In a phone interview on Tuesday afternoon, Jamir Nazir told me that he feels vindicated—and relieved. “Look, I didn’t use it!” he said about AI. Now that he has won the prize, Nazir said, he is free at last to explain his process and clear his name. - The Atlantic
“Though it was much maligned during its initial years, The American Spelling Book had a profound pedagogical effect throughout the young nation. ... ‘There iz no alternativ,’ implored Webster in 1790, ... ‘Every possible reezon that could ever be offered for altering the spelling of wurds, stil exists in full force.’” - Literary Hub
Over the last 15 years, as a filmmaker and professor of digital arts, I have seen extraordinary shorts and features made on smartphones. Many were created by early career filmmakers who would have struggled to access industry funding without a smartphone and a minimal crew. - The Conversation
Spotify has removed more than 500,000 registered streams from Malcolm Todd‘s Earrings, after the song’s rise to No. 1 on the platform’s daily US chart was tied to bets placed on the prediction market Kalshi. - MusicBusinessWorldwide
Financed by public subscription, powered by photography and P.R., the Statue of Liberty is now so identified with her adopted home that she has all but melted into symbol. - The New York Times
“’Basil Biggs’ premieres this month in Philadelphia, written for the nation's 250th anniversary. The title character is her great-great-grandfather, a free Black man who became a … conductor of the Underground Railroad … and prominent figure at Gettysburg” who made Lincoln’s speech there possible. - NPR
"My teachers made it clear that music was sacred. But after I got into the LA Philharmonic at 19, playing the most celebrated music with the most celebrated musicians of our time, the sacred was hard to find. I started asking inconvenient questions: was the concert hall the only sacred space?" - The Strad
Jean-Paul Sartre, for instance, insists that for humans ‘existence precedes essence’. We do not have an essence until we give ourselves an essence. In short, ‘man first exists: he materialises in the world, encounters himself, and only afterward defines himself.’ I define myself. - Psyche
The studios sued the AI image lab last year, accusing it of enabling massive infringement of their copyrighted characters. Midjourney has claimed “fair use” and has argued that the studios are engaged in the very same AI practices. - Variety
“Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre has been making movement magic in Atlanta for a decade. Artistic Director John Welker spoke to ArtsATL about its accomplishments so far and its vision for the future.” - ArtsATL
In 2002, the Black feminist writer and scholar bell hooks published a book titled “Communion,” which argues that women have been conditioned to search for love outside of themselves, and should focus on cultivating self-love in all stages of their lives. - The New York Times
Across Europe, many Jewish museums have seen visitor numbers drop, patrons back away and security threats rise since the fall of 2023. The association’s members also reported online harassment, vandalism and acts of aggression against staff members. - The New York Times
The 1st Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday halted the ruling, which would have restored park materials that the administration says were purged as part of the administration’s effort to get rid of materials that “disparage” Americans. - The Hill
“The headline was a grabber: ‘The Ghost Paper That Ate Alabama: How a Media Startup Killed 47 Weekly Newspapers and No One Noticed.’ It was a site named The Editorial, whose name rang a vague bell for me.” - Nieman Lab
Jason Moore, who has restaged and updated the show for London: “Once I revisited, I was like, ‘Oh, right, we made this in our 20s,’ and it's for people in their 20s. There's now a whole generation of people who ... know the show from a soundtrack, but never saw it.’” - People
Born on July 4, 1826, Foster’s legacy is as influential, and as mixed, as that of his nation. Some of his songs were written for minstrel shows, but many of his lyrics were progressive for their time and place, and one key to their success was their ambiguity. - The Conversation
“Planned restoration work (at the Palais Garnier) that was supposed to take two years is now projected for five, with evaluation for the best method to extract the lead to be undertaken this summer.” - ARTnews
“The city government will give $323.8 million to (the Department of Cultural Affairs), which administers public funding to arts institutions throughout the city. The appropriation marks a nearly 7% increase from last year’s then-record $299.6 million investment.” - Hyperallergic
“(He) often acted as a kind of Indiana Jones of song, as when he helped excavate a treasure trove of manuscripts by George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers and others that was found in a warehouse in Secaucus, N.J., in 1982. The hoard dated back to the advent of sound pictures.” - The New York Times
The four-time Emmy nominee, who received an honorary Oscar in 2022, says he was diagnosed with the disease three years ago. His 80th birthday is later this month. - AP
Jean-Paul Sartre, for instance, insists that for humans ‘existence precedes essence’. We do not have an essence until we give ourselves an essence. In short, ‘man first exists: he materialises in the world, encounters himself, and only afterward defines himself.’ I define myself. - Psyche
This poorly argued case that it may be time to restrain the principles of academic freedom and faculty autonomy is not helping the situation. - Boston Review
Citizens can agree on verifiable facts and still inhabit different worlds, because facts do not interpret themselves. To see why, we need to look beyond narrow factual disagreements to the competing systems of interpretation through which people select, categorize, frame, connect, explain, and narrate facts. - Persuasion
When a tool reliably performs a cognitive operation, the internal capacity for that operation tends to weaken with disuse. People who know they can look up something on Google develop weaker memory for the information itself, and habitual GPS users show measurable decline in hippocampal-dependent spatial navigation. - Aeon
Give people an hour with nothing scheduled, and many fill it with thoughts of to-dos: the unanswered email, the errand that’s been put off, the project due next week. Free time is sometimes less a chance to rest than an opportunity to take inventory of our obligations. - The Atlantic
Researchers generally agree that the relationship between music and learning is complex. The effects of music on studying and other cognitively demanding tasks appear to depend on the type of task performed, the kind of music and the students themselves. - The Conversation
Financed by public subscription, powered by photography and P.R., the Statue of Liberty is now so identified with her adopted home that she has all but melted into symbol. - The New York Times
The 1st Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday halted the ruling, which would have restored park materials that the administration says were purged as part of the administration’s effort to get rid of materials that “disparage” Americans. - The Hill
“The city government will give $323.8 million to (the Department of Cultural Affairs), which administers public funding to arts institutions throughout the city. The appropriation marks a nearly 7% increase from last year’s then-record $299.6 million investment.” - Hyperallergic
“Paris draws together communities from west, central and north Africa, as well as the Caribbean, and its density creates the conditions for encounters that aren’t as easy to manufacture elsewhere. What distinguishes Paris from other diaspora hubs … is the granularity of African identity it sustains.” - The Guardian
It seems possible to push wealthy colleges like Princeton to enroll more working- and middle-class students. They surely need that push, because our most prestigious universities enroll a larger share of rich students now than they did in the 1980s. - The New York Times
For weeks, a tarp obscuring the facade of the John F. Kennedy Center has baffled observers, prompting speculation about the Washington, D.C., arts complex following the court-ordered removal of the president’s name. But recent court filings have raised a new mystery beyond the canvas. - The Atlantic
Spotify has removed more than 500,000 registered streams from Malcolm Todd‘s Earrings, after the song’s rise to No. 1 on the platform’s daily US chart was tied to bets placed on the prediction market Kalshi. - MusicBusinessWorldwide
"My teachers made it clear that music was sacred. But after I got into the LA Philharmonic at 19, playing the most celebrated music with the most celebrated musicians of our time, the sacred was hard to find. I started asking inconvenient questions: was the concert hall the only sacred space?" - The Strad
Born on July 4, 1826, Foster’s legacy is as influential, and as mixed, as that of his nation. Some of his songs were written for minstrel shows, but many of his lyrics were progressive for their time and place, and one key to their success was their ambiguity. - The Conversation
“Planned restoration work (at the Palais Garnier) that was supposed to take two years is now projected for five, with evaluation for the best method to extract the lead to be undertaken this summer.” - ARTnews
Special concerts, especially the live-with-film concerts, are now programmed further in advance and are more predictable in terms of their revenue. This has led the orchestra to include these figures in its overall budget, which raises the figure to $42 million and is more accurate. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The independent ensemble, called Philopéra, will be a collective run by the members, along the lines of the Vienna Philharmonic (all members of the Vienna State Opera orchestra) and the Filarmonica della Scala. Philopéra’s first concert will be at the Palais Garnier on September 6, with Daniel Harding conducting. - Moto Perpetuo
Across Europe, many Jewish museums have seen visitor numbers drop, patrons back away and security threats rise since the fall of 2023. The association’s members also reported online harassment, vandalism and acts of aggression against staff members. - The New York Times
Labeled Canada’s largest art fraud ever by investigators, the scheme has been the subject of a prolonged court battle that culminated last year in the conviction of Jeffrey Cowan, one of eight people arrested in 2023. He has been accused of taking part in an effort to sell 1,400 faked Morrisseau works. - ARTnews
“When tickets went on sale for the first time on Wednesday morning, … there were reports of 40,000 people queueing by mid-morning, with that figure ballooning to almost 80,000 by mid-afternoon.” - The Guardian
In today’s landscape, prizes are no longer a nice little extra, or a back pat that arrives at the end of a long and successful career. They’re a serious part of the machinery. - ArtsHub
The DePaul Art Museum announcement came two months after the university laid off 114 full-time and part-time staff. Administrators referenced financial troubles due to a significant drop in international graduate student enrollment, increased demand for financial aid and the rising costs of benefits. - WBEZ
The statue of the father of the USSR was pulled down by demonstrators during the Euromaidan demonstrations in 2013; the pedestal has stood empty ever since. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has officially proposed that a bust of Ivan Mazepa, who led the Cossack state from 1687 to 1709, should go in that spot. - ARTnews
In a phone interview on Tuesday afternoon, Jamir Nazir told me that he feels vindicated—and relieved. “Look, I didn’t use it!” he said about AI. Now that he has won the prize, Nazir said, he is free at last to explain his process and clear his name. - The Atlantic
“Though it was much maligned during its initial years, The American Spelling Book had a profound pedagogical effect throughout the young nation. ... ‘There iz no alternativ,’ implored Webster in 1790, ... ‘Every possible reezon that could ever be offered for altering the spelling of wurds, stil exists in full force.’” - Literary Hub
In 2002, the Black feminist writer and scholar bell hooks published a book titled “Communion,” which argues that women have been conditioned to search for love outside of themselves, and should focus on cultivating self-love in all stages of their lives. - The New York Times
In every prize I’ve ever judged or heard firsthand reports of, everything else is up to the judges and their idiosyncrasies. There’s no input from anyone else. The heads of these organizations often learn the winner at the same moment the rest of the world does. - Rebecca Makkai
Theo of Golden is one of the bestselling books currently making all the lists right now, but its beginnings are a little unorthodox. It was written by a 70-year-old former judge who first went the self-publishing route before having his book distributed by a top-five publisher. - Book Riot
“Jamir Nazir’s story ‘The Serpent in the Grove’ went viral after being named as a regional winner in mid-May, with critics on X and Bluesky claiming it showed ‘obvious markers’ of AI use. … Nazir will receive an additional £2,500 on top of the £2,500 he won for being named the Caribbean winner last month.” - The Guardian
Over the last 15 years, as a filmmaker and professor of digital arts, I have seen extraordinary shorts and features made on smartphones. Many were created by early career filmmakers who would have struggled to access industry funding without a smartphone and a minimal crew. - The Conversation
The studios sued the AI image lab last year, accusing it of enabling massive infringement of their copyrighted characters. Midjourney has claimed “fair use” and has argued that the studios are engaged in the very same AI practices. - Variety
“The headline was a grabber: ‘The Ghost Paper That Ate Alabama: How a Media Startup Killed 47 Weekly Newspapers and No One Noticed.’ It was a site named The Editorial, whose name rang a vague bell for me.” - Nieman Lab
“Worldwide” is the key word here: demand for news video on third-party platforms, while certainly growing, is lowest in Europe and North America, with such usage much higher in Asia and Latin America. - Nieman Lab
L.A. soundstages surveyed by permitting office FilmLA were 93 percent occupied as of 2019. That number has fallen to 62 percent as of last year. With that turn, more complexes have retooled themselves as creator campuses. - The Hollywood Reporter
Conservative groups are preparing to urge the Federal Communications Commission to revoke Disney’s broadcast television licenses, two representatives told POLITICO — a step that would build on agency Chair Brendan Carr’s already unprecedented efforts to punish President Donald Trump’s perceived critics in the media. - Politico
“Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre has been making movement magic in Atlanta for a decade. Artistic Director John Welker spoke to ArtsATL about its accomplishments so far and its vision for the future.” - ArtsATL
A photo journal of more than 30 teenage girls performing the Rejang dance for the Kuningan holiday, the close of a ten-day Balinese Hindu festival celebrating the triumph of good over evil. - AP
“Beading and sequins, silk bodices and boning, plus 10 layers of pleated net, all painstakingly cut and dyed by hand before being sewn together. ... ‘If you break it down to five days a week, 40 hours, it’s usually about two weeks. To make one tutu.’” - The i Paper
“A lot of the challenges that are happening right now are of the times. They’re reflecting what’s going on in our country, and I think it’s important that we all try to stick together through it and keep dancing.” - Los Angeles Times (MSN)
The movie certainly helped over the 26 years since it was released: there are noticeably more boys in ballet classes than there used to be — especially where there are boys-only classes. But they still face trouble from peers at school. - The Sunday Times (UK)
“Anyone who spends even a day with a professional dancer or a ballet troupe could likely come away and already have the core of a body horror flick ready just from seeing all the injuries strapped up and ignored, or hearing the stories of cut-throat auditions.” - Far Out
“’Basil Biggs’ premieres this month in Philadelphia, written for the nation's 250th anniversary. The title character is her great-great-grandfather, a free Black man who became a … conductor of the Underground Railroad … and prominent figure at Gettysburg” who made Lincoln’s speech there possible. - NPR
Jason Moore, who has restaged and updated the show for London: “Once I revisited, I was like, ‘Oh, right, we made this in our 20s,’ and it's for people in their 20s. There's now a whole generation of people who ... know the show from a soundtrack, but never saw it.’” - People
The blaze broke out at the Belvoir St Theatre’s scenery shop on Monday, June 22 and burned well into the next day; at one point 80 firefighters were battling the flames. No one was injured, but tools, materials, and stored set elements were lost and the building is seriously damaged. - Limelight (Australia)
Antoni Cimolino, whose gentle stewardship of this juggernaut of a theater, especially during that existential COVID crisis, was as sure as it was self-effacing, leaves a great deal more. - Chicago Tribune (Yahoo)
The production, set in a dystopian future plagued by climate change, will star noted Black lesbian and three-time Olivier-winner Sharon D Clarke and will open in Stratford-upon-Avon next February. - Variety
“The Bridge Teatre in London, opened in 2017 by the former National Theatre duo Nicholas Hytner and Nick Starr, has been acquired by Trafalgar Entertainment,” which owns more than 20 venues in Britain and elsewhere - The Guardian
“(He) often acted as a kind of Indiana Jones of song, as when he helped excavate a treasure trove of manuscripts by George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers and others that was found in a warehouse in Secaucus, N.J., in 1982. The hoard dated back to the advent of sound pictures.” - The New York Times
The four-time Emmy nominee, who received an honorary Oscar in 2022, says he was diagnosed with the disease three years ago. His 80th birthday is later this month. - AP
“Dunn appeared in more than 650 performances at the Metropolitan Opera, where she became one of the company’s leading dramatic mezzos. Although she portrayed a wide range of roles, she was most closely associated with Bizet’s Carmen, which she (sang) more than 400 times in opera houses around the world.” - Moto Perpetuo
“My problem arose when I discovered Duolingo’s competitive aspect, when I learned that it is essentially a game. ... This means forgoing any real learning, and earning easy points by simply reading sentences out loud.” An excerpt from his latest book, The Land and Its People. - The Guardian
My latest column, about the Ojai Music Festival, is my last. Although the musical scene exhilarates me more than ever — contemporary composition is eternally vital — I wouldn’t want to overstay my welcome. - The Rest is Noise
“A three-judge panel from California’s 2nd District Court of Appeal unanimously issued the decision, saying his trial judge did not violate the former movie magnate’s constitutional rights. … The decision came a day after prosecutors in New York decided Weinstein would not face a fourth trial there.” - AP
The next VP and CDO will be a key institutional leader and strategic partner to the UMS President, responsible for leading a comprehensive fundraising program.
SAY seeks a visionary CEO to lead its next era, advancing 25 years of life-changing support, advocacy, community, and impact for young people who stutter.
The Town Hall (Town Hall), the storied performance hall in the heart of New York City’s theater district, invites applications for its Executive Director position.
The Director of Production provides executive-level strategic leadership, operational direction, and organizational oversight for all production and technical services across a complex, performing arts center.
“These writers aren’t on a sociological mission. They’re not trafficking in grievance or appealing to a particular political base. They let their plays do the talking. And they’ve been trying to have a conversation that isn’t hijacked by the most doctrinaire voices in the room.” - Los Angeles Times (MSN)
A bookstore owner writes, "Queer literature has become one of the growth engines of the publishing industry. L.G.B.T.Q. fiction has never been more visible, more varied or better promoted.” Happy Pride! - The New York Times
OK, Hana Sharif resigned under great pressure. She wrote: “The board and I arrived at a crossroads — one defined not by a lack of shared love for this institution, but by differing visions for how Arena Stage should meet the future.” - The New York Times
The editors have chosen four movies, six books, two songs, a piece of classical music, a painting, and a monument “whose impact extended beyond culture to society as a whole.” - The New Republic
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)
“Google’s DeepMind AI unit and A24 are aiming to create new tools for movie production and distribution. … Though Alphabet unit Google is a major player in online entertainment through YouTube, the deal marks the first time it has taken a stake in a studio.” - The Wall Street Journal (MSN)
“Bunch has been cast by many of his admirers as something of a resistance figure — one of the only high-profile leaders standing up to Trump by single-handedly preventing the president from rewriting American history itself.” - The Atlantic
Michael Govan was feeling pretty good about the 600,000 people who came to the block party and parade, too: "We’re not gonna close Wilshire every weekend, but it’s an example of what we can do. … It’s really exciting to see the building work.” - Los Angeles Times (MSN)
“Companies often claim to use only content that is freely available online, but the datasets reveal the quantity of downloadable music that developers can access even though it is not supposed to be free.” - The Atlantic
