Today’s Highlights: In a significant rebuke to proposed Trump cuts, the U.S. House has voted to fully fund the NEA, NEH, and the Smithsonian, moving to protect the nation’s primary cultural stewards despite explicit threats to their budgets (Hyperallergic). The friction between policy and content is tightening at the local level, however: a Texas university has removed Plato’s Symposium from a philosophy syllabus, citing a new policy that prohibits classes from “advocating” race or gender ideology or topics related to sexual orientation (The Atlantic).
Actor Michael Sheen has revealed he is putting his own money into the creation of a new Welsh National Theatre after the previous iteration collapsed, arguing that he was in a unique position of fame and resources to “deliver” where institutions failed (BBC (Yahoo!)). The Park Avenue Armory named Deborah Warner as its new artistic director (Playbill).
In the digital sphere, the line is being drawn against automation. Bandcamp has officially prohibited music created with AI, stating that “human connection” is a vital, non-negotiable part of culture that cannot be reduced to a consumable product (Engadget). Meanwhile, the traditional movie blockbuster model continues to reach new heights, as Zoe Saldaña has officially become the highest-earning actor in history, with her films grossing more than $15.4 billion worldwide (The Guardian).
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