AJ Four Ways: Text Only (by date) | headlines only
DANCE
IDEAS
- A Top Celebrity-Profile Writer Tries To Profile Someone Who Doesn’t Actually Exist: AI Actress Tilly Norwood
Taffy Brodesser-Akner: “Did I mention that in addition to being just a computer, she’s also kind of a bitch?” – The New York Times Magazine
- University Student Audience Member Steps In To Finish Performance When Keyboardist Falls Ill
The orchestra’s keyboardist had suddenly fallen ill. Was there by any chance a pianist in the house? And one with exceptional sight-reading skills? – The Guardian
- Study: Humans Need “Semantic Knowledge” To Innovate
The research demonstrates that our “semantic knowledge”, the internal cognitive map of how concepts connect and apply to one another, is the absolute precondition for meaningful invention. – Neuroscience
- We Need Artists To Collaborate With AI
Machine learning represents a seismic shift, both in society and in the arts, and we need storytellers, artists, teachers and thinkers in this space to help determine the direction of that shift and help us navigate this unfamiliar territory. – The Guardian
- Adelaide Benjamin, Philanthropist Who Saved The Orchestra In New Orleans, Has Died At 93
As board chair of what was then the New Orleans Symphony, she worked tirelessly to save an organization which was $3 million in debt and had stopped paying musicians. She subsequently helped its transition into the Louisiana Philharmonic, the US’s first musician-run professional orchestra. – The Times-Picayune (New Orleans)
ISSUES
- Why Restorers Of This Bull Mosaic In Milan Left Out The Testicles
In fact, the missing glands on the bovine in this 19th-century floor mosaic had been gouged out by excessive tourist traffic some time ago, and the restorers (and the landlord) declined to replace them. Here’s why. – Smithsonian Magazine
- Maurizio Cattelan’s Banana Is Stolen From A Museum Wall, And That Museum Wants To Prosecute
The theft of the fruit from the jokester artist’s piece Comedian happened this past Saturday at the Pompidou Center’s outpost in Metz, France; the duct tape was left behind. No suspect has yet been identified, and museum staff promptly replaced the banana. – ARTnews
- Just What Does “American” Architecture Look Like In 2026?
A new book makes the case that when it comes to evolving forms and styles in American architecture, a new generation of firms is drawing inspiration from not just place and local architectural heritage, but the place a building like the Girls Inc. Youth Farm will play in the community. – Fast Company
- A Trio Of Prominent Art Critics Has Just Retired. Here’s What We’ve Lost
The trio were not only the most influential, but also the most gainfully employed—two factors that have everything to do with each other. – ARTnews
- Over The Weekend, The British Museum Was Evacuated After Staff Found A ‘Suspicious’ Package
“The museum said it had also received what it described as ‘malicious communications’ before the evacuation.” – ARTnews
MEDIA
- Arts Council England, The National Cultural Funder, Names A New Chairman
As of August 1, Dawn Airey, a longtime television executive who is currently chair of the National Youth Theatre and the educational platform Digital Theatre+, will succeed Nicholas Serota, who spent almost a decade leading the Council after a famously successful tenure as director of the Tate galleries and museums. – The Independent (UK)
- Survivors Recount Living Through Russia’s Bombing Of Kyiv’s Cultural Sites
“We began evacuating the artefacts while the roof was still ablaze and the firefighting operation was still under way,” said the director of one museum. “We could hear the roof collapsing. We were constantly wading through water.” – The Guardian
- The Trump Administration Is Dismantling Support For Social Science Research
If the National Science Foundation does stop funding social scientists, experts told me, our 5,000-foot-view of American life will get foggier. The NSF, through the SBE division, is the primary funder of the “big three” social-science surveys, which have enabled the work of several generations of academics, economists, and policy wonks. – The Atlantic
- How Alice Walton Culturally Transformed A Corner Of Arkansas
It’s impossible to miss the scope of transformation that’s happened in Bentonville, population 63,000. – Fast Company
- Not So Fast: Interior Secretary Won’t Commit To Removing Trump Name From The Kennedy Center
Secretary Burgum’s hedging came as Trump attacked the decision and the judge behind it on social media Friday and Saturday. – Time
MUSIC
- What We Need To Do To Get America Reading Again
Teaching people to read and building a world where they can do so are different problems. Throwing our phones in the lake can’t bring about that world, but designing the conditions for reading will. – The New York Times
- Facebook Whistleblower Forced To Stay Silent On Hay Festival By Meta
Sarah Wynn-Williams, whose bestselling memoir, Careless People, details her years working at Facebook, was due to appear in conversation with the investigative journalist Carole Cadwalladr and academic Tim Wu. Instead, Wynn-Williams sat on stage for the hour-long discussion without speaking or responding. She was unable even to nod or shake her head. – The Gaurdian
- If We’re Really In A Reading ‘Crisis,’ Here Are Some Solutions
It’s not about the phones. Instead, as a society, we have to remove structural barriers – and build new libraries. “A democracy needs its people to read, and it is society’s job to make that possible.” – The New York Times
- Sometimes, You Have To Turn Your Back On Your TBR Pile And Simply Reread
“You take yourself with you, right? The image becomes mirrored: Who you were and what you took from a book the first time is reflected in who you are and what you take from the book now.” – Reactor Mag
- All Over The World, Poetry Fans Are Celebrating Allen Ginsberg’s 100th Birthday
Lawrence Ferlinghetti explained, years ago, that “‘Howl’ knocked the sides out of things, just the way rock music in the ’60s knocked the sides out of the old music world.” – NPR
PEOPLE
- A Top Celebrity-Profile Writer Tries To Profile Someone Who Doesn’t Actually Exist: AI Actress Tilly Norwood
Taffy Brodesser-Akner: “Did I mention that in addition to being just a computer, she’s also kind of a bitch?” – The New York Times Magazine
- University Student Audience Member Steps In To Finish Performance When Keyboardist Falls Ill
The orchestra’s keyboardist had suddenly fallen ill. Was there by any chance a pianist in the house? And one with exceptional sight-reading skills? – The Guardian
- Study: Humans Need “Semantic Knowledge” To Innovate
The research demonstrates that our “semantic knowledge”, the internal cognitive map of how concepts connect and apply to one another, is the absolute precondition for meaningful invention. – Neuroscience
- We Need Artists To Collaborate With AI
Machine learning represents a seismic shift, both in society and in the arts, and we need storytellers, artists, teachers and thinkers in this space to help determine the direction of that shift and help us navigate this unfamiliar territory. – The Guardian
- Adelaide Benjamin, Philanthropist Who Saved The Orchestra In New Orleans, Has Died At 93
As board chair of what was then the New Orleans Symphony, she worked tirelessly to save an organization which was $3 million in debt and had stopped paying musicians. She subsequently helped its transition into the Louisiana Philharmonic, the US’s first musician-run professional orchestra. – The Times-Picayune (New Orleans)
PEOPLE
- A Top Celebrity-Profile Writer Tries To Profile Someone Who Doesn’t Actually Exist: AI Actress Tilly Norwood
Taffy Brodesser-Akner: “Did I mention that in addition to being just a computer, she’s also kind of a bitch?” – The New York Times Magazine
- University Student Audience Member Steps In To Finish Performance When Keyboardist Falls Ill
The orchestra’s keyboardist had suddenly fallen ill. Was there by any chance a pianist in the house? And one with exceptional sight-reading skills? – The Guardian
- Study: Humans Need “Semantic Knowledge” To Innovate
The research demonstrates that our “semantic knowledge”, the internal cognitive map of how concepts connect and apply to one another, is the absolute precondition for meaningful invention. – Neuroscience
- We Need Artists To Collaborate With AI
Machine learning represents a seismic shift, both in society and in the arts, and we need storytellers, artists, teachers and thinkers in this space to help determine the direction of that shift and help us navigate this unfamiliar territory. – The Guardian
- Adelaide Benjamin, Philanthropist Who Saved The Orchestra In New Orleans, Has Died At 93
As board chair of what was then the New Orleans Symphony, she worked tirelessly to save an organization which was $3 million in debt and had stopped paying musicians. She subsequently helped its transition into the Louisiana Philharmonic, the US’s first musician-run professional orchestra. – The Times-Picayune (New Orleans)
THEATRE
VISUAL
- Study: Humans Need “Semantic Knowledge” To Innovate
The research demonstrates that our “semantic knowledge”, the internal cognitive map of how concepts connect and apply to one another, is the absolute precondition for meaningful invention. – Neuroscience
- We Need Artists To Collaborate With AI
Machine learning represents a seismic shift, both in society and in the arts, and we need storytellers, artists, teachers and thinkers in this space to help determine the direction of that shift and help us navigate this unfamiliar territory. – The Guardian
- The World Is Becoming Automated Around Us. Are Humans Losing Autonomy?
Computers talk to computers, producing information to train computers to sound more like humans or to better engage them. Humans type into the box, scroll, and wait. – The Atlantic
- Oakland Creatives Are Having A (Possibly Long Overdue) Heck Of A Year
“The Town has seen its homegrown talent reach new levels of success on the global stage, from figure skater Alysa Liu earning Olympic gold in Milan to filmmaker Ryan Coogler winning four Oscars for his blockbuster Sinners and R&B powerhouse Kehlani receiving two Grammy Awards.” – San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)
- Saying No To New Gadgets Might Make Us Happier
Just in case you’ve missed multiple strains of philosophy, ethics, and “happiness studies” over the years, not to mention Buddhist thought, well: “When we encounter something new, we get a dopamine hit. … But sometimes novelty seduces us without offering anything meaningful.” – Fast Company
