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- Europe’s museums will save you from the heat
Good Morning,
Manhattan’s borough president just routed his entire $50 million discretionary budget to the arts (The New York Times) — an extraordinary move.
In art machine news: New software is poised to replace live musicians in musical-theater pits (The Guardian), an LA museum built entirely on AI is asking whether it’s a whole new genre (Artnet), and an essay wonders if prompting is the oldest writerly skill in new clothes (The Conversation).
Four small colleges are adding dance majors while their peers are cutting everything outside STEM (Dance Magazine), and Lin-Manuel Miranda is bringing his first full musical since Hamilton to Broadway next spring (AP).
Meanwhile, Europe’s museums have found an unexpected civic role this week: air-conditioned refuges from the heat wave (Le Monde).
All of our stories below.
- Why The Onion Is Going Ahead With Its Infowars Parody Even Though The Case Is Still Tied Up In Court
Basically, if Alex Jones can play dirty, then The Onion can play dirty, too. – Law and Chaos
- How AI Prompting Poses The Classic Writer’s Challenge
This is one novel frustration of the AI age, yet millions of users searching for the “right prompt” are engaging in an old literary practice: turning mental images, vague desires and atmospheric intuitions into precise language. – The Conversation
- Even Award-Winning Indie Filmmakers Make Shockingly Little Money
Brady Corbet, who made The Brutalist, earned, he says “zero dollars” for his work on the movie. The five directors who agreed to be interviewed for this article talk about the day jobs they keep even after their films have been well-received and how they keep it all going. – Vulture
- Warning: European Museums Vulnerable To Cyberattacks
The warning comes less than three years after the British Museum revealed that about 2,000 objects had been stolen, damaged or gone missing from its collections over a period of years, in a scandal that led to the resignation of its director, Hartwig Fischer. – The Guardian
- The Barnes Picks A New Chief Curator
Connie Choi is currently curator at the Studio Museum in Harlem, where she has worked for nearly a decade. At the Studio Museum, she worked closely with Thelma Golden, its director and chief curator, to map out the museum’s curatorial vision, including its recent reopening last fall. – ARTnews
- Consensus Growing For A Federal Tax Credit For Movie Production
While production incentives are available in 39 U.S. states, the only federal aid that American productions can take advantage of is Section 181, a Bush-era incentive that allows studios to take a tax deduction on up to the first $15 million in production spending, or $20 million for shoots in low-income areas. – The Wrap (Yahoo)
- As Other Small Colleges Shrink Non-STEM Programs, These Four Are Adding New Dance Majors
“To get a new major approved, faculty must demonstrate that there’s a genuine hunger for more dance on campus. They must lay out the benefits not only for future students, but also for the institution as a whole — its reputation and its bottom line.” Here’s how these four colleges did it. – Dance Magazine
- Judge Dismisses Class Action Against Spotify Over Inflating AI Streams
A US federal judge has dismissed a proposed class action that accused Spotify of allowing billions of bot-generated fake streams to inflate the play counts of Drake and other artists. – MusicBusinessWorldwide
- How Will AI Impact The Arts?
Well, it’s a mixed picture. ISPA recently convened a panel to examine the evidence. Watch the video here. – ISPA (Video)
- Next-Gen Music Software Threatens To Replace Musicians In Theatres
A next-generation orchestral software from the German company KeyComp threatens to inflict the deepest cuts yet on what has traditionally been a steady gig for professional musicians. – The Guardian
- Attendance At Pittsburgh Symphony’s Classical Concerts Is Back Up To 50%
The average audience at Heinz Hall for the flagship classical series is roughly 1,450, just over half of the venue’s capacity and up 14% (!) from the previous season. Attendance at pops concerts continues to fall, but it’s rising at educational events and live-film-score concerts. – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
- Is LA’s New AI Art Museum A Whole New Genre Of Contemporary Art?
- Air Conditioned Museums In Europe Become “Refuges From The Heat” During This Week’s Heat Wave
“When I see people taking refuge for an hour in a supermarket, I say to myself: ‘Why shouldn’t the museum be a place of respite, rather than cafés or shops?’ – Le Monde
- How Smithsonian Chief Lonnie Bunch’s Lunch With Trump Went
Over chicken and gravy, Trump asked Bunch his opinion on four chandelier samples for the Oval Office; discussed the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which Trump has proposed painting white; and talked about Republican calls to relocate the space shuttle Discovery from the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum annex to Houston. – ARTnews
- Too Many Books, Too Quickly: Australia’s Publishing Industry Is Too Prolific For Its Own Good
“Talk to authors, talk to prize judges, talk to critics and to editors and you hear versions of the same story. … What might have been excellent books are marred by shoddy copy editing, flat-out errors, cursory proofreading — and, in some cases, an obvious lack of revision.” – The Guardian
- Why Are New Musicals On Broadway So Scarce This Year?
“How did the new musical — long Broadway’s fundamental building block — become so scarce that the New York Drama Critics’ Circle opted to forgo an award this year for best musical, and two of the five Tony nominations for best score went to music composed for plays?” Well, several reasons. – The New York Times
- How Arts Philanthropist Christophe De Menil Ended Up Isolated During Her Final Years
The daughter of the founders of Houston’s Menil Collection, Christophe herself had a glittering social life filled with the arts and artists, and she funded career-establishing work by Robert Wilson, Twyla Tharp, Trisha Brown, and others. Her family life, on the other hand, was … well, fraught. – New York Magazine (MSN)
- Lin-Manuel Miranda’s First Full Musical Since “Hamilton” Will Arrive On Broadway Next Spring
The show is Warriors, an adaptation of the 2024 concept album by Miranda and Elsa Davis. The source material is Sol Yurick’s 1965 novel The Warriors, which was adapted into the now-classic 1979 film. The Miranda-Davis musical, which makes the titular gang female, will start previews next March and open in April. – AP
- Museum Curator In San Francisco Terminated After His Arrest For Secret Bathroom Video
“The Cartoon Art Museum has parted ways with Andrew Farago, the longtime curator and public face of the San Francisco institution who was arrested this month after Berkeley police said he secretly recorded guests using a bathroom during a party at his home.” – San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)
- Manhattan’s Borough President Directs His Entire Discretionary Budget — $50 Million — To The Arts
“Fifty-five cultural institutions and 28 schools will benefit from grants ranging from $60,000 to $2 million,” with much of the money designated for buildings or infrastructure. “In previous years, the discretionary budget has been divided into small grants … across sectors like the arts, public housing, social services and parks.” – The New York Times
- Kansas City Symphony Extends Music Director Matthias Pintscher’s Contract
The 55-year-old German composer-conductor has only been there for two seasons (he started in fall 2024), but the orchestra likes him well enough to extend his current contract for five additional years, keeping him through 2033-34. – Pizzicato
- Finance Consultant – Arts FMS via TOC Arts Partners
About the Opportunity
As a financial management firm that integrates with nonprofit arts organizations from across the country, Arts FMS empowers organizations to focus on their mission, while they focus on the long-term fiscal health and sustainability of the organization. By providing a comprehensive scope of full financial management services, Arts FMS is able to bring stability, efficiency, and reliability to an organization’s financial operations.
Arts FMS is pleased to be hiring a Finance Consultant to join their growing team. This nonprofit professional is a highly motivated and self- directed individual with experience in accounting and financial management, specifically in the arts and culture sector. In addition to having nonprofit accounting skills and experience working within a finance department, this administrator will be an adept communicator and comfortable building strong internal and external relationships. They will have a thoughtful empathetic approach to guiding clients in financial management and decision-making, and will be able to clearly and concisely translate financial documents for a variety of stakeholders.
As Arts FMS rapidly expands their services to a growing list of impressive organizations, this consultant will have the chance to join a collaborative team of thought partners dedicated to financial operations. Fully remote, the team at Arts FMS learns from one another, adapts to the specific needs of clients, and is building a set of practices that will have a significant impact on the cultural field. This is an exciting opportunity for an individual to advance their skills and connect with a variety of ambitious arts organizations and their leaders.
About Arts FMS
Arts FMS delivers exemplary financial management services focused on long-term fiscal health and sustainability, empowering nonprofit arts organizations to focus on fulfilling their missions. Specializing in nonprofit financial management, Arts FMS maintains a talented team of financial consultants, who bring stability, efficiency, and reliability to their client’s financial operations. Their clients receive accurate and timely data that both informs their current strategic financial decisions and better prepares them for the future.
As a financial partner, Arts FMS integrates directly with the staff and board of an organization. Once engaged, they work closely with a client to assess what services and systems would most benefit that specific nonprofit organization. The Arts FMS approach is adaptable, designed to work seamlessly with current systems that are effective, while introducing new systems to enhance efficiency and streamline workflows, which will benefit the partnership overall.
Arts FMS was founded under the belief that art is vital to our society and is core to the company’s mission. Principals Andrea Nellis and Lucy Mallett bring decades of nonprofit financial management experience as both practitioners and advisors to cultural leaders, strengthening the sector and securing both the present and future of their growing list of clients.
Job Description
A Finance Consultant at Arts FMS reports to one of Arts FMS’s Managing or Senior Finance Consultants. The Finance Consultant is a flexible, industrious, and detail-oriented project manager, who will be invested in relationships with two to five clients. Depending on the size of those client organizations, the Finance Consultant may be charged with complete oversight of the relationship, responsible for payroll, bill pay, bookkeeping, and month close. For larger organizations, they may be acting as a controller and collaborating with a Managing or Senior Finance Consultant on the relationship. For smaller organizations, they may or may not have the support of a Finance Associate or Assistant, requiring a solid confidence in all client-related tasks. Capable of taking on a broad array of responsibilities, the Finance Consultant needs to be judicious about their time to manage numerous projects and deadlines with care and accuracy.
Key Responsibilities for Arts FMS
- Effectively drive their projects to completion; this includes reviewing their own work and that of a Finance Associate or Assistant on an ongoing basis.
- Deliver excellent client service through ongoing verbal and written communication, and analysis of the client’s needs.
- Handle multiple time-sensitive priorities that require in-depth knowledge of GAAP and nonprofit accounting, reporting, and compliance.
- Utilize Excel and QuickBooks Online.
Frequent Responsibilities in working for Arts FMS Clients
Strategy
- Collaborate with executive leadership to develop financial strategies aligned with the organization’s objectives.
- Identify and pursue opportunities for financial growth and sustainability.
Budgeting
- Lead an institution-wide budgeting initiative annually, in consultation with executive leadership.
- Create and maintain forecasts and long-range projections and financial models.
- Prepare cash flow and balance sheet projections to ensure adequate capital for all needs.
- Conduct monthly financial forecast reviews.
- Monitor and analyze financial performance against budgets.
Financial Reporting
- Manage the organization’s cash flow.
- Lead and oversee the annual financial audit of an organization.
- Manage the preparation of internal financial reports to provide management insight into revenue and operating expense trends.
- Propose and maintain best accounting and reporting practices to track project spending.
- Understand and anticipate the reporting needs for executive leadership and an organization’s Board of Directors.
- Prepare and present timely, accurate, transparent, and comprehensive financial reports for senior leadership, board of directors, and stakeholders.
- Attend an organization’s Board, Finance, and Audit Committee meetings.
Organizational Assistance
- Build and maintain relationships with external partners such as auditors, banks, funders, or lending institutions.
- Directly manage relationships with financial and administrative service vendors and consultants.
- Evaluate business insurance needs and maintain appropriate policies.
- Oversee the organizational payroll, including expense reimbursements, retirement plan contributions, benefit allocations, and tracking of employee PTO.
Qualifications
- 5+ years of nonprofit accounting, demonstrating strong abilities in managing an organization’s accounting and finances, preferably in the arts sector.
- Experience working in a finance department and managing several aspects of financial operations, including accounting software and transactions management.
- Experience in creating financial management documents for both board and staff.
- Strong communication skills.
- Interest in building strong external relationships with clients through mostly virtual communication channels.
- Ability to work efficiently and flexibly in order to manage competing priorities and at times, shifting portfolios.
- Self-assurance to work proactively and confidence to ask for guidance or support, when needed.
- A genuine interest in the performing and/or visual arts.
- Master’s degree in a relevant field is a plus.
Please note: All candidates must have experience working directly in a finance department.
Compensation
The salary for this position is $75,000-100,000. Arts FMS provides comprehensive benefits, including providing health, dental, vision, long and short-term disability, and company-paid life insurance. Employees have access to a 401k plan with a company match, a flexible spending account, and paid time off.
Arts FMS is a fully remote company. The Finance Consultant role is a full-time position that works within the company’s core working hours from 9am-6pm Eastern and is based in the United States.
Arts FMS is committed to fostering a workplace free from bias, discrimination, and harassment. We strive to create an inclusive, supportive environment where all employees feel welcomed, respected, and valued for their unique contributions. Arts FMS is an equal opportunity employer and encourages qualified candidates from all backgrounds to apply.
Application Instructions
The Finance Consultant search is being conducted by Arts FMS with support from TOC Arts Partners, a national consultancy aligning strategies, structures, and leadership toward a thriving cultural sector.
To apply, visit the online application and submit your materials. Your cover letter should include any training or experience relevant to the job profile that you would like to highlight, why you consider yourself a good fit for this opportunity, and anything else you’d like us to know about your qualifications that may not be present in your resume.
For general questions or nominations of prospective candidates, please contact searchteam@tocartspartners.com. We kindly request no phone calls.
Specific questions about the position may be directed to:
Brenna Thomas
Senior Strategist
brenna@tocartspartners.comApplications will be accepted until this role is filled. We encourage you to apply by July 10, 2026 for priority consideration. Interviews may begin at any time, and we encourage you to apply as early as possible for best consideration. Please note that applying before the priority deadline does not guarantee an interview, and all applicants will receive a response regarding the consideration and status of their candidacy.
Not sure you meet 100% of our qualifications? Research shows that cis men apply for jobs when they fulfill an average of 60% of the criteria, while others tend only to apply if they meet every requirement. If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply.
We are dedicated to considering a broad array of candidates, including those with diverse workplace experiences and backgrounds. So, whether you’re returning to work after a gap in employment, simply looking to transition, or taking the next step in your career path, we will be glad to have you on our radar.
- DIY Critics
Good Morning,
Newspapers keep gutting their book sections, so an independent bookstore decided to run its own reviews rather than wait for the reviews to disappear entirely (Nieman Lab). Lesson of the day: if something goes away and it was important to you, then you have to build it yourself. Art-house movie theaters are increasingly doing the same, posting audience growth by courting the younger moviegoers the multiplex gave up on (Variety).
The machines, meanwhile, are thriving. Google is putting $75 million into whizkid studio A24 to build AI filmmaking tools (MSN), while new software lets producers shrink pit orchestras to almost nothing (The Guardian). Both are betting the expensive human labor is optional.
And the fight over who controls the story keeps escalating. Lonnie Bunch is maneuvering to keep the Smithsonian independent as the administration leans on it (The Atlantic), while London’s National Portrait Gallery quietly pulled a work over a reference to Churchill that some found distasteful (The Guardian) — pressure from outside, editing from within.
Lighter note: Benjamin Franklin’s library just inherited 1,500 rare books about sex (The New York Times). Make of that what you will.
Doug
- At Henry Louis Gates’s “Finding Your Roots,” How They Handle Finding A Bombshell Piece Of Family History
Gates: “If … we found out that, let’s say, your daddy wasn’t your daddy but your daddy didn’t know, I have an ethics protocol; we would reach out to your publicist and say, ‘We’ve learned something in our research we need to discuss directly.’ And everybody knows it’s not good news.“ – The Hollywood Reporter
- Remembering Clive Davis, Who Turned Hitmaking Into An Art Form
“I knew nothing about music,” he once said, looking back at his entry into the record business. Yet his instincts made him one of the surest spotters and nurturers of talent in pop history, with a long — and varied — line of success stories. – Los Angeles Times
- After 25 Years, Choreographer Lucy Guerin Leaving Her Dance Company
She is creating a final solo work for herself — her first time onstage in 13 years — as a farewell, and she officially departs as artistic director of Lucy Guerin Inc at the end of this year. The company, based in Melbourne, has toured widely, from Paris to New York to Shanghai. – ArtsHub (Australia)
- Is The Smithsonian Next?
From the start of the second Trump administration, the entire Smithsonian had been a target of those on the MAGA right who are preoccupied with expunging what they understand to be “wokeness” from prominent institutions. – The Atlantic
- Has Blogging Ceased To Matter?
Anyway, the reason I’m writing all of this is not to brag, but to complain. Over the last two years, I’ve felt like my job has become a bit less important than it used to be, for three reasons. – Noahpinion
- The Next Bookstore?
Samir Pail argues that the publishing industry is fundamentally flawed insofar as publishers and authors generate consumer demand, then hand buyers off to companies like Amazon, which takes a significant cut and then owns the customer relationship. – Publishers Weekly
- Next-Generation Tech Lets Producers Of Musicals Shrink Pit Bands Even More
“Orchestral software from the German company KeyComp threatens to inflict the deepest cuts yet on what has traditionally been a steady gig for professional musicians. … Thanks to successful union campaigning, the software is banned in New York, Washington DC and in Hamburg, where the software company is based.” – The Guardian
- LA’s New Metro Stations: A Tale Of Two Design Realities
The stations, too, feel more connected, with art, architecture and infrastructure blending seamlessly into a cohesive experience, a tribute to Metro’s sharpened design approach and its ever-evolving commitment to public art. But above ground, it’s a tale of two (transit) cities. – Los Angeles Times (MSN)
- Audiences At Independent Movie Theatres Are Growing
Independent theaters continue to be a vital asset to their communities, with a 9% increase in business in 2025, an encouraging sign for the sector, according to a recent survey. – Variety
- Why Meritocracy Is A Deeply Flawed Idea
Zhuangzi insists that even in idealised situations where values can be straightforward, the idea that hierarchies and institutions can reflect that moral map is a profound misunderstanding of how power actually works. – Aeon
- Laurie Anderson Awarded $600,000 Kyoto Prize For Arts And Philosophy
The multimedia artist will receive the ¥100 million prize — given annually by the Inamori Foundation in three fields: advanced technology, basic science, and arts and philosophy — at a ceremony in Japan on November 10. – Nonesuch Records
