ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

HomeDOUG

Good Morning

Today’s AJ Highlights: The backlash to AI art is growing. An art student in Alaska was arrested for eating an AI-generated artwork in protest (ArtNews ). And we learn about confronting the “brain-anesthetizing” effects of predictable, LLM-assisted thought (The Atlantic ).

Institutional shifts are taking on a surprisingly resilient tone. The Washington National Opera, following its departure from the Kennedy Center, has seen an influx of donations from more than 500 supporters and has secured a temporary spring home at George Washington University (The New York Times ). Meanwhile, Sundance has tapped a former Universal chair as its new CEO as it prepares for its final Park City run before moving to Boulder (The Hollywood Reporter ).

And we look at the intersection of history, politics, and survival: Disney ignited a brief firestorm with a deleted social media thread of movie quotes that were pointedly anti-fascist (The Verge (Archive Today)), and historians uncover the dark legacy of Nazi-stolen fragments of the Bayeux Tapestry (BBC ).

We also note the passing of pathbreaking opera director Rhoda Levine (The New York Times ) and former Nickelodeon star Kianna Underwood (Los Angeles Times ).

All of our stories below.

Latest Stories

ISSUES

In An Attempt To Beat AI, Matthew McConaughey Trademarks His Phrase

“McConaughey has had eight trademark applications approved over the past few months, and the actor said in an email ..r that he wants to, quote, ‘create a clear perimeter around ownership with consent and attribution the norm in an AI world.’” - NPR
PEOPLE

Rhoda Levine, Pathbreaking Opera Director, Has Died At 93

Perhaps her “most significant contributions to the repertoire were the premieres ... Viktor Ullmann’s Der Kaiser von Atlantis, an anti-Hitler allegory composed in the Theresienstadt concentration camp before Mr. Ullmann was murdered at Auschwitz, and Anthony Davis’s X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X.” - The New...
WORDS

In The US, We Write Essays, And Often Think, Backwards

We think we already know what we want to find, and that enables LLMs to “hElP” with predictable, middling, brain-anesthetizing results. “But a chief delight of being human is witnessing the world’s capacity to surprise.” - The Atlantic

Premium

jobs

Seeking Senior Audience Services Manager for Box Office Operations

STG is seeking a highly skilled and successful candidate to provide strong leadership and oversee the smooth operation of the audience services department.
jobs

Finance Consultant – Arts FMS

Arts FMS is seeking a Finance Consultant with extensive experience in accounting and financial management, preferably in the arts sector.
education

Fall 2026 Applications Open for MS in Leadership for Creative Enterprises

Earn your Master’s in One Year. Northwestern University’s MS in Leadership for Creative Enterprises (MSLCE) program develops leaders across Entertainment, Media and the Arts.

Classifieds

jobs

Director of Artistic Operations

The Knights seek a Director of Artistic Operations to work with the Artistic Directors and Executive Director on high-level artistic planning and program implementation.
jobs

Handel and Haydn seeks President and Chief Executive Officer

Handel and Haydn provides a competitive and equitable compensation package with an estimated base salary in the range of $275,000 to $325,000.
jobs

Overture Center for the Arts seeks Chief Financial Officer/Co-Chief Executive Officer

Overture Center for the Arts seeks Chief Financial Officer/Co-Chief Executive Officer. Overture Center offers a salary range between $170,000 and $185,000 with benefits.
jobs

Pewabic Pottery seeks next Executive Director

Pewabic Pottery, one of the oldest continuously operating potteries in the country & now a nonprofit in Detroit, MI seeks its next Executive Director.

EDITOR PICKS

POPULAR POSTS

POPULAR CATEGORY

function my_excerpt_length($length){ return 200; } add_filter('excerpt_length', 'my_excerpt_length');