AJ Four Ways: Text Only (by date) | headlines only
DANCE
IDEAS
- America At 250: Still Under Construction
Good Morning,
Happy 250th. Fitting that today’s stories keep circling the question the country has never settled: what is American culture, and who gets to say? There’s a case for George Bristow’s “Niagara” — a choral finale that outscales Beethoven’s Ninth — as the first great American symphony (Early Music America). Stephen Foster, born on the nation’s 50th birthday, turns 200 today still singing to America’s contradictions (The Conversation). Noah Webster spent a career trying to pry American English loose from Britain’s grip (Literary Hub). Even the national symbol was an import: the Statue of Liberty, considered as an art object, is a French sculpture that melted into an American idea (The New York Times).
The argument isn’t only historical. An appeals court says the administration needn’t restore the national park displays it purged for “disparaging” Americans (The Hill) — the national story, still being edited in real time. New York, meanwhile, cast its vote for culture with money: a record $323.8 million for culture in the new city budget (Hyperallergic).
And Nieman Lab caught an AI-generated fake news article complaining that AI fake news is killing real news (Nieman Lab). The ouroboros files its first dispatch.
Happy 4th! All of our stories below.
Doug
- The First Great American Symphony? George F. Bristow’s “Niagara”
Doug Shadle: “As I listened to the symphony — a strange yet monumental work with a choral finale eclipsing Beethoven’s Ninth in scope — the sonic confluences that have given shape and vibrancy to our national culture for 250 years rushed at me for over an hour.” – Early Music America
- Cleared Commonwealth Prize-winner Explains His Writing Process
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
- How Noah Webster Pushed (And Pushed Some More) To Americanize The English Language
“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
- The Movies Smartphones Make That Hollywood Can’t
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
ISSUES
- Attendance Has Plunged At Europe’s Jewish Museums
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
- Canadian Art Forger Used His Children In Scheme
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
- Nine-Hour Online Queues For Bayeux Tapestry Tickets At British Museum
“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
- It’s Expensive To Enter Australia’s Art Prize Competitions. But Hard To Give Them Up
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
- DePaul Museum Just Closed. But Its Collection Will Stay On Campus
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
MEDIA
- Pondering The Statue Of Liberty As An Art Object
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
- Appeals Court Reverses Lower Court Ruling That National Park Signs Had To Be Restored To Their Originals
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
- New York City’s New Budget Has Record-High Arts Funding
“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 Has Become Europe’s Nexus For Black Culture
“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
- How To Open Up Elite Universities?
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
MUSIC
- Cleared Commonwealth Prize-winner Explains His Writing Process
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
- How Noah Webster Pushed (And Pushed Some More) To Americanize The English Language
“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
- How JD Vance’s Book Put bell hooks’ 2002 Book Back On The Bestseller List
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
- How Book Prizes Really Work
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
- How A Self-Published Book Became A Mega Bestseller
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
PEOPLE
- America At 250: Still Under Construction
Good Morning,
Happy 250th. Fitting that today’s stories keep circling the question the country has never settled: what is American culture, and who gets to say? There’s a case for George Bristow’s “Niagara” — a choral finale that outscales Beethoven’s Ninth — as the first great American symphony (Early Music America). Stephen Foster, born on the nation’s 50th birthday, turns 200 today still singing to America’s contradictions (The Conversation). Noah Webster spent a career trying to pry American English loose from Britain’s grip (Literary Hub). Even the national symbol was an import: the Statue of Liberty, considered as an art object, is a French sculpture that melted into an American idea (The New York Times).
The argument isn’t only historical. An appeals court says the administration needn’t restore the national park displays it purged for “disparaging” Americans (The Hill) — the national story, still being edited in real time. New York, meanwhile, cast its vote for culture with money: a record $323.8 million for culture in the new city budget (Hyperallergic).
And Nieman Lab caught an AI-generated fake news article complaining that AI fake news is killing real news (Nieman Lab). The ouroboros files its first dispatch.
Happy 4th! All of our stories below.
Doug
- The First Great American Symphony? George F. Bristow’s “Niagara”
Doug Shadle: “As I listened to the symphony — a strange yet monumental work with a choral finale eclipsing Beethoven’s Ninth in scope — the sonic confluences that have given shape and vibrancy to our national culture for 250 years rushed at me for over an hour.” – Early Music America
- Cleared Commonwealth Prize-winner Explains His Writing Process
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
- How Noah Webster Pushed (And Pushed Some More) To Americanize The English Language
“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
- The Movies Smartphones Make That Hollywood Can’t
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
PEOPLE
- America At 250: Still Under Construction
Good Morning,
Happy 250th. Fitting that today’s stories keep circling the question the country has never settled: what is American culture, and who gets to say? There’s a case for George Bristow’s “Niagara” — a choral finale that outscales Beethoven’s Ninth — as the first great American symphony (Early Music America). Stephen Foster, born on the nation’s 50th birthday, turns 200 today still singing to America’s contradictions (The Conversation). Noah Webster spent a career trying to pry American English loose from Britain’s grip (Literary Hub). Even the national symbol was an import: the Statue of Liberty, considered as an art object, is a French sculpture that melted into an American idea (The New York Times).
The argument isn’t only historical. An appeals court says the administration needn’t restore the national park displays it purged for “disparaging” Americans (The Hill) — the national story, still being edited in real time. New York, meanwhile, cast its vote for culture with money: a record $323.8 million for culture in the new city budget (Hyperallergic).
And Nieman Lab caught an AI-generated fake news article complaining that AI fake news is killing real news (Nieman Lab). The ouroboros files its first dispatch.
Happy 4th! All of our stories below.
Doug
- The First Great American Symphony? George F. Bristow’s “Niagara”
Doug Shadle: “As I listened to the symphony — a strange yet monumental work with a choral finale eclipsing Beethoven’s Ninth in scope — the sonic confluences that have given shape and vibrancy to our national culture for 250 years rushed at me for over an hour.” – Early Music America
- Cleared Commonwealth Prize-winner Explains His Writing Process
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
- How Noah Webster Pushed (And Pushed Some More) To Americanize The English Language
“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
- The Movies Smartphones Make That Hollywood Can’t
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
THEATRE
VISUAL
- The Two Versions Of Who We Really Are
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 Wrong Way To Criticize The Humanities
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
- Do We Have A Facts Problem Or An Interpretation-Of-Facts Problem?
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
- Why It’s So Difficult To Calculate Benefits And Costs Of Technology Innovation
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
- Why Leisure Is A Tough Gig
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
