halt operations (Publishers Weekly ).

      Institutional survival remains deeply tied to holiday ritual, particularly in the dance world. Companies are critically dependent on “The Nutcracker” to keep the lights on—with the New York City Ballet alone generating 45% of its annual ticket revenue from the production (NPR). Yet, even these traditions are becoming controversial; in Florida, officials unsuccessfully lobbied to cancel a sold-out “Drag Queen Christmas” tour stop (The Guardian), while in the West Bank, Christmas celebrations have returned to Bethlehem after a two-year hiatus caused by the war (AP).

      Tech billionaire Larry Ellison has personally guaranteed $40.4 billion to back Paramount’s hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery (AP). Finally, we recognize the passing of Robert Nakamura, the “Godfather” of Asian-American media and founder of Visual Communications, the oldest community-based organization for AAPI filmmakers, who has died at 88 (The New York Times).

      All of our stories below.

    • “Nothing Is Too Extravagant For Christ” — This May Be America’s Most Over-The-Top Christmas Pageant

      The 17,000 costume pieces are the least extravagant feature of The Gift of Christmas, the annual spectacular presented by Prestonwood Baptist Church near Dallas. On the 300-foot stage are LED screens, lasers, fireworks, trapezing elves, flying angels, and 21 animals. (And yes, shepherds, three kings, and the Holy Family. And Santa.) – Texas Monthly

    • Why Did So Many Art Galleries Close This Year?

      Overall, when it came to galleries, the dominant vibe was one of endings more than beginnings—and it continued a building drumbeat. Those who closed or significantly downsized in 2025, after all, joined others that have expired in previous years. – ARTnews

    • Archaeologist Discovers A Pharaoh’s “Valley Temple”

      “Nyuserra’s sun temple, which is located in Abu Ghurab about 10 miles south of Cairo, was composed of two parts: the previously excavated upper temple and the valley temple (alongside the Nile), which Massimiliano Nuzzolo began work on in 2024.” – Artnet

    • Are Our Grandparents Being Captured By Their Phones?

      “I am constantly begging my mom to put her phone down, every time I see her she is just mindlessly scrolling. I swear her attention span is GONE,” one person wrote. – The Atlantic

    ISSUES

    • Why Did So Many Art Galleries Close This Year?

      Overall, when it came to galleries, the dominant vibe was one of endings more than beginnings—and it continued a building drumbeat. Those who closed or significantly downsized in 2025, after all, joined others that have expired in previous years. – ARTnews

    • Archaeologist Discovers A Pharaoh’s “Valley Temple”

      “Nyuserra’s sun temple, which is located in Abu Ghurab about 10 miles south of Cairo, was composed of two parts: the previously excavated upper temple and the valley temple (alongside the Nile), which Massimiliano Nuzzolo began work on in 2024.” – Artnet

    • Philadelphia Art Museum Doubles Down On Fired Director

      “Arbitration clauses are interpreted literally, but not foolishly,” the new filing argues. It asks the court to enter an order compelling Suda to submit to arbitration, and to stay legal proceedings until the matter is resolved in arbitration. – Philadelphia Inquirer

    • British Museum’s Longterm Loans Program Doesn’t Remediate Colonial Looting

      Long-term loans are not restitution. They do not acknowledge historical wrongdoing, nor do they restore agency to source communities. Instead, they reinforce a museum’s claim of ownership over objects it has no moral (and often legal) right to possess. – Hyperallergic

    • A Stolen Art Expert Talks About The Louvre

      The main takeaway, for me, is that museums have a vulnerability—a technical, physical vulnerability—that is mirrored by the vulnerability of the public’s reaction, the idea that you can be culturally wounded in a profound collective manner. – The New Yorker

    MEDIA

    MUSIC

    PEOPLE

    • Merry Christmas

      Today’s highlights: The traditional art market is facing a reckoning as 2025 comes to a close. There was a flood of gallery closures and downsizings this year, marking a period of “endings more than beginnings” as the industry searches for a more sustainable model (ARTnews ). In the publishing world, the mass-market paperback is–shockingly– about to disappear from the U.S. market following a major distributor’s decision to halt operations (Publishers Weekly ).

      Institutional survival remains deeply tied to holiday ritual, particularly in the dance world. Companies are critically dependent on “The Nutcracker” to keep the lights on—with the New York City Ballet alone generating 45% of its annual ticket revenue from the production (NPR). Yet, even these traditions are becoming controversial; in Florida, officials unsuccessfully lobbied to cancel a sold-out “Drag Queen Christmas” tour stop (The Guardian), while in the West Bank, Christmas celebrations have returned to Bethlehem after a two-year hiatus caused by the war (AP).

      Tech billionaire Larry Ellison has personally guaranteed $40.4 billion to back Paramount’s hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery (AP). Finally, we recognize the passing of Robert Nakamura, the “Godfather” of Asian-American media and founder of Visual Communications, the oldest community-based organization for AAPI filmmakers, who has died at 88 (The New York Times).

      All of our stories below.

    • “Nothing Is Too Extravagant For Christ” — This May Be America’s Most Over-The-Top Christmas Pageant

      The 17,000 costume pieces are the least extravagant feature of The Gift of Christmas, the annual spectacular presented by Prestonwood Baptist Church near Dallas. On the 300-foot stage are LED screens, lasers, fireworks, trapezing elves, flying angels, and 21 animals. (And yes, shepherds, three kings, and the Holy Family. And Santa.) – Texas Monthly

    • Why Did So Many Art Galleries Close This Year?

      Overall, when it came to galleries, the dominant vibe was one of endings more than beginnings—and it continued a building drumbeat. Those who closed or significantly downsized in 2025, after all, joined others that have expired in previous years. – ARTnews

    • Archaeologist Discovers A Pharaoh’s “Valley Temple”

      “Nyuserra’s sun temple, which is located in Abu Ghurab about 10 miles south of Cairo, was composed of two parts: the previously excavated upper temple and the valley temple (alongside the Nile), which Massimiliano Nuzzolo began work on in 2024.” – Artnet

    • Are Our Grandparents Being Captured By Their Phones?

      “I am constantly begging my mom to put her phone down, every time I see her she is just mindlessly scrolling. I swear her attention span is GONE,” one person wrote. – The Atlantic

    PEOPLE

    • Merry Christmas

      Today’s highlights: The traditional art market is facing a reckoning as 2025 comes to a close. There was a flood of gallery closures and downsizings this year, marking a period of “endings more than beginnings” as the industry searches for a more sustainable model (ARTnews ). In the publishing world, the mass-market paperback is–shockingly– about to disappear from the U.S. market following a major distributor’s decision to halt operations (Publishers Weekly ).

      Institutional survival remains deeply tied to holiday ritual, particularly in the dance world. Companies are critically dependent on “The Nutcracker” to keep the lights on—with the New York City Ballet alone generating 45% of its annual ticket revenue from the production (NPR). Yet, even these traditions are becoming controversial; in Florida, officials unsuccessfully lobbied to cancel a sold-out “Drag Queen Christmas” tour stop (The Guardian), while in the West Bank, Christmas celebrations have returned to Bethlehem after a two-year hiatus caused by the war (AP).

      Tech billionaire Larry Ellison has personally guaranteed $40.4 billion to back Paramount’s hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery (AP). Finally, we recognize the passing of Robert Nakamura, the “Godfather” of Asian-American media and founder of Visual Communications, the oldest community-based organization for AAPI filmmakers, who has died at 88 (The New York Times).

      All of our stories below.

    • “Nothing Is Too Extravagant For Christ” — This May Be America’s Most Over-The-Top Christmas Pageant

      The 17,000 costume pieces are the least extravagant feature of The Gift of Christmas, the annual spectacular presented by Prestonwood Baptist Church near Dallas. On the 300-foot stage are LED screens, lasers, fireworks, trapezing elves, flying angels, and 21 animals. (And yes, shepherds, three kings, and the Holy Family. And Santa.) – Texas Monthly

    • Why Did So Many Art Galleries Close This Year?

      Overall, when it came to galleries, the dominant vibe was one of endings more than beginnings—and it continued a building drumbeat. Those who closed or significantly downsized in 2025, after all, joined others that have expired in previous years. – ARTnews

    • Archaeologist Discovers A Pharaoh’s “Valley Temple”

      “Nyuserra’s sun temple, which is located in Abu Ghurab about 10 miles south of Cairo, was composed of two parts: the previously excavated upper temple and the valley temple (alongside the Nile), which Massimiliano Nuzzolo began work on in 2024.” – Artnet

    • Are Our Grandparents Being Captured By Their Phones?

      “I am constantly begging my mom to put her phone down, every time I see her she is just mindlessly scrolling. I swear her attention span is GONE,” one person wrote. – The Atlantic

    THEATRE

      VISUAL

      • Are Our Grandparents Being Captured By Their Phones?

        “I am constantly begging my mom to put her phone down, every time I see her she is just mindlessly scrolling. I swear her attention span is GONE,” one person wrote. – The Atlantic

      • AI Voice Clones Are Amazing. But Also Troublesome In Defining Identity

        Technology may blur boundaries, but it also reveals who holds the power. When male creators use AI to simulate female voices and personas, are they expanding artistic possibilities or perpetuating a new form of gender appropriation, ventriloquism and misogyny? – The Conversation

      • We Know So Little About How Our Senses Interact. Why Does Music Make Food Taste Different?

        When we sit down for a meal, all of our senses come to the table, and some of them have unexpected effects. Heavier cutlery, for example, makes a meal more pleasurable, he has found, and flavors in space are often duller. Foods that sound better taste better, too. – Nautilus

      • Our Collapsing Attention And The Difficulty Of Story-Telling

        When all time is flattened into the present, narrative form begins to erode. Instant communication collapses tenses into an interminable “now,” and live streams keep us there. Finally, storytelling demands leisure, or at least a relaxed mind, since immersion requires the mental margin to forget ourselves and linger in the unfolding. – LA Review of Books

      • The Psychology Of Fashion

        Much of the sculptural, breathtaking artistry of haute couture finds a way to dramatize the friction between the composed selves we offer the world and the fragmented, chaotic sensation of being alive. We only look coherent; inside, it’s chaos. – The New Yorker

      WORDS