AJ Four Ways: Text Only (by date) | headlines only
DANCE
IDEAS
- Go Ahead, Touch The Art
Good Morning,
The V&A’s new East Storehouse lets visitors order objects up from the collection and actually handle them (The New York Times). Museums have traditionally erected barriers between people and things; now one of the world’s great collections is betting on removing them.
It’s not alone in rediscovering that authentic presence is the asset. Americans are falling back in love with independent cinemas (The Guardian) — thriving not by competing with streaming but by selling what streaming can’t do, a room full of strangers. Mexico’s World Cup run is reviving mariachi (NPR) — “People are drinking. They’re happy. They’re paying for music.” And Wales’s Green Man festival has spent ten years training refugees for real careers (The Guardian), a music festival can double as civic infrastructure.
My AJ Chronicles essay this week takes a look at some of the culture that is working well and what they have in common. Some trends emerge
All of our stories below.
Doug
- American Classical Music at 250 – Take Two: The BAM Experiment
The “New World” Symphony visual presentation created by Peter Bogdanoff for the Brooklyn Philharmonic’s 1994 Dvorak festival. Building on - Turkish Comedian Imprisoned For Insulting Erdogan
“A Turkish court on Friday ordered a comedian jailed pending trial on charges of insulting religious values and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after his stand‑up routine included references to him as a ‘dictator.’” (This is what the some might call Erdogan “not beating the charges.”) – Seattle Times (AP)
- Take A Deep Breath: Music Fans Vs Music Critics Discourse Surfaces Again
“America’s obsession with celebrity has morphed into this really weird, parasocial thing, where people feel incentivized to be deputized defenders of that person and are there to attack anybody who says anything at least a little bit negative about them.” – Washington Post
- The Men’s Team World Cup Run May Be Helping Revive Mexico’s Mariachi Traditions
“People are drinking. They’re happy. They’re paying for music.” – NPR
ISSUES
- The MAGA-Reviled Smithsonian Museums Saved Many Lives On The Fourth
Did someone hit a big flashing “irony” button for our timeline? – The New York Times
- The Empty, Vacuous Promises Of The New LACMA
“There is nothing emancipatory, nor original, about creating a luxury venue that privileges sensibility over scholarship, allure over accessibility, and fine dining over gallery square footage.” – E-Flux
- Ordering Up, And Then Touching, The Objects At The V&A East Storehouse
“When you open these cardboard frames up and look at the edges of the paper and see they’re stained and old, you can really picture Beatrix Potter’s hand. … It’s such a privilege to be this close and be trusted.” – The New York Times
- 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
MEDIA
- Turkish Comedian Imprisoned For Insulting Erdogan
“A Turkish court on Friday ordered a comedian jailed pending trial on charges of insulting religious values and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after his stand‑up routine included references to him as a ‘dictator.’” (This is what the some might call Erdogan “not beating the charges.”) – Seattle Times (AP)
- Everything Digital We’ve ‘Bought’ Is Actually Rented
And Sony’s email to Playstation UK customers was simply a reminder of that uncomfortable, horrifying fact. – Wired
- 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
MUSIC
- The Fanfiction Community Is At Internal War Over Generative AI
“Fandom communities are still mostly relying on vibes. Most fanfics aren’t judged by a tool like the AO3 skin, but by tells’ that could include anything from specific sentence structures — like the notorious ‘it’s not X, it’s Y’ — to overuse of flowery metaphors.” – The Verge (Archive Today)
- 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
PEOPLE
- Go Ahead, Touch The Art
Good Morning,
The V&A’s new East Storehouse lets visitors order objects up from the collection and actually handle them (The New York Times). Museums have traditionally erected barriers between people and things; now one of the world’s great collections is betting on removing them.
It’s not alone in rediscovering that authentic presence is the asset. Americans are falling back in love with independent cinemas (The Guardian) — thriving not by competing with streaming but by selling what streaming can’t do, a room full of strangers. Mexico’s World Cup run is reviving mariachi (NPR) — “People are drinking. They’re happy. They’re paying for music.” And Wales’s Green Man festival has spent ten years training refugees for real careers (The Guardian), a music festival can double as civic infrastructure.
My AJ Chronicles essay this week takes a look at some of the culture that is working well and what they have in common. Some trends emerge
All of our stories below.
Doug
- American Classical Music at 250 – Take Two: The BAM ExperimentThe “New World” Symphony visual presentation created by Peter Bogdanoff for the Brooklyn Philharmonic’s 1994 Dvorak festival. Building on
- Turkish Comedian Imprisoned For Insulting Erdogan
“A Turkish court on Friday ordered a comedian jailed pending trial on charges of insulting religious values and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after his stand‑up routine included references to him as a ‘dictator.’” (This is what the some might call Erdogan “not beating the charges.”) – Seattle Times (AP)
- Take A Deep Breath: Music Fans Vs Music Critics Discourse Surfaces Again
“America’s obsession with celebrity has morphed into this really weird, parasocial thing, where people feel incentivized to be deputized defenders of that person and are there to attack anybody who says anything at least a little bit negative about them.” – Washington Post
- The Men’s Team World Cup Run May Be Helping Revive Mexico’s Mariachi Traditions
“People are drinking. They’re happy. They’re paying for music.” – NPR
PEOPLE
- Go Ahead, Touch The Art
Good Morning,
The V&A’s new East Storehouse lets visitors order objects up from the collection and actually handle them (The New York Times). Museums have traditionally erected barriers between people and things; now one of the world’s great collections is betting on removing them.
It’s not alone in rediscovering that authentic presence is the asset. Americans are falling back in love with independent cinemas (The Guardian) — thriving not by competing with streaming but by selling what streaming can’t do, a room full of strangers. Mexico’s World Cup run is reviving mariachi (NPR) — “People are drinking. They’re happy. They’re paying for music.” And Wales’s Green Man festival has spent ten years training refugees for real careers (The Guardian), a music festival can double as civic infrastructure.
My AJ Chronicles essay this week takes a look at some of the culture that is working well and what they have in common. Some trends emerge
All of our stories below.
Doug
- American Classical Music at 250 – Take Two: The BAM ExperimentThe “New World” Symphony visual presentation created by Peter Bogdanoff for the Brooklyn Philharmonic’s 1994 Dvorak festival. Building on
- Turkish Comedian Imprisoned For Insulting Erdogan
“A Turkish court on Friday ordered a comedian jailed pending trial on charges of insulting religious values and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after his stand‑up routine included references to him as a ‘dictator.’” (This is what the some might call Erdogan “not beating the charges.”) – Seattle Times (AP)
- Take A Deep Breath: Music Fans Vs Music Critics Discourse Surfaces Again
“America’s obsession with celebrity has morphed into this really weird, parasocial thing, where people feel incentivized to be deputized defenders of that person and are there to attack anybody who says anything at least a little bit negative about them.” – Washington Post
- The Men’s Team World Cup Run May Be Helping Revive Mexico’s Mariachi Traditions
“People are drinking. They’re happy. They’re paying for music.” – NPR
THEATRE
VISUAL
- After Some Grim Times, The US Is Back In Love With Independent Cinemas
You can thank the young ones: there’s “a gen Z-led wave fueling a fresh resurgence of indie movie houses.” – The Guardian (UK)
- If You Need Some Incredible Photographs, Not Only Of Space, NASA Probably Has Them
But how to search them up? Google won’t help as much (if at all) anymore, but there are ways. – Wired
- 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
