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- Judge Halts Trump’s 250-Foot Arch Hours After Approval
Good Morning,
A federal judge barred construction of the 250-foot arch President Trump wants at Memorial Circle, by Arlington National Cemetery, less than two hours after a planning commission approved it 8–4 (NPR). Work is on hold for 14 days; the government had planned to start digging at once.
The New York Times is negotiating to buy Letterboxd, the film-lovers’ social network, for $330 million, more than 20 times its projected earnings (IndieWire). Its owner bought a majority stake in 2023 at a $50 million valuation.
Philippe Jaenada won France’s Prix Goncourt on Tuesday and told radio he used ChatGPT three times in the novel, including one sentence he revealed only to the jurors (The Guardian). In September the prize dropped another author’s debut over suspected AI use.
The Boston Symphony premiered “already and not yet,” a score by Tod Machover, the MIT Media Lab composer, in which AI answers the players (Los Angeles Times). Critic Mark Swed says it works because it treats the AI as stupid and the musicians as creative.
A Georgia O’Keeffe painting known only from a 1931 photograph turned up behind fur coats in a late aunt’s closet (Artnet). Bought for $3,800 in 1963, it is estimated at $3 million at Christie’s on November 17.
All of our stories below.
- How Did Bob Newhart Go From Failed Chicago Accountant To One Of America’s Best-Loved Comedians?
In the days when most leading comics were firing off one-liners like Henny Youngman and Rodney Dangerfield, Newhart was one of the first solo performers to do anecdotes and sketches of people’s interactions. And he got plenty of material from his days as an accountant and at the Illinois State Compensation Board. – WBEZ (Chicago)
- AI May Be Changing The Ways People Think
Some psychiatrists and philosophers interested in AI-human relationships suspect that AI psychosis may just be the most visible example of a much broader phenomenon: the subtle reshaping of ordinary human belief by conversational AI. – Big Think
- Balanchine’s “Nutcracker” Presented In Quasi-VR Projection Onto Domed Screen
The immersive video company Cosm filmed multiple New York City Ballet performances, using 13 cameras shooting from 84 positions. The footage was edited to produce what Cosm calls shared reality (“virtual reality without the clunky glasses”). The result will be shown this year in Detroit, Atlanta, Dallas and Los Angeles. – The New York Times
- Strand Bookstore To Repay $1.5M COVID Relief Funds
The century-old Strand Bookstore has agreed to pay the federal government nearly $1.5 million to resolve a claim that it was not eligible for a pandemic-relief loan it obtained because the store’s owner is married to a member of Congress. – The New York Times
- Film Industry Students Unsettled By Shrinking LA Job Market
“Some of us can see a lot of doom and gloom,” said Miranda Banks, a professor of film, television and media studies. “But this generation has their eye on the power of human creativity in a way that I’m not sure any of us in other generations have been so attuned to.” – Los Angeles Times
- LiveNation Reports $10.1B Revenue In Third Quarter
The $10.1 billion figure marks a 19 percent increase from 2025, while the company reported $892 million in operating income, a 13 percent jump from last year. Fan attendance overall grew 19 percent to 61 million people, Live Nation said, with international attendance growing 29 percent. – The Hollywood Reporter
- Broadway’s “Buena Vista Social Club” Will Close In January And Transfer To London
“The musical, inspired by the titular Cuban band, took home five Tony Awards in 2025, including a special Tony for its onstage band. While the show is closing in January, producers say it is on track to recoup before closure. … In 2027, the musical will open in London’s West End.” – The Hollywood Reporter
- Art Is Good For Your Health? Can’t We Do Better?
In other words, the key sell for engaging with art in this case is that there is science – a real expertise! – backing it up, to reassure those on the fence that it’s not all a clanging, nebulous waste of time. – The Guardian
- National Capital Planning Commission Approves Construction Of Trump Arch
The motion to approve the project passed by an 8-4 vote after listening to over 100 public remarks largely against the project after a nearly 9-hour meeting. – The Hill
- Livestream Of Trump Arch Public Testimony Meeting Crashed
The livestream went down during public testimony largely against the project and after a tense exchange with Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.). NCPC tech experts were looking into the issue, Reuters reported. – The Hill
- Other U.S. Cities Are Boosting Arts Funding, But Chicago’s Will Remain Flat
“The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events is set to receive about $62.5 million next year in the proposed budget. That’s up less than 1% from the arts budget that passed City Council last year.” – WBEZ (Chicago)
- Federal Judge Blocks Construction Of Trump Arch In Late Night Ruling
Just before midnight Friday, District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan issued an order — finalized and made public minutes later – barring the government from any construction work for 14 days, granting a request filed days earlier by the governments of D.C. and Virginia. – NPR
- Library Use Going Up As Economy Stresses
It is something of a truism in the library world that, when economic conditions worsen, people use libraries more. Patrons and librarians across the U.S. tell NPR they’re seeing that pan out now. – NPR
- A Bold Orchestra Experiment With AI
Machover’s brilliant new half-hour orchestral score asks AI for agency. It does so by treating the technology as stupid, musicians as creative artists and the audience as capable of opening its collective mind. It handles democracy not as a done deal, but a series of scary questions — and doesn’t trust the heartless machines for answers. – Los Angeles Times
- Long-Unseen Georgia O’Keeffe Painting Turns Up Behind Fur Coats In Someone’s Aunt’s Closet
“(The painting) Near Abiquiu was previously only known from a 1931 photograph. It laid hidden under a row of fur coats for nearly 40 years, until a woman known only by her middle name, Betsy, was helping her now-deceased aunt, an accomplished former Foreign Service worker, prepare for hospice.” – Artnet
- Post-Dudamel, L.A. Phil Changes Its Artistic Leadership Structure
While Gustavo Dudamel was the orchestra’s music and artistic director, incoming music director Daniel Harding, who starts next fall, will split responsibilities with creative director (a new title) Esa-Pekka Salonen and conductor-in-residence Anna Handler. On Wednesday, the orchestra also announced new artistic chairs for jazz, Latin music, and new music. – Los Angeles Times (Yahoo!)
- Online “Salon” (Which Started As A Pioneering Arts And Culture Site) Shuts Down
In an unsigned announcement posted on its website, Salon said that the “business realities of independent digital journalism” had changed profoundly and that “our publishing model is no longer sustainable.” – The New York Times
- Theater Director (Cultural Affairs) JO# 103815
Minimum Qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree. Four years of progressively responsible experience in the management, administration, operations, maintenance, marketing, or public relations of a performing arts facility or theater, or in the management of a community facility or center with comparable operational responsibilities, is required. Additional progressively responsible experience in the management, administration, operations, maintenance, marketing, or public relations of a performing arts facility or theater, or in the management of a community facility or center with comparable operational responsibilities may substitute for the required education on a year-for-year basis.
Recruitment Notes:
Interviews for this position are tentatively scheduled to begin in mid-January 2027.
This position serves as a key member of the leadership team at the Marshall L. Davis Sr. African Heritage Cultural Arts Center (The Davis) within the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs. The incumbent is responsible for providing strategic leadership and overseeing the Center’s administration, operations, arts programming, facility management, and financial activities, ensuring the delivery of high-quality cultural and educational programs, performances, exhibitions, and community events.
Duties encompass, but are not limited to, developing and implementing strategic plans; overseeing visual and performing arts programming, theatrical productions, exhibitions, and educational initiatives; managing budgets, facility operations, and maintenance; supervising administrative, educational, technical, and support staff; pursuing grants, sponsorships, and other funding opportunities; developing partnerships with artists, cultural organizations, schools, and community stakeholders; advancing audience development, community engagement, and the Center’s public visibility; and ensuring compliance with County policies, safety standards, and operational procedures.
The incumbent works closely with departmental leadership, staff, artists, and community partners to advance The Davis’s mission, strengthen operational efficiency, expand audiences and community engagement, and enhance the Center’s role as a leading destination for arts education, cultural programming, and artistic excellence in Miami-Dade County.
- A Contender For The Prix Goncourt Was Disqualified For Using AI. Now The Winner Says He Used It, Too.
“Philippe Jaenada, who won the Prix Goncourt on Tuesday for L’Inconnue du quai de Javel (The Unknown Woman of the Quai de Javel), told France Inter radio on Wednesday that he had turned to AI ‘three times’ while writing it.” – The Guardian
- New York Times In Talks To Buy Cinephile Site Letterboxd For $330 Million
“An agreement has not yet been reached and could still fall apart, but the companies have entered into exclusive negotiations. … The Times would acquire the controlling stake in Letterboxd from Tiny, a Canadian-based company which originally picked up a 60% stake in 2023 when the website was valued at just $50 million.” – IndieWire
- Stolen Picasso Found Under Pile Of Clothes And Toolboxes
“Six Picasso prints stolen from a restaurant near Cannes have been recovered after a month-long police investigation. The works were stolen from L’Amandier in Mougins in the early hours of 1 October, when two masked men allegedly broke in through a French door.” – Riviera Radio
- Joshua Weilerstein Named Chief Conductor Of BBC Philharmonic
“The American conductor is currently in his third season as Music Director at the Orchestre National de Lille and fourth as Chief Conductor of the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra. … He will take up the (BBC) post (in Manchester) in September 2028 on an initial 5-year contract, succeeding John Storgårds.” – Gramophone
- NYU Tisch School of the Arts Chair of Collaborative Arts / Associate or Full Professor (Tenure Line)
The Department –
The Department of Collaborative Arts at Tisch School of the Arts, New York University, seeks an accomplished, visionary Chair to lead its innovative Bachelor of Fine Arts program beginning in Fall 2027. This search is for an Associate Professor or full Professor tenure line (pending successful review) who will serve as Chair. The Chair position is a renewable 3-year term, upon successful review.
The Department of Collaborative Arts is an innovative, rigorous, and ambitious 4-year undergraduate interdisciplinary arts BFA program founded to cultivate a community of artists eager to break boundaries across all art disciplines and imagine new possibilities for artistic expressions. At its core lies a powerful intersection of hands-on art making, community building, collaborative spirit, and interdisciplinary arts education at the world’s first global network university.
Department Overview & Philosophy –
The Department of Collaborative Arts educates the next generation of artists and creative leaders through a unique interdisciplinary curriculum that encourages them to work across traditional boundaries of artistic practice. Students engage with a broad range of forms and disciplines, including performance, acting, dance, film and moving image, music and sound, visual art, writing, emerging media and technology, and critical and cultural studies.
Rather than asking students to define themselves through a single discipline, Collaborative Arts provides them with the tools, experiences, and intellectual frameworks to develop artistic practices that move among forms, methodologies, technologies, and fields of knowledge. The curriculum combines hands-on artistic practice with historical, theoretical, and critical inquiry, culminating in advanced interdisciplinary work and a senior Capstone. Guided by experimentation, curiosity, and rigor, this program is far more than an amalgamation of all areas represented at Tisch, it is a pioneering area of study that promotes a bold vision for cross-disciplinary creation.
Responsibilities –
The Chair of Collaborative Arts will provide dynamic intellectual vision for the department’s faculty, staff, and student body, driving a curriculum that prioritizes collaboration, experimentation, artistic inquiry, and the creation of original work. In their administrative capacity, the Chair oversees day-to-day operations, strategic procedures, budgetary initiatives, enrollment targets, and overall programmatic activity. Personnel management is a core focus, as the Chair directs faculty and staff recruitment, hiring, formal reviews, future tenure-line development, and ongoing mentorship. Additionally, the Chair leads the creation, organization, and implementation of curricular frameworks while strategically managing facilities, cutting-edge technologies, and physical resource allocation. Finally, the successful candidate will nurture and foster a collaborative practice through modeling collaboration with faculty and administrative staff, within the department, while actively connecting students to the extraordinary range of artistic, academic, and global study resources across Tisch, NYU’s global network, and New York City. The Chair reports directly to the Dean of Tisch School of the Arts, NYU.
Qualifications –
The successful candidate must qualify for an academic appointment as an Associate or Full Professor on a tenure line at NYU Tisch, supported by a distinguished national or international profile as a practicing artist, researcher, or creator with deep expertise in interdisciplinary practices, performance, media, or technology. This role requires proven administrative leadership experience, including demonstrated success in academic governance, creative direction, budget oversight, and faculty and staff management. The ideal Chair brings a track record of pedagogical excellence, with extensive experience teaching and mentoring undergraduate students and a steadfast dedication to nurturing individual artistic voices within a collaborative framework. Finally, the role demands a forward-looking vision for innovation, marked by a commitment to exploring new relationships among artistic disciplines, research, contemporary cultural practices, and emerging technologies.
Application Instructions –
Candidates are required to submit a comprehensive CV and a professional portfolio and a one-page (500-word) personal statement articulating a philosophy of interdisciplinary collaborative practices in artistic work and education via https://tisch.nyu.edu/faculty/faculty-positions. Detail any past successes, priorities, strategies, etc. Application deadline is November 24, 2026.
In compliance with NYC’s Pay Transparency Act, the annual base salary range for an Associate Professor position is $130,000 – $150,000 and the annual base salary range for a full Professor position is $150,000 – $170,000. This pay range represents base pay only (for 9 months – paid over 12 months) and excludes any additional items such as incentives, bonuses, clinical compensation, or other items. The position will provide additional compensation for serving as Chair of the Department. New York University considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, as well as market and organizational considerations when extending an offer.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
For people in the EU, click here for information on your privacy rights under GDPR: www.nyu.edu/it/gdpr
NYU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to a policy of equal treatment and opportunity in every aspect of its recruitment and hiring process without regard to age, alienage, caregiver status, childbirth, citizenship status, color, creed, disability, domestic violence victim status, ethnicity, familial status, gender and/or gender identity or expression, marital status, military status, national origin, parental status, partnership status, predisposing genetic characteristics, pregnancy, race, religion, reproductive health decision making, sex, sexual orientation, unemployment status, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis. All interested persons are encouraged to apply for vacant positions at all levels.Sustainability Statement
NYU aims to be among the greenest urban campuses in the country and carbon neutral by 2040. Learn more at nyu.edu/sustainability.
- Conductor Herbert Blomstedt, 99
Good Morning,
Herbert Blomstedt, who led the San Francisco Symphony for ten years, died at 99 in Gothenburg, Sweden (NPR). He conducted in Detroit and Leipzig this year, in recent seasons from a piano bench.
The Crucible, a 27-year-old industrial arts school in West Oakland, closed without notice and told more than 150 staff and faculty to stop work, then laid them off (KQED). Its union says management ignored its cost-cutting proposals, weeks after the school received over $1.5 million in grants.
Only 9 percent of respondents to the American Alliance of Museums’ survey accept AI in exhibitions, and 43 percent expect humans to produce all museum content (ARTnews). The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art will use AI in a VR recreation of Whistler’s Peacock Room.
Vatican restorers conclude Michelangelo made his own brushes, some with ten heads spanning nearly six inches, to paint the Last Judgment’s parallel hatching the way his chisel cut stone (Artnet).
All of our stories below.
- Stars Flock To Join London Production Of Gisèle Pelicot Trial
Director Milo Rau’s documentary staging of the trial of Pelicot’s husband, who repeatedly drugged her and invited men to rape her, will be produced and livestreamed by the Young Vic, with a cast including Kate Winslet, Brian Cox, Indira Varma, Tobias Menzies, Rosie O’Donnell, Suzy Eddie Izzard, Juliet Stevenson, and others. – WhatsOnStage (UK)
- Why Musicians Are Touring Less
Attending a concert is no longer always just a night out. With the rise of music residencies and select-city tours, artists can save on travel costs while fans are shelling out for what’s being sold as the trip of a lifetime. – CBC
- Soprano Angel Blue Cancels All Remaining Opera Engagements This Season
She didn’t specify a reason in the announcement she made on social media, though she did state that she would keep her concert dates, which she made sure to list on her post. – Opera Now
- What Makes Music “Russian”
The question at stake was how Russian composers could create their own tradition while drawing on established European musical culture. – The Conversation
- Robert Wilson, An Explanation (By The Artist)
“I like to tell stories,” Wilson declares early in his book, and he is very good at it. – BookForum
- Conservators Figure Out One Of Michelangelo’s Best Secret Techniques
Restorers working on the recently-completed cleaning of The Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel have deduced that Michelangelo crafted his own special paintbrushes with multiple heads so that he could paint parallel lines quickly — and that he used them for crosshatched strokes that give the fresco a singular dynamism. – Artnet
- Survey: Broad Worry About How Museums Will Use AI
Just 9 percent of respondents accepted the use of AI in museum shows. Nineteen percent were unbothered by the notion that AI could used for brainstorming but not exhibition texts, meanwhile, and 29 percent said they felt no reservations about the usage of AI to write emails sent by museum officials. – ARTnews
- Change of Subject: Cold Turkey’s Latest Offer<a href="https://www.artsjournal.com/herman/2026/11/change-of-subject-cold-turkeys-latest-offer.html" title="Change of Subject: Cold Turkey’s Latest Offer” rel=”nofollow”>When
- Arts Education Incubator “The Crucible” Shuts Down In Oakland
The layoffs deepen the uncertainty surrounding the 27-year-old nonprofit, which closed its 56,000-square-foot West Oakland facility Oct. 25 and canceled classes and events. The board has said it cannot yet say when, or whether, the organization will reopen. – San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)
- And Now… Your Classical Music Concert In Virtual Reality
“In 45 minutes, I swam through oceans, plodded through snow, saw a cathedral grow around me and watched as a craggy mountainside spawned a gang of nefarious gremlin creatures. It was unrelentingly stimulating.” – The New York Times