Today’s AJ Highlights

  1. How An Iranian Director Made His Award-Winning Film In Secret — And Was Then Smuggled Out Of The Country “Mohammad Rasoulof had been imprisoned for his work before, and he knew that his The Seed of the Sacred Fig — which ultimately got a 13-minute ovation and a special jury prize at Cannes — would land him there again. Yet he felt compelled to do it.” The New York Times Magazine
  2. Opera In Its Traditional Role: Innovator, Leader In Technology
    “Every technology affects the way that we think, behave and interact. AI is not going away. It will become a part of our humanity, and therefore a part of our art-making.” The Guardian
  3. Historic Town Halls In Australia Are Becoming Low-Cost Performance Venues “Beautiful brick early 20th-century town halls were once venues for council meetings, award nights and country dances. But in recent decades many have been under-used or left entirely empty. Now municipalities are offering them to strapped arts organizations, often without rental fees.” The Guardian
  4. Mexico’s New President Wants To Fight The Popularity Of Ballads About Drug Lords “President Claudia Sheinbaum said she has a plan to reduce the popularity of narcocorridos. She vowed to launch a campaign to promote other, less violent musical styles that aren’t as linked to drug traffickers in an effort to stop glorifying them.” AP News
  5. Nostalgia Used To Be A Bad Thing. Now It Seduces Us “Nostalgia is a universal malady for which there is no effective remedy, and throughout its long history it has served politically diverse ends.” Washington Post

Skip down to see all the stories we collected in the past day, organized by art form. See you tomorrow.

Doug

Latest Stories

Adelaide Festival Writers’ Week Fell Apart After State Premier Intervened, Documents Show

“Minutes from six crucial Adelaide Festival board meetings in December and January, obtained by Crikey, give an unvarnished view of how disinviting (Palestinian-Australian author Randa) Abdel-Fattah from the Adelaide Writers' Week in the wake of the antisemitic Bondi Beach terror attack snowballed into a public relations disaster.” - Crikey...

Explaining The Row Over The Florence Price Piece At The Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year’s Day Concert

The “Rainbow Waltz” which Yannick Nézet-Séguin programmed for the generally tradition-bound event was attributed to Price (America’s first Black female symphonist) in the program. In fact, it’s a rather free orchestral arrangement of Price’s original piano version — so free that the leading Scholar of her work calls it...

A San Francisco Museum Will Sell Its Large, Well-Located Building

The Contemporary Jewish Museum, which temporarily closed in late 2024 and laid off 80% of its staff, will sell its 63,000 square-foot building in the Yerba Buena neighborhood. The museum’s next steps beyond the sale are not yet clear, though management says it intends to reopen. - San Francisco...

Premium

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