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- Smithsonian Chief Lonnie Bunch Has Curated A New Exhibit About America’s Ideals. He Thinks It May Be His Last Show.
“(He) did not set out to make the exhibit American Aspirations his swan song. But he said that his organizing of an exhibition that honors America’s 250th anniversary could well be among his final acts as secretary. ‘It’s probably the last exhibit I will curate, there’s no doubt about that.’” – The New York Times
- England’s Arts Funding Body Changes Its Criteria To Re-Focus On “Excellence”
Arts Council England has unveiled a new strategy to replace the “Let’s Create” regime, which was widely criticized for appearing to de-emphasize high quality in favor of inclusiveness. The new policy aims for ACE’s grants to “support excellence, deliver for everybody, and reach everywhere.” – The Stage (UK)
- ARTnews Lists “The 100 Best Artworks About America”
“What, exactly, defines America? It’s a question that’s been asked for more than two centuries, and it’s unlikely to be conclusively answered anytime soon. But, with the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding fast approaching, we took the occasion to hash out a response to that query, using art as a guide.” – ARTnews
- How We Selected Our “100 Best Artworks About America”
“We started working on this list over a year ago and spent more than a month alone wrestling with how best to define its purview. We decided this would not be a list of the best American artworks, which is both too challenging an exercise and too wide a net to cast.” – ARTnews
- ABC TV Stations Say Trump FCC’s Review Of Their Broadcast Licenses Is Illegal
“Local TV stations owned by ABC across the United States blasted the Federal Communications Commission on Thursday for launching an ‘unlawful, arbitrary and unconstitutional’ early review of their broadcast licenses as a dispute between the network and the Trump-controlled agency intensifies.” – AP
- CBS Says It Will Be Making $15 Million In Profit From Stephen Colbert’s Former Time Slot
A network spokesperson argued that producing its own programming for the late-night talk-show slot is now “cost-prohibitive” — and that, by leasing that airtime to comedian/TV mogul Byron Allen, CBS will turn a $40 million annual loss into a $55 million annual profit. – Variety
- Broadway’s “The Book of Mormon” Reopens After Three-Week Closure Due to Fire
“The Book of Mormon, one of Broadway’s biggest hits, resumed performances on Wednesday night after a three-week shutdown prompted by a damaging three-alarm electrical fire at the theater where the musical comedy has been running for 15 years.” – The New York Times
- Trump Camp Announces Summer Pop Concert Series On National Mall. Stars Promptly Start Withdrawing.
“A day after the President Donald Trump -affiliated Freedom 250 announced the ‘first wave’ of performers for ‘The Great American State Fair’ shows on Washington’s National Mall in June and July, the lineup has been hit with a wave of cancellations.” – AP
- NPR concedes, Omaha plays offense
Good Morning,
NPR CEO Katherine Maher told the Medill Local News Initiative she’s not sure public radio should even be trying to get federal CPB funding back, citing the political risk that came with it (Medill Local News Initiative). Strip the hedges and the head of public radio just conceded the federal lifeline. The same week, NPR lays off ten journalists and bought out 18 more (NPR). Meanwhile Nebraska Public Media is launching a dedicated Omaha FM signal on June 15 — local money building what federal money used to (Inside Radio).
Hyperallergic argues that New York’s cultural sector — currently 0.21% of the city budget — should be treated as basic civic infrastructure, and fixed the same as potholes. This is Mayor Mamdani’s clever metaphor for how to fix things (Hyperallergic). Florida’s legislature just appropriated $20 million for the arts, daring Gov. DeSantis to veto it again (Florida Politics). And Arts Council England wrote the RSC a £2 million check for regional touring (British Theatre Guide).
Finally, Margot Wellington, who fought to save Grand Central from the wrecking ball, has died at 91 (New York Times). A reminder that cultural infrastructure is always something somebody had to fight for.
All of our stories below.
Doug
- Who Was Alma Mahler?
Esther van Zyl as Alma Mahler in my play “The Marriage,” as performed at Colorado Mahlerfest two
- America’s First Late-Night Talk-Show Host Was A Woman
Faye Emerson was a Hollywood actress specializing in noir films; then she married FDR’s son, moved to New York and got into TV. From 1949-1951, she hosted a 15-minute program, The Faye Emerson Show, weeknights at 11:00 pm — becoming such a success that she was called “the First Lady of Television.” – Smithsonian Magazine
- The Savannah Philharmonic seeks Chief Executive Officer
Aspen Leadership Group is proud to partner with the Savannah Philharmonic in the search for a Chief Executive Officer.
Reporting to the Board of Directors through the Board Chair, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) will partner closely with board and artistic leadership to implement policies and advance institutional priorities, including the organization’s 2025–2031 Strategic Plan. The CEO will be responsible for setting and executing organizational strategy and operating plans; ensuring financial sustainability through both earned and contributed revenue; and clearly articulating the mission, vision, and values of the Savannah Philharmonic to a broad range of stakeholders.
Serving as the organization’s chief executive and primary public representative, the CEO will lead efforts to strengthen education and community engagement, expand audience participation, and deepen the Philharmonic’s presence across the region. This leader will bring a contemporary understanding of nonprofit business models and drive a forward-looking vision that integrates artistic excellence with meaningful educational and community impact.
The Savannah Philharmonic Corporation (SavPhil) is a dynamic and rapidly evolving cultural organization that has become an integral part of the artistic life of Savannah and the broader Southeast region. Founded in 2009, the Savannah Philharmonic has grown into a highly-respected professional orchestra and auditioned chorus known for vibrant performances, imaginative programming, and a deep commitment to community engagement and music education. Today, the organization serves as both a leading cultural institution and an increasingly visible civic partner in one of America’s most historic and creatively energized cities.
The Savannah Philharmonic is actively exploring opportunities for long-term institutional growth and civic partnership that will support expanded programming, increased organizational capacity, and the continued evolution of the organization’s artistic and community presence. As it looks toward its next chapter, the Savannah Philharmonic is positioned for continued artistic growth, expanded community impact, and deeper organizational sustainability. The organization seeks a CEO who will build upon this momentum, strengthen institutional capacity, deepen relationships throughout the community, and help shape the future of one of the Southeast’s most promising and community-centered orchestras.
A bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience and at least seven years of senior-level leadership experience, preferably within a nonprofit performing arts, cultural, or mission-driven organization is required for this position. Experience working with or in partnership with a professional orchestra or performing arts organization is strongly preferred.
The Savannah Philharmonic will consider candidates with a broad range of backgrounds. If you are excited about this role and feel that you can contribute to SavPhil, but your experience does not exactly align with every qualification listed above, we encourage you to apply. All applications must be accompanied by a cover letter and résumé. Cover letters should be responsive to the mission of the Savannah Philharmonic and the responsibilities and qualifications specified in the position prospectus.
The salary range for this position is $125,000 to $130,000. The Savannah Philharmonic offers a comprehensive package of benefits, including medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) retirement plan, professional development support, and generous paid time off.
If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, or participating in the selection process, please contact Millie Taylor at millietaylor@aspenleadershipgroup.com.
To apply for this position, visit: https://apptrkr.com/7186911.
- Colbert’s Late Night Replacement On CBS Pulls Small Ratings
According to The Daily Beast, even Colbert’s YouTube channel is nearly outperforming Allen’s show. Colbert’s appearance on the public access TV show “Only in Monroe” drew 928,000 views on Colbert’s YouTube, which doesn’t include viewers who watched via other channels and platforms. – TV Insider
- How Does A Choreographer Make Dance About Her Hometown Getting Ravaged By A Wildfire?
Alice Topp, a former principal dancer and choreographer-in-residence at the Australian Ballet, already had the idea of basing her first commission for Houston Ballet on the Finnish concept of sisu (stubbornly determined resilience). Then, this past January, came unhappy inspiration: bushfires struck her rural hometown 75 miles northwest of Melbourne. – Houston Chronicle (Yahoo!)
- How Have The Great Pyramids Survived Millennia Of Earthquakes? By Design, Of Course
“The Great Pyramid behaves as a single, cohesive unit that naturally vibrates at a fundamental frequency of approximately 2.3 Hz. The frequency difference prevents the destructive phenomenon of resonance, the primary culprit behind the collapse of modern buildings, when a structure’s frequency matches the earthquakes vibrations.” – Artnet
- Spotify Has Become A Huge Player In Audiobooks
Spotify announced that the total number of hours of audiobooks listened to on the service are up 60% year-over-year, with one million people having paid for Audiobooks+, an add-on launched last year that allows listeners to unlock additional hours of audiobooks on top of those already included with its premium service. – Publishers Weekly
- Opera Is Being Reinvented In The Australian Outback
Song has always been a part of storytelling in our country. And perhaps, in remote towns, opera finally sheds the elitism that has followed it for decades. Out there, it becomes what it was always meant to be: a connection between people and place. – ArtsHub
- Margot Wellington, Campaigner Who Helped Save Grand Central Station From Wrecking Ball, Has Died At 91
“During her seven-year tenure (as executive director of the Municipal Art Society), she led pioneering campaigns to form historic landmark districts, renovate blighted blocks and rescue threatened edifices like Radio City Music Hall. … Saving Grand Central was her crowning achievement.” – The New York Times
- Hollywood Largely Skipped Cannes This Year. Did Anyone Miss Them?
Whether you were a sales agent eyeing a leisurely buyer’s market or a freelance journalist picking up fewer interview commissions than usual, this felt like a low-key Cannes. – Variety
- The Economics Of Late Night TV Are Moving To Streaming
Roughly 20% of lost late night dollars ends up going to YouTube, data insights company Guideline found last year, with 6% going to Amazon and another 6% going to Instagram and Facebook. – The Wrap (Yahoo)
- The Special Kind Of Knowledge That Can’t Be Taught
It’s not the kind of knowledge that you gain from reading a textbook or listening to a lecture, nor is it the kind of knowledge that subjects report when they try to describe their experiences to others. It can’t be expressed in natural language – at least, not fully. – Psyche
- Royal Shakespeare Company Gets An Extra £2 Million For Touring England
Arts Council England, the national funding body, gave the RSC £2 million for two large-scale Shakespeare tours in 2028 and 2030 to regional theatres in Blackpool, Norwich, Newcastle, Bradford-Leeds, Nottingham, Canterbury, Truro (Cornwall), and York. – British Theatre Guide
- NYC Culture As Basic City Infrastructure
Right now, culture represents just 0.21% of the city’s budget, below its long-term average. Recent investments have been meaningful, including $75 million in last year’s budget. But $30 million of that funding remains for one-time support. That is not how essential infrastructure should be funded. – Hyperallergic
- AI Is Homogenizing Our Writing And Our Thinking
Yes, we are standing to sound like LLMs in our writings. This may not be as bad if this was just restricted to how people write. This is now also impacting how people think! – 3 Quarks Daily
- NPR Lays Off Journalists
NPR has laid off 10 journalists, including some veteran reporters, in an attempt to save money and reorganize the newsroom. It also is buying out at least 18 news staffers who voluntarily accepted offers to depart, according to three people with direct knowledge. – NPR
- The Great Louvre Jewel Robbery Is Already A Book With A Movie Deal
The theft only happened last October; none of the indicted suspects have yet been tried. Yet a book by three investigative journalists, Main basse sur le Louvre (Heist at the Louvre), has just hit the shelves, and a feature based on it will be directed by Romain Gavras, son of Oscar-winner Costa-Gavras. – Artnet
- NPR CEO Katherine Maher Thinks Maybe We Should Just Accept Federal Defunding Of Public Radio
“I don’t think (we’ll) see the Corporation for Public Broadcasting come back, and … I wouldn’t necessarily advise that … we advocate for (that), in part because I worry about it being a litmus test for every future Congress to tussle over whether it should or shouldn’t be funded.” (podcast transcription) – Medill Local Media Initiative
- Omaha To Get Its Own Dedicated Public Radio Station
“Nebraska Public Media (will) launch a new Omaha-focused station on June 15, expanding its statewide service with a dedicated FM signal designed specifically for listeners in Nebraska’s largest city. Nebraska Public Media Omaha will … feature a mix of NPR programming, local journalism and music programming tailored to Omaha audiences.” – Inside Radio
- Florida Legislature Approves $20 Million In Arts Funding (Will DeSantis Veto It Again?)
“The Legislature wants the first $12.45 million … to go to arts groups recommended by Secretary of State Cord Byrd. The remaining money would be held in reserve and a second list of leftover projects from the ranked list by the Florida Council on Arts and Culture would get the rest.” – Florida Politics
- Libraries Plead With Big Five Publishers To Rethink E-Book Pricing
“Five public library organizations from the U.S. and Canada … (are urging) publishers to negotiate usage-based e-book lending models as well as perpetual-use options.” The director of one of the organizations warned that e-book costs have “become unsustainable, and for many small libraries, impossible.” – Publishers Weekly
- Interlochen Will Demolish Lodge Once Named For Jeffrey Epstein
The Interlochen Center for the Arts, the Michigan summer-intensive camp and year-round boarding school — which Epstein attended as a teenager and where, as a donor, he later allegedly met at least two of his victims — will tear down the Green Lake Lodge (formerly known as Jeffrey E. Epstein Scholarship Lodge). – AP
- Seattle Symphony Appoints New CEO
Jeremy Rothman, who for 18 seasons has been artistic administrator at the Philadelphia Orchestra, will begin in Seattle as of September 1. He succeeds Krishna Thiagarajan, who departed last year after a stormy tenure. – The Seattle Times
- Why The U.S. Radio Industry Opposes Year-Round Daylight Savings Time
You know how numerous radio stations have to reduce their broadcast power, and a few even have to go off the air, during non-daylight hours? Now, think about morning drive-time up north in December and January … – Inside Radio
- Knoxville Reverses Its Ban Of Alex Haley’s “Roots” From School Libraries
“Knox County Schools Superintendent Jon Rysewyk said the district will return the (Pulitzer-winning) 1976 novel to school library shelves, walking back a decision that (led to) … weeks of community backlash, board member pressure, and statewide criticism.” – Tennessee Lookout
- Miles Davis’ “Kind Of Blue” Is The Best-Selling Jazz Album Of All Time. He Thought It Was A Failure
When I tell people that I missed what I was trying to do on Kind of Blue, that I missed getting the exact sound of the African finger piano up in that sound, they just look at me like I’m crazy. – The Conversation
