AJ Four Ways: Text Only (by date) | headlines only
DANCE
IDEAS
- Humans Still Pick The Books
Good Morning,
The Book of the Month Club turns 100 this year, and its growth strategy is almost a provocation: human curation. The service has added members every year since it dropped “Club” from its name, now past 400,000, on a simple premise — “We don’t depend on algorithms to determine your next book” (Publishers Weekly). Houston’s Menil is making a slower version of the same idea, reopening its long-shuttered fresco building for site-specific commissions that will sit for five years each (Houston Chronicle).
The harder question underneath the day is who pays for any of it. The Obama Foundation raised its presidential center on six donations of $50 million or more, then declined federal library status altogether — privately capitalized cultural memory, on the donors’ terms (Chicago Sun-Times). Against that, the public sector is thinning: the Louvre’s director told the French Senate his museum is “running on fumes” (ARTnews), the BBC is cutting 550 jobs (The Hollywood Reporter), and a House committee voted to axe the Education Department’s only arts-education grant (Hyperallergic).
Meanwhile, Trump’s repainted Reflecting Pool came out not flag-blue but Packers-green (The Atlantic). Not quite the look anyone was going for.
All of our stories below.
Doug
- For His First Work Of Performance Art, Ai Weiwei Will Re-Enact His Imprisonment
“From 5 p.m. on July 3 (in Manchester), Ai will enter a replica of his 25.92 square-meter cell, recreated by international architecture firm Hawkins\Brown. Inside, (over 24 hours,) he’ll sleep, eat, exercise, write, wash, and face interrogation on personal, political, and philosophical matters by four famed journalists.” – Artnet
- “Toy Story” Is One Of Disney’s Most Dependable Franchises
Analysts expect the fifth installment of Disney/Pixar’s “Toy Story” franchise will pull in at least $150 million in the U.S. and Canada, with some predicting as much as $175 million — either of which would set a franchise record, topping the nearly $121-million opening of 2019’s “Toy Story 4.” – Los Angeles Times
- “The Seduction Of Certainty”: Playwright Moisés Kaufman On The Roald Dahl Bio-Play “Giant”
“Most plays about prejudice comfort the audience with clarity. They reassure us that we would have recognized it immediately. Giant offers no such reassurance.” – Observer
- Debating The Color Of The National Mall Reflecting Pool
The Reflecting Pool now evokes the joy of a Green Bay Packers victory. Or a high-school prank. Or St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago.It most certainly is not the gleaming American-flag blue that Trump’s repainting of the pool was supposed to produce. – The Atlantic
ISSUES
- For His First Work Of Performance Art, Ai Weiwei Will Re-Enact His Imprisonment
“From 5 p.m. on July 3 (in Manchester), Ai will enter a replica of his 25.92 square-meter cell, recreated by international architecture firm Hawkins\Brown. Inside, (over 24 hours,) he’ll sleep, eat, exercise, write, wash, and face interrogation on personal, political, and philosophical matters by four famed journalists.” – Artnet
- Debating The Color Of The National Mall Reflecting Pool
The Reflecting Pool now evokes the joy of a Green Bay Packers victory. Or a high-school prank. Or St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago.It most certainly is not the gleaming American-flag blue that Trump’s repainting of the pool was supposed to produce. – The Atlantic
- Louvre Is “Running On Fumes,” Its Director Tells French Senate
Christophe Leribault: “To put it bluntly: despite its imposing majesty and the daily dedication of its staff, the Louvre is running on fumes. Its facilities and infrastructure are reaching the end of their lifespan.” – ARTnews
- Houston’s Menil Collection To Reopen Long-Closed Fresco Building And Fill It With Site-Specific Commission
The annex, opened in 1997 to house two Byzantine frescoes and closed since those works were returned to Cyprus in 2017, will reopen late next year to house long-term, site-specific, immersive installations — the first will be by Teresita Fernández — which will remain in place for roughly five years each. – Houston Chronicle (MSN)
- The Hague’s Mauritshuis Museum May Keep Its Rembrandts, Rules Judge
Abraham Bredius, museum director from 1889 to 1909, bequeathed the Mauritshuis 25 of his own Old Master paintings — by Rembrandt, Jan Steen, and others — on condition that the works be displayed and not lent out. Because the museum doesn’t display all of them all the time, Bredius’s heirs sued — and lost. – ArtDependence
MEDIA
- David Hockney Was Working Class. Artists From The Working Class Have A Much More Difficult Time Today
Through policies and schemes, previously unheard-of opportunities for people of his background began to open up, without which he would not have become the success he is considered today. The situation today for aspiring artists from a similar background is much starker. – The Conversation
- Ballmer And Bezos And Benioff: Mega-donors To The Obama Library
The foundation collected six donations of $50 million-plus, including one anonymous contributor. – Chicago Sun-Times
- The Woman Trying To Rebuild Oakland’s Arts Program
Oakland currently allots its entire arts community only $300,000 in grants — in contrast to the combined $29 million that Grants for the Arts and the San Francisco Arts Commission apportioned across the bay last fiscal year. – San Francisco Chronicle
- U.S. House Committee Advances Measure To Axe Department Of Education’s Only Arts Grant Program
“The Republican-chaired House Appropriations Committee … advanced a proposal that could defund the Department’s Assistance for Arts Education program, … which was established in 2015 to fund primary and secondary arts education with an emphasis on ‘disadvantaged students’ and children with disabilities.” – Hyperallergic
- Highmark Mann Center Opens On A Roll
The Highmark Mann opened five decades ago as the Robin Hood Dell West, the local summer retreat for the Philadelphia Orchestra, and it has evolved into a bona fide arts center that feels both sylvan and city. – Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
MUSIC
- Why The New Obama Presidential Center Is Not Officially A Library
It isn’t a presidential library if it isn’t run by the National Archives and Records Administration, and the Obama Foundation had two big reasons for deciding not having NARA involved. So President Obama’s papers and archives will be made available to the public digitally while the Obama Center serves other functions. – Chicago Sun-Times
- In Its Centennial Year, The Book Of The Month Club Has Become Kind Of Cool
Since its rebrand as Book of the Month (no more club) a decade ago, the subscription service has grown every year and now has over 400,000 members. Its strength, says chairman John Lippman, is human curation: “We don’t depend on algorithms to determine your next book.” – Publishers Weekly
- Publishers Sue Website For Pirating
Fresh off of last month’s victory against pirate web site Anna’s Archive, 13 publishers across all segments of the industry have allied to sue yet another pirate site, WeLib, for copyright infringement. – Publishers Weekly
- New Owners Roxane Gay And Debbie Millman Relaunch Online Lit Magazine The Rumpus
“We’ll still be covering, with the same rigor and integrity, fiction, essays, poetry, book reviews, author interviews, and so forth,” said Millman. “But we’re also going to include more design criticism, art criticism, and overall cultural coverage. The soul of the writing … will be very similar; topically, it will be different.” – Publishers Weekly
- Have New Books Gotten More Expensive? Yes, But …
Hardcovers which for years cost around $20 are now routinely marked at $30 or more. However, both publishing executives and booksellers maintain that the price of new books has not kept up with post-2020 inflation in the economy as a whole (including their own supply chains). – USA Today
PEOPLE
- Humans Still Pick The Books
Good Morning,
The Book of the Month Club turns 100 this year, and its growth strategy is almost a provocation: human curation. The service has added members every year since it dropped “Club” from its name, now past 400,000, on a simple premise — “We don’t depend on algorithms to determine your next book” (Publishers Weekly). Houston’s Menil is making a slower version of the same idea, reopening its long-shuttered fresco building for site-specific commissions that will sit for five years each (Houston Chronicle).
The harder question underneath the day is who pays for any of it. The Obama Foundation raised its presidential center on six donations of $50 million or more, then declined federal library status altogether — privately capitalized cultural memory, on the donors’ terms (Chicago Sun-Times). Against that, the public sector is thinning: the Louvre’s director told the French Senate his museum is “running on fumes” (ARTnews), the BBC is cutting 550 jobs (The Hollywood Reporter), and a House committee voted to axe the Education Department’s only arts-education grant (Hyperallergic).
Meanwhile, Trump’s repainted Reflecting Pool came out not flag-blue but Packers-green (The Atlantic). Not quite the look anyone was going for.
All of our stories below.
Doug
- For His First Work Of Performance Art, Ai Weiwei Will Re-Enact His Imprisonment
“From 5 p.m. on July 3 (in Manchester), Ai will enter a replica of his 25.92 square-meter cell, recreated by international architecture firm Hawkins\Brown. Inside, (over 24 hours,) he’ll sleep, eat, exercise, write, wash, and face interrogation on personal, political, and philosophical matters by four famed journalists.” – Artnet
- “Toy Story” Is One Of Disney’s Most Dependable Franchises
Analysts expect the fifth installment of Disney/Pixar’s “Toy Story” franchise will pull in at least $150 million in the U.S. and Canada, with some predicting as much as $175 million — either of which would set a franchise record, topping the nearly $121-million opening of 2019’s “Toy Story 4.” – Los Angeles Times
- “The Seduction Of Certainty”: Playwright Moisés Kaufman On The Roald Dahl Bio-Play “Giant”
“Most plays about prejudice comfort the audience with clarity. They reassure us that we would have recognized it immediately. Giant offers no such reassurance.” – Observer
- Debating The Color Of The National Mall Reflecting Pool
The Reflecting Pool now evokes the joy of a Green Bay Packers victory. Or a high-school prank. Or St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago.It most certainly is not the gleaming American-flag blue that Trump’s repainting of the pool was supposed to produce. – The Atlantic
PEOPLE
- Humans Still Pick The Books
Good Morning,
The Book of the Month Club turns 100 this year, and its growth strategy is almost a provocation: human curation. The service has added members every year since it dropped “Club” from its name, now past 400,000, on a simple premise — “We don’t depend on algorithms to determine your next book” (Publishers Weekly). Houston’s Menil is making a slower version of the same idea, reopening its long-shuttered fresco building for site-specific commissions that will sit for five years each (Houston Chronicle).
The harder question underneath the day is who pays for any of it. The Obama Foundation raised its presidential center on six donations of $50 million or more, then declined federal library status altogether — privately capitalized cultural memory, on the donors’ terms (Chicago Sun-Times). Against that, the public sector is thinning: the Louvre’s director told the French Senate his museum is “running on fumes” (ARTnews), the BBC is cutting 550 jobs (The Hollywood Reporter), and a House committee voted to axe the Education Department’s only arts-education grant (Hyperallergic).
Meanwhile, Trump’s repainted Reflecting Pool came out not flag-blue but Packers-green (The Atlantic). Not quite the look anyone was going for.
All of our stories below.
Doug
- For His First Work Of Performance Art, Ai Weiwei Will Re-Enact His Imprisonment
“From 5 p.m. on July 3 (in Manchester), Ai will enter a replica of his 25.92 square-meter cell, recreated by international architecture firm Hawkins\Brown. Inside, (over 24 hours,) he’ll sleep, eat, exercise, write, wash, and face interrogation on personal, political, and philosophical matters by four famed journalists.” – Artnet
- “Toy Story” Is One Of Disney’s Most Dependable Franchises
Analysts expect the fifth installment of Disney/Pixar’s “Toy Story” franchise will pull in at least $150 million in the U.S. and Canada, with some predicting as much as $175 million — either of which would set a franchise record, topping the nearly $121-million opening of 2019’s “Toy Story 4.” – Los Angeles Times
- “The Seduction Of Certainty”: Playwright Moisés Kaufman On The Roald Dahl Bio-Play “Giant”
“Most plays about prejudice comfort the audience with clarity. They reassure us that we would have recognized it immediately. Giant offers no such reassurance.” – Observer
- Debating The Color Of The National Mall Reflecting Pool
The Reflecting Pool now evokes the joy of a Green Bay Packers victory. Or a high-school prank. Or St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago.It most certainly is not the gleaming American-flag blue that Trump’s repainting of the pool was supposed to produce. – The Atlantic
THEATRE
VISUAL
- What Literature Teaches Us About Neurodivergence
Far from being a modern phenomenon, neurodivergence has a long history. In other words, people whose ways of thinking, sensing or behaving differed from social expectations have always existed. Members of my research project have described discovering these historical figures as like finding neurodivergent ancestors. – The Conversation
- The Philosophical Consequences Of Simulations
Students tend to have a low tolerance for fanciful hypotheses and abstruse thought experiments. All but the most philosophically inclined roll their eyes at Descartes’s famed “evil demon” scenario in which the reader is meant to reflect on whether any of her beliefs couldn’t have been presented as a deception of a malevolent spirit. – Hedgehog Review
- New Brain Study Reveals How Bilingual People Process Language
When deciding how to make a word singular or plural, for instance, bilingual people exhibit strikingly similar brain activity regardless of whether they are speaking in their first or second language. – The New York Times
- Why Older People Are Happier, And What We Can Learn From Them
- “Teaser” Events Have Become A Powerful Way For Pop Stars To Introduce Their Projects
From a marketing perspective, this approach blends internet culture and storytelling to create a memorable experience for fans. These teaser releases are particularly effective at generating fan theories, sparking speculation, creating memes and helping create stories with fans. – The Conversation
