AJ Four Ways: Text Only (by date) | headlines only
DANCE
IDEAS
- Museum Wall Text Has Become Another Culture-War Battleground
“Traditionally, museum wall text has been no more controversial than signs pointing visitors to the restrooms, and the Smithsonian still has descriptions placed near objects in most of its galleries. But there have been changes at exhibitions in some museums where the subject could be potentially contentious.” – The New York Times
- Paris Judge Rejects Attempt To Block New Windows Commissioned For Notre-Dame
“A Paris judge has rejected a request to halt the removal of six 19th-century stained-glass windows by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc from Notre-Dame Cathedral, which are to be replaced by government-commissioned contemporary works (by artist Claire Tabouret).” – ARTnews
- Short Story Which Won Prize Last Week Is Now Thought To Be Written By AI
“’The Serpent in the Grove’ was named as the winning entry for the Commonwealth Prize from the Caribbean on Saturday and published in Granta magazine. … Shortly (afterward), internet sleuths — and a few literary critics — seized upon the work and its author, Jamir Nazir, reportedly a 61-year-old from Trinidad with few publications to his name.” – The Guardian
- Pirated Audiobooks Voiced By AI Bots Are All Over YouTube
“While piracy has long been an issue for the book business, the rapid rise of unauthorized audiobooks” — typically with vocally flat narration and unrelated visuals — “on YouTube, which publishers and authors believe are eroding sales for their books, poses a new challenge for the industry.” – The New York Times
- James Murdoch Buys “New York” Magazine And Vox
Rupert Murdoch’s younger, more liberal-leaning son has purchased, for a reported-but-unconfirmed $300 million, roughly half of the current Vox Media: New York magazine and its verticals (among them Vulture, The Cut, and Curbed), the Vox.com website, and the Vox Media Podcast Network. – AP
ISSUES
- Paris Judge Rejects Attempt To Block New Windows Commissioned For Notre-Dame
“A Paris judge has rejected a request to halt the removal of six 19th-century stained-glass windows by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc from Notre-Dame Cathedral, which are to be replaced by government-commissioned contemporary works (by artist Claire Tabouret).” – ARTnews
- Dubai Says It’s Building A Big New Museum For Digital Art
“The planned Museum of Digital Art (MODA) … is part of Dubai’s monumental $27 billion transformation of its financial center into a tech hub, announced earlier this year, and will platform various art forms that rely on emerging technologies, including immersive and interactive experiences. No budget or completion date has yet been announced.” – Artnet
- Pompidou And Hong Kong’s M+ Strike A Five-Year Deal To Exchange Art
The major exhibition featuring collections from both institutions will be staged first in Paris at the Centre Pompidou, after its five-year renovation, around 2029 or 2030, before being hosted at the M+ with a focus on visual culture in France and China. – South China Morning Post
- Will Paint For Food?
“If my art isn’t in your budget right now, I’ll accept the following as payment…” the viral posts on Instagram and TikTok read. The caption includes a list of items or services that the artist will trade the work for, ranging from handmade clothes, jewellery and tattoos to accommodation, meals and beauty services. – The Art Newspaper
- The (Current, As Of Last Night) 16 Most Expensive Artworks Ever Sold At Auction
Yes, the maybe-it’s-really-a-Leonardo Salvator Mundi is still number one, more than $200 million ahead of the runner-up, which made the list just last year. Meanwhile, the fourth-ranking piece set its record on Monday night. Fully half the artworks on this list were auctioned since 2020. – ARTnews
MEDIA
- Museum Wall Text Has Become Another Culture-War Battleground
“Traditionally, museum wall text has been no more controversial than signs pointing visitors to the restrooms, and the Smithsonian still has descriptions placed near objects in most of its galleries. But there have been changes at exhibitions in some museums where the subject could be potentially contentious.” – The New York Times
- A New Arts-And-Culture Magazine Focused On “The Creative Process”
“Former Pitchfork and Spin editor-in-chief Puja Patel is launching Totei, a publication dedicated to ‘craft and craftsmanship.’ The online magazine will publish content weekly, including profiles of artists and musicians, photo essays, reported features, and interviews. Crucially, Totei aims to spotlight rarely seen materials showing how art is created.” – Semafor
- Israeli Organization Threatens Suit Against Canadian Museum for Human Rights Exhibit
A prominent Israeli legal organization is threatening legal action against the Canadian Museum for Human Rights over an upcoming exhibit on the Palestinian Nakba, alleging the Winnipeg museum is promoting a politically one-sided narrative that could fuel antisemitism and violate federal law. – Winnipeg Sun
- Boston’s Investment In The Arts Is Deflating
The Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture more than doubled its operating budget and staff, and the city earmarked $26.2 million from the American Rescue Plan Act to bolster Boston’s creative sector. All that is set to change, as federal pandemic funds run out and the city cuts grant programs to balance the budget. – WBUR
- The Americanization Of Tourism
We’re selling vibes, textures. A sunset on the hills in Chianti, riding a bike on an island in Sicily. Imagine us discussing it in parliament with an Italian accent: l’importanza del made in Italy. We use the English expression unironically. It’s aimed at Americans. – The Dial
MUSIC
- Short Story Which Won Prize Last Week Is Now Thought To Be Written By AI
“’The Serpent in the Grove’ was named as the winning entry for the Commonwealth Prize from the Caribbean on Saturday and published in Granta magazine. … Shortly (afterward), internet sleuths — and a few literary critics — seized upon the work and its author, Jamir Nazir, reportedly a 61-year-old from Trinidad with few publications to his name.” – The Guardian
- Pirated Audiobooks Voiced By AI Bots Are All Over YouTube
“While piracy has long been an issue for the book business, the rapid rise of unauthorized audiobooks” — typically with vocally flat narration and unrelated visuals — “on YouTube, which publishers and authors believe are eroding sales for their books, poses a new challenge for the industry.” – The New York Times
- Author Of A Book About AI And Truth Admits Some Of His Book Was Written By AI With Fake Quotes
The author of a nonfiction book about the effects of artificial intelligence on truth acknowledged on Monday that he had included numerous made-up or misattributed quotes concocted by A.I. – The New York Times
- International Booker Prize, For First Time, Goes To Novel Written In Mandarin Chinese
Taiwan Travelogue, written by Yáng Shuāng-zi and translated by Lin King, takes the form of a travel memoir by a (fictional) Japanese novelist on a culinary tour of occupied Taiwan in the 1930s, charting her complex relationship with her local interpreter. The novel won a U.S. National Book Award in 2024. – AP
- New York Magazine Investigates Contributor For Alleged Plagiarism
“Ross Barkan, who is a contract writer for the magazine, … has been accused of plagiarism after publishing at least three stories with striking similarities to other published work.” – NPR
PEOPLE
- Museum Wall Text Has Become Another Culture-War Battleground
“Traditionally, museum wall text has been no more controversial than signs pointing visitors to the restrooms, and the Smithsonian still has descriptions placed near objects in most of its galleries. But there have been changes at exhibitions in some museums where the subject could be potentially contentious.” – The New York Times
- Paris Judge Rejects Attempt To Block New Windows Commissioned For Notre-Dame
“A Paris judge has rejected a request to halt the removal of six 19th-century stained-glass windows by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc from Notre-Dame Cathedral, which are to be replaced by government-commissioned contemporary works (by artist Claire Tabouret).” – ARTnews
- Short Story Which Won Prize Last Week Is Now Thought To Be Written By AI
“’The Serpent in the Grove’ was named as the winning entry for the Commonwealth Prize from the Caribbean on Saturday and published in Granta magazine. … Shortly (afterward), internet sleuths — and a few literary critics — seized upon the work and its author, Jamir Nazir, reportedly a 61-year-old from Trinidad with few publications to his name.” – The Guardian
- Pirated Audiobooks Voiced By AI Bots Are All Over YouTube
“While piracy has long been an issue for the book business, the rapid rise of unauthorized audiobooks” — typically with vocally flat narration and unrelated visuals — “on YouTube, which publishers and authors believe are eroding sales for their books, poses a new challenge for the industry.” – The New York Times
- James Murdoch Buys “New York” Magazine And Vox
Rupert Murdoch’s younger, more liberal-leaning son has purchased, for a reported-but-unconfirmed $300 million, roughly half of the current Vox Media: New York magazine and its verticals (among them Vulture, The Cut, and Curbed), the Vox.com website, and the Vox Media Podcast Network. – AP
PEOPLE
- Museum Wall Text Has Become Another Culture-War Battleground
“Traditionally, museum wall text has been no more controversial than signs pointing visitors to the restrooms, and the Smithsonian still has descriptions placed near objects in most of its galleries. But there have been changes at exhibitions in some museums where the subject could be potentially contentious.” – The New York Times
- Paris Judge Rejects Attempt To Block New Windows Commissioned For Notre-Dame
“A Paris judge has rejected a request to halt the removal of six 19th-century stained-glass windows by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc from Notre-Dame Cathedral, which are to be replaced by government-commissioned contemporary works (by artist Claire Tabouret).” – ARTnews
- Short Story Which Won Prize Last Week Is Now Thought To Be Written By AI
“’The Serpent in the Grove’ was named as the winning entry for the Commonwealth Prize from the Caribbean on Saturday and published in Granta magazine. … Shortly (afterward), internet sleuths — and a few literary critics — seized upon the work and its author, Jamir Nazir, reportedly a 61-year-old from Trinidad with few publications to his name.” – The Guardian
- Pirated Audiobooks Voiced By AI Bots Are All Over YouTube
“While piracy has long been an issue for the book business, the rapid rise of unauthorized audiobooks” — typically with vocally flat narration and unrelated visuals — “on YouTube, which publishers and authors believe are eroding sales for their books, poses a new challenge for the industry.” – The New York Times
- James Murdoch Buys “New York” Magazine And Vox
Rupert Murdoch’s younger, more liberal-leaning son has purchased, for a reported-but-unconfirmed $300 million, roughly half of the current Vox Media: New York magazine and its verticals (among them Vulture, The Cut, and Curbed), the Vox.com website, and the Vox Media Podcast Network. – AP
THEATRE
VISUAL
- Always On: Pretty Much Everything We Do Now Is Being Recorded
The next time you conduct a delicate bit of office diplomacy or share a romantic or financial secret with a friend over drinks, a sensor built into someone’s glasses, necklace, or lapel pin might be watching you and listening. – The Atlantic
- The Slop Before The AI Slop
In 1962, a programmer at Librascope, a California-based defense contractor, announced that “a computer can be programmed to write meaningful and relevant sentences in proper English.” – The New Yorker
- How AI Has Taken Over College Education
During the exam, students were pulling out phones and taking photographs of the test to submit to LLMs before copying down machine-written responses into their blue books. – The New Critic
- The Gamification Of Homework
Prodigy is among a bevy of gamified tools that have gained a foothold in classrooms across the country by promising to make learning fun. (As Prodigy’s website puts it: “Kids no longer have to choose between homework and playtime.”) – The Atlantic
- What Both Old And New Amadeus Teach Us
Every great artist needs a nemesis – fictional or not! – in order to stand out. – Salon
