The cultural ideas (what was originally meant by ‘memes’) that are most suited to global dominance crowd out cultural ideas that developed locally and have deep meaning to the communities that created them. - Psyche

Detractors of year-end lists argue that they too frequently reward work that has already been heavily promoted and acclaimed, especially in a category like books, in which an individual can’t evaluate everything released in a year; another common argument is that they privilege known voices and forms over bold experiments. - The Atlantic

"In the early days of GenAI tools, I would share these bullet-point lists of ideas with my team, and it would be met with a similar reaction: Wow! And nothing would happen because the next step is a big and difficult one." - Fast Company

A report this year, from nearly 200 philanthropic leaders, noted that as 20 million households dropped out of giving, from 2010 to 2016, the organizations that have suffered most are community-based groups whose existence depends on small-dollar donors rather than on mega-philanthropists, and those that “provide the backbone of civic life.” - The New York Times

“Everything about the modern Christmas movie is so relentlessly familiar. Even the stars I don’t recognize look somehow inherently recognizable, as if they are all fitted with squinting approximations of famous faces. I’ve found myself charmed by their commitment to the bit.” - The New York Times

“Grande and Erivo have been praised for their performances onscreen, but they have also been performing in a parallel show, making viral magic on the press tour.” - The New York Times

What might appear to be a superficial spat over sweaters and hairstyles could actually be a legal fight that gets at the heart of social media influence. As much as platforms like TikTok and Instagram may seem like free-for-alls, lifestyle influencers exist in an ecosystem that prizes homogeneity. - The New York Times

For context, 4Culture usually sends out about $10 million to $15 million per year. With Doors Open, the agency’s 2025 grants are increasing to $70.1 million across 720 organizations.  - Seattle Times

"The city agency (Metro Arts) is behind schedule because it’s still recovering from last year’s chaotic funding cycle. … This year, (there's) a much smaller pool of money to distribute: $3.2 million, down from over $7 million last year. And this year’s applicant pool is larger than last year’s record high." - WPLN (Nashville)

The 1911 Wright Model B was flown, recklessly and repeatedly, around the skies over Philadelphia by brewery heir Grover Cleveland Bergdoll. In 1935, after he fled to Germany, the plane went on display at the Institute. Now Bergdoll's daughter and granddaughter claim the museum stole the plane. - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)

Lately, “new Berlin” has become shorthand for an under-visited European city that is cheap, fun, and up-and-coming. Ever since creeping gentrification and a massive rise in tourism have thrown into question the German capital’s status of the world’s “coolest” city, people have been racing to determine its successor. - The New Republic

The regional government for Berlin intends to cut its cultural budget by 12%, and other state and municipal governments are similarly strapped. The German federal government is holding back as well, and with the coalition government just having collapsed, there's no budget for 2025 at all yet. What can arts managers there expect? -...

Art is a con. That’s why it’s great. I’ve always said art should lower gross domestic product; it shouldn’t be there to bolster efficiency, or do a certain thing. It’s a shamanistic thing that is essentially founded on a belief that you can buy into, or not. - The New York Times

The nonprofit Third Coast Music has won the city's request for proposals to develop the site. Its plan is for an $80 million facility to record and produce music, primarily for film and television. The 32,000-square-foot complex will include a soundstage even larger than that of Skywalker Sound in California. - WBEZ (Chicago)

The gift from the family foundation of real estate magnate and former Chicago Tribune owner Sam Zell provides "vital" capital to reduce debt, fund retirement benefits, and pay for tours, special artistic projects and digital initiatives, said a statement from orchestra management. - Chicago Sun-Times

The Stradivarius on which Joseph Joachim played the world premiere of Brahms's Violin Concerto will be auctioned on February 7, and Sotheby's is estimating its value as between $12 million and $18 million. (The current record was set in 2011: $15.9 million for the Lady Blunt Stradivarius.) - Artnet

Loftis goes to the New Jersey Symphony from his position as Chief Advancement and Revenue Officer of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra (DSO), where he oversaw the fundraising, marketing, special events, and analytical research departments. - Symphony

“We, the undersigned musicians, wholeheartedly oppose major record labels’ unjust lawsuit targeting the Internet Archive,” the Musicians for Fairness and Preservation Open Letter reads. “We don’t believe that the Internet Archive should be destroyed in our name.” - Engadget

The "Ladies' Lounge" at the Museum of Old and New Art in Tasmania reopens through January 13 after an appeals court voided a ruling that the installation was discriminatory. Artist Kirsha Kaechele says the Ladies' Lounge "could appear anywhere at any time, especially in centres of male power." - AAP (MSN)

Justin Davidson: "A new museum wing here can’t just be an exercise in logistics. It’s also a presence in Central Park and a half-billion-dollar embodiment of the museum’s encyclopedic mission. … (Frida Escobedo's design) looks laudably simple because it provides an elegant solution to a tangle of trade-offs and constraints." - Curbed (MSN)

The Tokyo-based collective of artists and engineers operates nearly 60 temporary or traveling exhibitions around the world, with permanent installations in Japan, China, Saudi Arabia — and, opening very soon, the company's largest-ever work, in Abu Dhabi. And the shows are astoundingly popular. - The New York Times

 I looked at more than 200 museums, and counted which artists were on view any time during December. The resulting list includes a little more than 3,400 artist names. Of these, only about 300 appear more than once—a tiny fraction. - Artnet

“A full-time job should serve the basic things you need to take care of yourself, housing, food, health, even mental health. I’ve struggled to buy shoes, which I need as I spend all day in the galleries. Why should my coworkers and I have to go to Goodwill for shoes?” - ARTnews

"This move to support France’s national museum of Modern and contemporary art, which is scheduled to begin a massive €262 million renovation later this year, marks the latest development in a burgeoning cultural partnership between the two countries." - The Art Newspaper

Several scholarly publishers have forged agreements with technology companies looking to use content to train the large language models (LLMs) that underlie their AI tools. A new tracker aims to catalogue what deals are being made — and by whom. - Nature

"The Strand Book Store has reached a tentative contract agreement with its staff union, which is represented by United Auto Workers Local 2179, putting an end to a strike that stretched through the weekend and much of Monday." - Publishers Weekly

"A federal judge in Texas rejected the auction sale of Alex Jones’ Infowars to The Onion satirical news outlet, criticizing the bidding for the conspiracy theory platform as flawed as well as how much money families of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary shooting stood to receive." - AP

Novelists increasingly defined their craft by opposing tradition, and so placed themselves at loggerheads with most of their possible audience. There is something essentially Pyrrhic about the triumphs of “Ulysses” (1920) and “The Man Without Qualities." - The Wall Street Journal (MSN)

"The store’s 110 unionized workers went on strike in the middle of the busy holiday season, leaving the shop’s '18 miles of books' to be run by a skeleton staff. … The union wants base pay to increase from $16 an hour, which is minimum wage in New York City, to $18 an hour."...

And the reasons the word is an apt choice go well beyond politics. - AP

"In the lame-duck session …, support continues to build for a bill that would require AM receivers to be included in vehicle dashboards. Three more House members have signed on as co-sponsors for the proposed AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, bringing the total number of supporters in the House to 271." - Inside...

The reality was that none of the people allegedly working for the Ashland Daily Tidings existed, or at least were who they claimed to be. The bylines listed on Daily Tidings articles were put there by scammers using artificial intelligence, and in some cases stolen identities, to dupe local readers. - Oregon Public Broadcasting

"Efforts to defund NPR and PBS … (along with) their member stations and their primary funding mechanism, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting … have been raised by Republicans and successfully batted away by public media defenders with annual regularity for decades. This time could be different." - Semafor

They generate a cumulative economic impact of $368 billion, a figure comparable to the GDP of Hong Kong and more than the entire economic output of Finland, New Zealand, or Greece. - Fast Company

On the TV side, FX/Hulu’s “The Bear” continues its trophy domination with the most nominations for any series; that’s five for the restaurant-set dramedy. - Variety

And Emila Pérez is in. Of course, “the Globes have been in turmoil since 2021,” and last year’s ceremony was a rushed stinkbomb of an experience for everyone. But hope springs eternal when celebrity-infused cash is involved. - The New York Times

Under a settlement with the National Labor Relations Board, "10 fired dancers, and three whose offers of employment were rescinded, will receive over $560,000 from the dance company in back pay, front pay and compensation for damages incurred through the loss of their employment." - KERA (Dallas)

If there were ever an argument for dance (and a sense of humor) as a way to extend one’s life, well: Dick Van Dyke in a suit and tie, barefoot, dancing in his California backyard as he nears his 99th birthday, is it. - Vulture

"San Francisco Ballet’s Nutcracker season will kick off as planned, despite concerns that opening night would be canceled due to a stall in contract negotiations. Ballet management … reached a tentative two-year agreement with its union members on Thursday." - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)

Lynne Charles, artistic director of English National Ballet School, has developed a method she calls 4Pointe. "There are all these methods ... but there’s no pre-pointe teaching ... the balance as you go through your foot. I’ve developed exercises for specific parts of the foot and put them in a specific order." - Bachtrack

"Diego Vega Solorza does not want people to think of him as a visual artist. He is certainly not a sculptor, he insists, nor a photographer or videographer — even though he will exhibit that kind of work ... at this year’s Art Basel Miami Beach." - The New York Times

"In the performing arts, it’s often assumed that audiences consider international or 'big-city' imports higher quality than locally-produced talent and creativity. But for decades, regional companies have been proving that false. … While these 'homegrown' companies may have relatively low profiles, they’re a crucial part of the national dance landscape." - Dance Magazine

"Gurira set up Almasi (Collaborative Arts) with film and theatre producer Patience Tawengwa to give Zimbabwean creatives access to the sort of training and skills that she has benefited from since being in the US." - The Guardian

The theater symbolizes the many eccentrics and geniuses that abound in this country. It’s an enabler of dreamers and risk-takers. It’s a place where winners and losers are decided by neighbors, peers and curious tourists — not a panel of elites or know-it-alls. The Apollo Theater is an American temple of memories and untapped...

UK Theatre joint chief executive Claire Walker warned that “unplanned increases in staffing costs” were adding to a theatre sector already at “risk”. - The Stage

“Morgan was like meeting, not a saint, but the … Muse of Curiosity. 'Ingenuity is always worth a read,' was one of her oft-repeated mantras. In essence, she viewed the act of creativity as inherently good. Something worthy of digging into.” - American Theatre

"'Every day (there’s shooting),' sighed the director, Eliezer Guérismé, as his company took a break from their read-through to the all-too familiar sound of gunfire. 'But even with the shooting, we keep on working because that’s our mission. We don’t want to stop.'" - The Guardian

"Why would anyone want to be a critic? As I’ve admitted before, it wasn’t in my case an aspiration but a series of accidents that only in retrospect seem inevitable." Charles McNulty explains how it happened as well as the principles that shape his criticism. - Los Angeles Times (MSN)

“Booksellers save lives. Period,” Patterson said in a statement released Tuesday through his publisher, Little, Brown and Company. “I’m happy to be able to acknowledge them and all their hard work this holiday season.” - AP News

Just what was Kreskin’s talent? “I am not a psychic, an occultist or fortune teller. I am not a mind reader, medium or hypnotist. I am a scientist, a researcher in the field of suggestion and ‘extrasensory’ perceptions. I perform what I discover.” - The Hollywood Reporter

"In the months since the revelations, I revisited Munro’s stories, spoke with members of her family and tracked down a number of her unpublished letters. Munro’s appalling failures as a mother seem to have been an imaginative incitement, instrumental to her artistic project." - The New York Times Magazine

"A poet of rage and revolution as well as love and longing, (she) emerged as a fiery voice of Black liberation in the 1960s before honing a more tender, meditative style in best-selling books for children and adults." - The Washington Post (MSN)

Chiung Yao "helped shape the idea of romantic love for generations,” with more than 60 novels and short story collections published, and countless movies and TV adaptations from her work. - The New York Times

Bernadette Peters, with whom he often worked, said, "The orchestras loved him. He had a great sense of humor and they respected his musicianship. … He knew what I was going to do before I did it.” - The New York Times