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- America’s 250th: all anxiety, no statues
Good Morning,
America turns 250 in under three months, and the mood isn’t fireworks, it’s unease. The New York Times finds historians scrambling to meet the public’s “hunger for meaning” as the anniversary approaches, while museums across the country roll out their celebratory exhibitions (New York Times). Meanwhile the National Garden of American Heroes, Trump’s promised 250-statue monument, supposedly ready for July 4, hasn’t even had its site finalized, per CNN. The sculptors who applied still haven’t heard a word.
Contrast Budapest, where 16 years of Orbán just ended. Hungary’s arts world is cautiously recalibrating (Ocula), and pianist András Schiff, who vowed in 2010 never to return while Orbán was in power — has accepted an invitation to perform in the city he left (Telex). Two nations, two anniversaries, the same question about who is shaping the culture.
Elsewhere: 120,000 authors have filed claims in the Anthropic copyright settlement (Reuters), AI may have authenticated a disputed El Greco (Scientific American), and book-ban attempts just hit a record high (AP).
All of our stories below.
- Vancouver Finally Has A Company Focused On Classical Ballet
Ballet BC is an impressive troupe, but it has long specialized in contemporary work; it’s been more than a decade since there was a resident company focused on classical and neoclassical style. That’s why choreographer Joshua Beamish founded Ballet Vancouver, which debuts this week. – The Georgia Straight (Vancouver)
- Japan’s 1,200-Year-Old Record Of Cherry Blossoms Has A New Keeper
Last summer, Prof. Aono, who had meticulously updated the record year after year, died after a battle with cancer. That prompted supporters of his work to start looking for a worthy successor. – The New York Times
- Seattle Nonprofit Buys Downtown Office Building To Convert To Artist Housing
This is happening through the city’s Office to Residential Conversion Program, which allows developers to take empty commercial buildings and turn them into living spaces. The program gives developers a tax deferral as long as 10% of the units in the building are sold or rented below market value. – KNKX
- How Will Hungary’s Arts World Recover From 16 Years Of Viktor Orbán?
“A wave of leadership changes is widely expected across major museums and cultural bodies, which could lead to the return of (figures) who were previously sidelined. There is, however, reason for caution. Magyar is himself a former Fidesz party member and a conservative politician, and some analysts warn against expecting rapid transformation.” – Ocula
- 120,000 Authors File Claims In Anthropic Copyright Settlement
Claims have been filed for 91% of the more than 480,000 works covered by the settlement, according to a court filing
, opens new tab in the case on Thursday. – Reuters - Critics Press V&A Museum To Pay Its Workers A Living Wage
While the V&A complies with all legal minimum-wage requirements, with some workers paid a living wage or above, campaigners say some of the lowest-paid contractors in London are not in receipt of the living wage. The UK minimum wage is £12.71 an hour and the living wage in London is £14.80 an hour. – The Guardian
- Rethinking How Our Brains Process The World Using Categories
“The stimulus, cognition, response model of the brain is wrong. The brain prepares for a response and then perceives a stimulus. A brain is not reactive. It’s predictive. Action planning comes first. Perception comes second, as a function of the action plan.” – Picower Institute
- Lost Poem By García Lorca Discovered
“A previously unknown verse attributed to Federico García Lorca has been discovered 93 years after the celebrated Spanish poet and playwright is believed to have jotted it on the back of one of his manuscripts.” – The Guardian
- Did AI Solve A Longstanding El Greco Mystery?
Using artificial intelligence, researchers analyzed The Baptism of Christ at the microscopic level, looking for trends in the texture of the paint at the resolution of a single paintbrush bristle. The results suggest El Greco painted the majority of The Baptism himself—but some experts caution more research is needed. – Scientific American
- Today’s Debates About AI And Music Echo Concerns About Player Pianos A Century Ago
More than a century ago the rise of the player piano prompted strikingly similar debates about automation, artistry and fair compensation. Of all the technologies that have reshaped music, it is the closest historical parallel to AI. – Scientific American
- The Helen DeWitt Story Offers An Examination Of What We Expect From Artists
The level of prioritization it takes to truly produce something great puts you directly in conflict with people in your life. – The Argument
- Chicago’s Porchlight Music Theatre Finally Has A Single Venue — In Another Company’s Underused Venue
“Porchlight Music Theatre, an Equity-affiliated, nonprofit Chicago company founded in 1994, will stage its full upcoming 2026-27 season at the Victory Gardens Biograph Theatre, a historic venue in Lincoln Park that has been mostly dark since the pandemic.” – Chicago Tribune (Yahoo!)
- How America’s Museums Are Celebrating The 250th
The exhibitions showcase both the traditional and the unexpected, from portraiture to multimedia installations, from founding documents to found objects. Across the country, the joy, sorrow and humor of the nation’s history are on display. – The New York Times
- America’s 250th Birthday Is Here. Americans Are Worried
Increasingly, historians are asking if they need to do more to meet the public’s hunger for meaning and inspiration. – The New York Times
- Uncertainty Can Be Toxic. But Understanding it Creates Possibility
Research suggests uncertainty can be more distressing than negative certainty. In one study, people were calmer when they knew they would receive an electric shock than when there was only a 50% chance of one. – The Guardian
- Legal Struggle Over Possession Of “Sistine Chapel Of Romanesque Art”
A set of 13th-century murals from the Sijena Monastery in Spain were taken to Barcelona for safekeeping during the Spanish Civil War and are now in the National Art Museum of Catalonia — which is defying a court order to return them, saying the artworks are too fragile to be moved. – ARTnews
- Obamas Will Take Their Production Company Independent After Netflix Contract Ends
“Barack and Michelle Obama‘s production company Higher Ground is transitioning to an independent operation following eight years at Netflix.” – The Hollywood Reporter
- James Hayward, Leading Figure Among California’s Abstract Painters, Has Died At 82
“Across a career that stretched more than four decades, Hayward developed a reputation for paintings that were both restrained and intensely physical. His best-known works used dense layers of oil paint and repeated diagonal strokes to build ridged, meditative surfaces that explored color, gesture and the material force of paint itself.” – San Francisco Chronicle (Yahoo!)
- Trump Wanted His “Heroes” Sculpture Garden Open For July 4. It Probably Won’t Even Be Started By Then.
Plans for Trump’s National Garden Of American Heroes still haven’t been submitted to the agencies which must approve it. The choice of site hasn’t even been finalized. Artists and foundries that applied to work on the sculptures haven’t heard anything back — and the statues are supposed to be finished by June. – CNN
- The Onion Has Another Deal To Take Over Alex Jones’s Wingnut Conspiracy Site
“Nearly a year and a half after its prior effort to acquire the right-wing conspiracy-centric brand Infowars was nixed by a bankruptcy judge, The Onion is moving forward with a new effort to take over the company and secure justice for the families of Sandy Hook victims.” – The Hollywood Reporter
- Book Bans And Attempts In U.S. Are At Record High, Says American Library Association
“The ALA on Monday issued its annual list of the books most challenged at the country’s libraries, part of the association’s State of America’s Libraries Report. … The (list) usually features 10 books, but this year has 11, with four tied for eighth place.” – AP
- Following Orbán’s Defeat, Pianist András Schiff Will Return To Hungary
Shortly after authoritarian president Viktor Orbán took office in 2010, Schiff vowed that he would not return to his homeland as long as Orbán was in power. With the latter’s resounding loss in last week’s elections, Schiff has accepted the invitation of Budapest’s mayor to give a large public concert there. – Telex (Hungary)
- Opposing Forces<a href="https://www.artsjournal.com/herman/2026/04/opposing-forces.html" title="Opposing Forces” rel=”nofollow”>
Their faces are so familiar there is no need to name them. - Reading Martha Nussbaum’s The Republic of Love: Opera & Political Freedom
I’ve always been skeptical of the idea that simply engaging with a lot of narrative fiction will make people more ethical, or more generally empathetic (which is not the same thing), or will increase the depth of their political understanding. There isn’t any evidence for it, and too many counter-examples
- Executive Producer-Tacoma Musical Playhouse working with Management Consultants for the Arts
Tacoma Musical Playhouse (TMP) seeks an Executive Producer to lead the organization and bring current and future supporters, fans, and volunteers along on an exciting journey to celebrate musical theater and build community in the Tacoma, WA region. The Executive Producer will possess a flair for creating smart plans and executing them with a team to produce audience pleasing musical theater featuring community volunteers supported by professional artists.
As the top organizational leader reporting directly to TMP’s Board of Directors, the Executive Producer will infuse a sense of shared purpose throughout the organization and maintain and build a team to take the company into the future, building upon the history and legacy created by TMP’s founders. The Executive Producer will be TMP’s lead steward of Mission, Vision, and Values and will work tirelessly to create a culture that is inclusive and welcoming and will be the principal executive ensuring that the resources necessary to produce work at an increasingly impressive level of artistic achievement are always available and growing.
Tacoma Musical Playhouse has engaged Management Consultants for the Arts to lead the search, and interested candidates may apply for this position by visiting this link: https://www.mcaonline.com/searches/executive-producer-tmp
TMP hopes to make a hiring decision by the fall of 2026, with the selected candidate transitioning into the position shortly after. The salary range starts at $125,000 annually and includes a full benefit package. TMP is an equal opportunity employer that celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Any offer of employment will be conditional upon satisfactory completion of a background check and reference conversations.
Tacoma Musical Playhouse was founded by Jon Douglas Rake and Jeffrey Stvrtecky in 1994 to fulfill a need in Tacoma for a theater company that specializes in the uniquely American art form of musical theater. Mr. Rake took on artistic leadership of the company, directing the majority of the company’s work over an enduring tenure until his death in December of 2025.
The company is committed to honoring the intentions of its founders with a future commitment to expansive community building centered around the production of joy-filled musical theater experiences. TMP’s Mission is “to inspire and enrich lives of our diverse community through musical theater.” TMP has held a long belief that people’s lives are enriched by high-quality entertainment.
Sometimes that entertainment challenges people to think about life issues; other times it offers opportunities for hilarity; and still other times it offers moments for tears. In all cases, however, the experiences move people’s emotions and take them to a new place in their thinking. More information on Tacoma Musical Playhouse’s vision, mission, and history may be found at https://www.tmp.org/
- Inside The Martha Graham 100th Anniversary Party
Actors, musicians and politicians in sequined ball gowns and floral off-the-shoulder dresses ascended the steps of the New York Public Library’s regal main branch on Friday night to pose between the lions before the Martha Graham Dance Company’s 100th anniversary gala. – The New York Times
- A History Of Controversy Over LACMA’s New Building
Enter Michael Govan, who joined LACMA in 2006. He wooed Swiss architect Peter Zumthor to conceive of a better LACMA, convinced the county to put in $125 million, and raised more than $500 million in private funds. Now, nearly 20 years later, Los Angeles has a new museum. What could be wrong with that? – LA Material
- The New LACMA: Audacious But Confusing
It is a free-form essay in concrete and glass, with no formal entrance, no front or back. Its undulating form has earned its share of abuse, and it has been compared to a pancake or an amoeba. If anything, it is a playful building, out for a 900-foot stroll. – The Wall Street Journal
- The New LACMA: Art V. Architecture
The Geffen’s architecture overwhelms its objects. Entombed in a concrete bunker—one of the stand-alone galleries—and battling hulking walls and cavernous space, one of LACMA’s greatest masterpieces, Georges de La Tour’s “The Magdalen With the Smoking Flame” (c. 1635-37), doesn’t stand a chance. – The Wall Street Journal
- Young Composers Worry About Their Future With AI
Carson Zuck, 22, was a freshman in college when ChatGPT was released. As Berklee began integrating AI into courses, Zuck said, he watched his education go through the “five stages of grief” where denial arrived first and acceptance came later. – WBUR
- Federal Court Puts Brakes On Mega-Merger Of Local TV Companies
Nexstar and Tegna, two of the largest television groups in the United States, agreed to merge last year in a $6.2 billion deal that put scores of stations under the umbrella of Nexstar, the biggest local broadcaster in the industry. – The New York Times
- Report: UK Theatre Is Thriving. The Business Model Is Not
More people are going to the theatre than ever before. In 2025, over 37 million people attended theatres across the UK, while the West End alone welcomed a record-breaking 17.64 million theatregoers, almost three million more than Broadway. But behind the success story lies a quieter reality: the financial model that sustains British theatre is under growing strain. – UK Theatre
- How AI Will Accelerate Human Creativity
The most successful organizations of 2026 and beyond will not be those that simply use AI to do more things faster. Instead, they will be the ones that use AI as a creativity accelerator, freeing up human capacity for the work that only we can do: imagining, connecting, and creating meaning. – Fast Company
- Book Clubs Are Bringing GenZ Into Reading
Reading is experiencing a resurgence among Gen Z and millennials, many of whom are actively seeking alternatives to “doomscrolling” and the mental fatigue associated with constant social media use. – The Conversation
