The Smithsonian’s Board of Regents has sat with empty seats for a month, the normal appointment process stalled as the Trump White House pursues control of the institution (The New York Times). In China, a Nanjing museum scandal — national treasures sold quietly into the private market — has prompted a nationwide audit of every state-run museum (ARTnews). And a Moscow court sentenced a German artist in absentia to 8.5 years in prison for carnival displays mocking Putin — created, notably, while the artist was in Germany (AP News). Jurisdiction, apparently, is optional when you’re the Kremlin.
Ticketmaster responded to an FTC requirement for all-in pricing transparency by simply raising other fees to compensate (The Guardian).
And on three hours’ notice, Wallace Shawn and his partner Deborah Eisenberg stepped in — scripts in hand — to perform in Shawn’s own Off-Broadway production after two co-stars fell ill (Playbill). The show goes on.
All of our stories below.
