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- Good Morning
A writer gets flagged by an AI detection tool for prose he wrote entirely by hand — and the tool gives wildly different results depending on whether he adds or deletes a few sentences (The New York Times). Meanwhile, a separate argument is building that AI might actually be better than human experts at attributing Old Master paintings, because machines don’t carry the biases and financial incentives that humans do (Aeon). And high schoolers report they can’t think of a single assignment AI can’t do for them (The Atlantic).
Three stories, three sectors, one uncomfortable question: if we can’t reliably tell human from machine — in publishing, in art, in education — what exactly are we measuring?
Elsewhere, closing arguments are underway in the Live Nation antitrust case (The New York Times). Hip-hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa has died at 68 (NPR). And Andre Malraux — Nobel nominee, WWII resistance fighter, de Gaulle’s culture minister — turns out to have started his career trying to steal Cambodian statuary. He was terrible at it (Smithsonian Magazine).
All of our stories below.
- Sitar Arts Center seeks Executive Director
Sitar Arts Center is seeking an Executive Director to lead a thriving arts education nonprofit advancing creative youth development in Washington, DC. The ideal candidate brings strategic vision, fundraising leadership, and a passion for arts education and community impact. Starting salary begins at $175,000.
- Fresno Arts Council Seeks Executive Director
Fresno Arts Council — Executive Director
Location: Fresno, California | Full time | Salary $75,000 – $90,000
https://www.fresnoartscouncil.org/careersTHE OPPORTUNITY:
The Fresno Arts Council seeks a strategic, collaborative, and community-centered Executive Director to lead the organization into its next chapter. We are looking for transformative leadership and a bold vision for the future.
ABOUT THE FRESNO ARTS COUNCIL:
The Fresno Arts Council (FAC) is a private nonprofit organization established in 1979 to support and promote the arts throughout Fresno County. As the designated local arts agency and state local partner to the California Arts Council, FAC provides financial support, programs, and services to artists, arts organizations, and diverse communities across the region.
Signature programs include ArtHop, Arts Alive in Agriculture, Arts in Education, Poetry Out Loud, and the City of Fresno Poet Laureate initiative. Support for artists, including technical assistance, advocacy, and mentorship, is at the heart of what we do.
FAC’s mission is to enrich our community’s way of life through the arts by fostering a vibrant arts ecosystem that recognizes and honors the contributions of artists and cultural organizations throughout Fresno County.
THE POSITION:
Reporting directly to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director serves as the chief executive of the organization and works to advance FAC’s mission of supporting artists, strengthening arts organizations, and expanding access to arts and culture throughout Fresno County. The Executive Director is responsible for the overall leadership, management, and strategic direction of the organization. This includes oversight of organizational operations, financial stewardship, program development, fundraising, and community partnerships.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Organizational Leadership
- Provide strategic leadership and vision in alignment with the mission and priorities established by the Board of Directors.
- Work closely with the Board to develop and implement organizational goals, policies, and long-term strategic plans.
- Ensure strong internal systems, clear communication practices, and effective organizational management.
- Serve as the primary liaison between the Board and staff.
Financial Management and Compliance
- Oversee the financial health of the organization, including budgeting, financial reporting, and fiscal oversight.
- Ensure compliance with all grant requirements, contracts, and agreements with government agencies, foundations, and partners.
- Maintain strong internal financial controls and transparency in financial practices.
- Work closely with accounting professionals and auditors to ensure accurate financial reporting.
Fundraising and Resource Development
- Lead fundraising efforts in partnership with the Board of Directors.
- Develop and maintain relationships with funders, foundations, donors, and public agencies.
- Identify and pursue grant opportunities and oversee grant compliance and reporting.
- Cultivate new funding sources to support the organization’s long-term sustainability.
Program Leadership and Community Engagement
- Oversee FAC programs and initiatives that support artists and arts organizations across Fresno County.
- Ensure the continued strength and accessibility of programs such as ArtHop, arts education initiatives, exhibitions, and community partnerships.
- Represent the organization publicly and serve as an advocate for the arts in Fresno and the surrounding region.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with artists, cultural organizations, community leaders, and public partners.
Staff Leadership and Organizational Culture
- Lead and support a small team of staff and contractors.
- Foster a collaborative, respectful, and mission-driven workplace culture.
- Oversee staff hiring, supervision, professional development, and performance evaluation.
- Ensure compliance with all HR policies and employment regulations.
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Demonstrated leadership experience in nonprofit management, arts administration, public administration, or a related field.
- Strong financial management experience, including budgeting, financial oversight, and grant compliance.
- Experience working with nonprofit boards and governance structures.
- Proven ability to build partnerships and relationships across diverse communities.
- Excellent communication and organizational leadership skills.
- Experience in fundraising, donor cultivation, and grant writing.
- Commitment to the arts and cultural landscape of Fresno County.
- Bachelor’s degree in arts-related field or equivalent experience.
The Fresno Arts Council will consider candidates with a broad range of backgrounds. If you are excited about this role and feel that you can contribute to FAC, but your experience does not exactly align with every qualification listed above, we encourage you to apply.
WORKING CONDITIONS:
This is a full-time, exempt leadership position based in Fresno, California. The Executive Director is expected to work primarily in person at the Fresno Arts Council office and attend community events, meetings, and programs throughout the region, including occasional evenings and weekends.
COMPENSATION:
Salary range: $75,000 – $90,000, depending on experience and qualifications.
Benefits include health benefits, paid time off, and professional development opportunities.TO APPLY:
Please submit the following materials:
- Letter of interest
- Resume
- Three professional references
Applications should be submitted to:
Board of Directors
Fresno Arts Council
careers@fresnoartscouncil.orgNOTE: The lists above should not be viewed as definitive, prescriptive, or exclusionary. If you feel you are the right person for this job, please apply!
- Executive Director- Texas Ballet Theater working with Management Consultants for the Arts
Texas Ballet Theater (TBT), the nationally recognized ballet company that serves Dallas, Fort Worth, and all of North Texas, seeks a dynamic strategist to serve as its next Executive Director. As a transformative leader with demonstrated skills guiding organizational change, fundraising acumen, and a love for connecting with people, TBT’s Executive Director will lead a process to fully realize TBT’s potential and impact, all through a financially savvy lens.
Experience building civic and corporate partnerships, collaboratively and openly communicating with staff and artists with unique perspectives, opening and scaling venues, growing revenue, and maximizing the impact of a performing arts organization in its community are also meaningful talents the Executive Director will bring to the role.
This position reports directly to the Board of Governors and partners with the Artistic Director as the co-leader of TBT.
Texas Ballet Theater 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-director-tbt
The annual salary range for the Executive Director starts at $215,000 and includes a full benefit package similar to other organizations of its size. A search committee of TBT Board of Governors members hope to make a final decision by Q3 of 2026, with the new Executive Director beginning work as soon as possible thereafter.
Organizational Profile
Texas Ballet Theater is rare among North American performing arts organizations: an entity serving a regional metroplex across two major cities. With its professional productions, education, and community outreach initiatives, TBT served nearly 125,000 people throughout North Texas last year. It is the only dual-resident company for both the Winspear Opera House (on the AT&T Performing Arts Center Campus) in Dallas and the Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth.
TBT traces its roots to 1961 with the founding of Fort Worth Ballet. In 1994, working with supporters from the Dallas Ballet, which had closed in 1988, the company became Fort Worth Dallas Ballet, operating with two separate non-profit boards under the umbrella of a unified company of dancers and artistic leadership providing professional ballet performances and education in both cities. In 2003, the separate non-profit Boards merged into one consolidated organization and the final rebranding of the company became Texas Ballet Theater.
In addition to its footprint in Fort Worth and Dallas, TBT has long had a presence in nearby Richardson as part of its training activities, a confirmation of its status as a premier arts organization for North Texas. More about Texas Ballet Theater can be found at https://texasballettheater.org/.
- Japan Struggles With What Some There Call “Tourism Pollution”
“As the country’s economic malaise deepens, officials are eager for the economic boost of increased tourism, even as local communities find themselves entirely unprepared for what a small army of foreign visitors means for their communities.” – AP
- Australian State Abandons Plans To Refocus Library On “Digital Experiences”
Many of Australia’s most prominent writers, researchers and artists, along with thousands of members of the public, had expressed outrage over the proposal to cut 39 jobs and refocus the 171-year-old institution – and Australia’s oldest public library – on tourist-oriented “digital experiences”. – The Guardian
- Translating “Swan Lake” Into Cambodian Classical Dance
In Lowell, Mass., a center of America’s Cambodian diaspora, the Angkor Dance Troupe has worked hard to preserve the dance traditions nearly wiped out by the Khmer Rouge. Yet the company also wants to expand the repertory and reach a wider community; adapting the Tchaikovsky classic seemed an ideal option. – WBUR (Boston)
- Poets Are All About Words. What Happens When Those Words Start Slipping Away?
Because the cells that make up the mind are material, they can degrade or die. When neurons degrade, starve, or die, the essential connections our minds make to our muscles start to sputter. – LA Review of Books
- When The AI Police Are Wrong
The Originality.ai reports on his draft, which he shared with The Times, showed that adding or deleting even just a few sentences produced wildly different results. “What if publishers or agents start running these A.I. tools on everybody?” Bricio said. “Everybody is going to walk on eggshells from now on.” – The New York Times
- Greece’s New Law To Combat Art Theft
The bill, approved by Parliament in late January, establishes strict criminal penalties calibrated to the severity of the offense, including prison sentences ranging from six months to ten years and fines of up to €300,000 in the most serious cases. – ARTnews
- One Of France’s Most Prominent Writers Had A Past As A Failed Antiquities Looter
André Malraux went on to fight in the WWII resistance, write celebrated novels, get nominated repeatedly for the Nobel Prize, and serve as de Gaulle’s culture minister. In his 20s, however, he and his wife decided they could get rich quick by going to Cambodia and stealing ancient statuary. – Smithsonian Magazine
- Could (Should?) AI Replace Art Experts?
Attribution, in this sense, is not merely a scholarly exercise. It is the keystone of an economic and cultural structure. Without it, prices collapse, catalogues unravel, and historical narratives lose coherence. And yet attribution is also deeply human, shaped by judgment, intuition, training and, inevitably, bias. – Aeon
- Hip-Hop Pioneer Afrika Bambaataa, 68
Bambaataa and the parties where he DJ’ed swelled in popularity throughout the decade and well into the 1980s, when he released a series of electro tracks that helped shaped the burgeoning hip-hop and electro-funk music movements. – NPR
- Closing Arguments In The Live Nation Case
The heart of the case before the jury involves accusations that Live Nation has pressured artists to use the company’s promotions arm to play at its amphitheaters, and has also forced venues — sometimes with threats — to sign exclusive deals with Ticketmaster or risk losing access to Live Nation’s popular tours. – The New York Times
- She Built Russia’s Only Major Contemporary Art Museum Outside Moscow. Then She Was Chased Out Of The Country.
Nailya Allakhverdiyeva turned PERMM (in Perm, 700 miles from Moscow) into one of the country’s most respected museums. She tried to cooperate with authorities over any concrete objections to PERMM’s projects, but continuing harassment by law enforcement and an ultimatum from the regional cultural minister drove her away. – The New York Times
- AI And The End Of Homework: AI Can Now Do All The Work
Need to take an online math quiz? Write a biology-lab report? Create a PowerPoint presentation for history class? AI can do all of this and more. One high schooler recently told me that he struggles to think of a single assignment that AI wouldn’t be able to do for him. – The Atlantic
- Pew Study On Reading: Americans Still Prefer Print Books
Print continues to be the only book format used by a majority of Americans. Roughly two-thirds of adults say they have read a physical book in the past 12 months, according to our October survey. – Pew Center
- How Martin Luther Changed Music History
He realised how powerful music could be in spreading his new doctrine, that it could “incite people to do good and to teach them”. He’s one of several figures to whom the phrase: “Why should the devil have all the best tunes?” has been credited. He almost certainly didn’t say it, but he should have. – The Guardian
- Do All The Tax Breaks And Subsidies That States Hurl At Hollywood Really Create Local Jobs?
Some local jobs, yes, but probably not enough for the amount of money states are spending, according to recent research. The exceptions appear to be the places where critical masses of industry workers already live: California and metro New York/New Jersey. – The Hollywood Reporter
- Dallas Symphony Raises $50 Million For Endowment
“The Dallas Symphony Orchestra is adding $50 million to its endowment fund, thanks to donors matching a $25 million challenge grant from the O’Donnell Foundation. … The DSO’s O’Donnell match comes three months after the Dallas Opera completed its own $25 million challenge from the Dallas foundation.” – The Dallas Morning News (MSN)
- $100 Million To Turn Studio 54 Into A Proper Broadway Theater
“Roundabout Theater Company moved into the building in 1998 and kept its disco-era name. Now Roundabout has a $100 million plan for the first full-scale renovation of the building. The project would bring back a permanent stage, which the building hasn’t had since its disco days, and an orchestra pit.” – The New York Times
- Louisiana State Museums’ Reaccreditation Put On Hold
“The LSM system, comprising ten museums across the state — including the New Orleans Jazz Museum, Louisiana Civil Rights Museum and historic houses — has faced lawsuits, public controversy and an unfavourable audit in recent years.” Accreditation body the American Alliance of Museums indicated that “tabling” is for “specific issues (to) be addressed.” – The Art Newspaper
- Paramount Pictures Launches Its Own Book Publishing Imprint
“Operating under the products & experiences division, Paramount Global Publishing ‘will develop complementary publishing content inspired by its iconic portfolio of brands and franchises as well as generate new IP through the creation of original stories.’” – Publishers Weekly
- Lyric Opera Of Chicago Expands Season, Hires Sondra Radvanovsky As Artistic Advisor
While the company isn’t back to the schedule it had before COVID, there will be six full productions plus one opera-in-concert, longer runs, a Haydn oratorio, and the return of the summer Broadway musical (this year, Guys and Dolls). Soprano Radvanovsky has signed on for a five-year term as artistic advisor. – Chicago Tribune
- Maine’s Portland Museum Of Art Buys New Building
“The building, previously owned by MaineHealth, … was sold for $14 million. The plan is for the PMA to move its administrative offices to the new Free Street building, which is next door to the museum, as a way to open up space for more galleries in its main building.” – ARTnews
- Hirshhorn Museum Director To Become Guggenheim Museum Director
Melissa Chiu, who has led the Hirshhorn for more than a decade, is the fourth director of a Smithsonian museum to depart within the last two years, and the most recent to leave amid the Trump administration’s effort to overhaul the organization’s network of 21 museums and other cultural centers. – The New York Times
- Considering The Tap Shoe
“You’ll never say you didn’t hear them coming.” – AP
- Getty Center To Close For A Year
The reopening of the museum, which draws about 1.3 million visitors each year, is planned for spring 2028, shortly before the Summer Olympics come to Los Angeles. – The New York Times
- Sean “Diddy” Combs’s Attorneys Argue His Prostitution Conviction Should Be Reversed On First Amendment Grounds
“Combs’s lawyers repeated claims they made before the trial judge, including an assertion that Combs’ films of sexual encounters between his girlfriends and male sex workers amounted to ‘amateur pornography’ and (were) protected by the First Amendment.” – AP
- London’s Times Newspaper Reduces Story-Count, Increases Readership
Across the whole newsroom, The Times has gone from publishing more than 200 stories a day to about 150 – a 25% cut. – Press-Gazette
- Our Zombie Entertainment Industrial Complex
Entertainment and tech companies have gotten smarter about putting consumers into bastardized flow states that leaves people feeling drained and sad rather than challenged and enlarged as selves. – Derek Thompson
- Library On The US/Canada Border Gets A Door On The Canadian Side
For decades, people in Stanstead were allowed to walk around the Haskell Free Library and Opera House, but last year the U.S. limited access. Instead of walking a few metres, you’d have to drive down the street and go through a border crossing just to get in the front door. – CTV
- The Fight To Keep A Collection Of Landmark Art From Leaving Mexico And Going To Spain
“One of the world’s most important collections of 20th-century Mexican art, including works by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, is set to be exported to Spain under an agreement with Banco Santander, sparking outrage among Mexico’s cultural community.” Everyone involved insists that this is a temporary loan, though many aren’t convinced. – The Guardian
- What The Ambitious New LACMA Building Is Trying To Do
The new LACMA, which opens to members in the coming weeks and to the general public May 4, is momentous not only because of its long and often bumpy road, but because it is seeking to reinvent what an encyclopedic museum means in the modern era. – The New York Times
- What’s In The New Writers Guild Contract With Movies Studios
