AJ Four Ways: Text Only (by date) | headlines only
DANCE
IDEAS
- AJ Chronicles: How to Fight the Slop
Old systems of certification are failing from every direction: technological, legal, institutional and political. So what’s left when you can’t just say “trust us”? You have to show your work and construct a context, making the case not by institutional credential but by demonstration. - A Whole Lotta New Concrete in Culture this Week
This Week’s Highlights:
The biggest institutions are building like the future belongs to them. LACMA opened its $724 million reinvention (Los Angeles Times). London’s National Gallery chose Kengo Kuma to design a $464 million modern-art wing (The Guardian). The Dallas Symphony closed a $50 million endowment campaign (The Dallas Morning News). And Lyric Opera of Chicago expanded its season and signed Sondra Radvanovsky for five years (Chicago Tribune).
But the culture’s software looks a bit less permanent. The Hirshhorn’s director is the fourth to leave the Smithsonian in two years (The New York Times). The Salzburg Festival fired its artistic director and named a replacement in under two weeks (Moto Perpetuo). The U.S. Holocaust Museum softened its own content preemptively, before the administration even asked (Politico). And the Trump administration dropped its legal fight to dismantle IMLS — then zeroed out its funding in the next budget (Publishers Weekly). Why litigate when you can starve the beast?
The sector is investing in buildings at historic scale. The institutional infrastructure underneath — leadership stability, regulatory protection, the willingness to hold ground — is thinning fast. What could go wrong?
This week, my AJ Chronicles’ deeper dive into stories of the week focuses on combatting a culture awash in slop. You can read it here.
All this week’s stories below, organized by topic.
- Our Biggest Problem
<a href="https://www.artsjournal.com/herman/2026/04/our-biggest-problem.html" title="Our Biggest Problem” rel=”nofollow”>
His mouth is too big, and his conscience . . . well . . . he doesn’t have one. - John Milbauer shares three things he learned in policy school that he wished he learned in music school
John Milbauer, Dean of DePaul University’s School of Music, shares the three things he learned in policy school that he wished he learned in music school.
- Sitar Arts Center seeks Executive Director
Sitar Arts Center is seeking an Executive Director to lead a thriving arts education nonprofit advancing creative youth development in Washington, DC. The ideal candidate brings strategic vision, fundraising leadership, and a passion for arts education and community impact. Starting salary begins at $175,000.
ISSUES
- Australian State Abandons Plans To Refocus Library On “Digital Experiences”
Many of Australia’s most prominent writers, researchers and artists, along with thousands of members of the public, had expressed outrage over the proposal to cut 39 jobs and refocus the 171-year-old institution – and Australia’s oldest public library – on tourist-oriented “digital experiences”. – The Guardian
- Greece’s New Law To Combat Art Theft
The bill, approved by Parliament in late January, establishes strict criminal penalties calibrated to the severity of the offense, including prison sentences ranging from six months to ten years and fines of up to €300,000 in the most serious cases. – ARTnews
- Could (Should?) AI Replace Art Experts?
Attribution, in this sense, is not merely a scholarly exercise. It is the keystone of an economic and cultural structure. Without it, prices collapse, catalogues unravel, and historical narratives lose coherence. And yet attribution is also deeply human, shaped by judgment, intuition, training and, inevitably, bias. – Aeon
- She Built Russia’s Only Major Contemporary Art Museum Outside Moscow. Then She Was Chased Out Of The Country.
Nailya Allakhverdiyeva turned PERMM (in Perm, 700 miles from Moscow) into one of the country’s most respected museums. She tried to cooperate with authorities over any concrete objections to PERMM’s projects, but continuing harassment by law enforcement and an ultimatum from the regional cultural minister drove her away. – The New York Times
- Louisiana State Museums’ Reaccreditation Put On Hold
“The LSM system, comprising ten museums across the state — including the New Orleans Jazz Museum, Louisiana Civil Rights Museum and historic houses — has faced lawsuits, public controversy and an unfavourable audit in recent years.” Accreditation body the American Alliance of Museums indicated that “tabling” is for “specific issues (to) be addressed.” – The Art Newspaper
MEDIA
- Japan Struggles With What Some There Call “Tourism Pollution”
“As the country’s economic malaise deepens, officials are eager for the economic boost of increased tourism, even as local communities find themselves entirely unprepared for what a small army of foreign visitors means for their communities.” – AP
- South Korea Shakes Up Its Cultural Leadership
South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has announced a series of high-profile appointments across its leading arts institutions, led by the naming of conductor and cellist Chang Han-na as the new president and chief executive of the Seoul Arts Center. – Moto Perpetuo
- Trump Administration Abandons Appeal, Gives Up Attempt To Dismantle Institute Of Museum And Library Services
“A federal court granted the administration’s request to withdraw its appeal of a federal judge’s earlier ruling that struck down Trump’s attempt last year to dismantle the agency” by executive order. However, the fiscal 2027 budget which the White House is submitting to Congress includes no funding for IMLS. – Publishers Weekly
- In The Bay Area, Earlier Curtain Times Are Catching On
From ACT in San Francisco to Berkeley Rep to Stanford Live, producers and presenters are moving starting times from 8:00 to 7:30, 7:00 or even 6:30. So far, there have been lots of favorable comments and very few complaints. – San Francisco Chronicle (Yahoo!)
- The City Of Boston Gets A New Arts Chief
“Many cities are facing affordability crises, lack of access to physical space for creative work, and tighter budgets. It’s more important than ever to have leaders who can engage planning and policy systems and ensure the creative sector is at the table.” – WBUR
MUSIC
- Poets Are All About Words. What Happens When Those Words Start Slipping Away?
Because the cells that make up the mind are material, they can degrade or die. When neurons degrade, starve, or die, the essential connections our minds make to our muscles start to sputter. – LA Review of Books
- When The AI Police Are Wrong
The Originality.ai reports on his draft, which he shared with The Times, showed that adding or deleting even just a few sentences produced wildly different results. “What if publishers or agents start running these A.I. tools on everybody?” Bricio said. “Everybody is going to walk on eggshells from now on.” – The New York Times
- Pew Study On Reading: Americans Still Prefer Print Books
Print continues to be the only book format used by a majority of Americans. Roughly two-thirds of adults say they have read a physical book in the past 12 months, according to our October survey. – Pew Center
- Paramount Pictures Launches Its Own Book Publishing Imprint
“Operating under the products & experiences division, Paramount Global Publishing ‘will develop complementary publishing content inspired by its iconic portfolio of brands and franchises as well as generate new IP through the creation of original stories.’” – Publishers Weekly
- Library On The US/Canada Border Gets A Door On The Canadian Side
For decades, people in Stanstead were allowed to walk around the Haskell Free Library and Opera House, but last year the U.S. limited access. Instead of walking a few metres, you’d have to drive down the street and go through a border crossing just to get in the front door. – CTV
PEOPLE
- AJ Chronicles: How to Fight the SlopOld systems of certification are failing from every direction: technological, legal, institutional and political. So what’s left when you can’t just say “trust us”? You have to show your work and construct a context, making the case not by institutional credential but by demonstration.
- A Whole Lotta New Concrete in Culture this Week
This Week’s Highlights:
The biggest institutions are building like the future belongs to them. LACMA opened its $724 million reinvention (Los Angeles Times). London’s National Gallery chose Kengo Kuma to design a $464 million modern-art wing (The Guardian). The Dallas Symphony closed a $50 million endowment campaign (The Dallas Morning News). And Lyric Opera of Chicago expanded its season and signed Sondra Radvanovsky for five years (Chicago Tribune).
But the culture’s software looks a bit less permanent. The Hirshhorn’s director is the fourth to leave the Smithsonian in two years (The New York Times). The Salzburg Festival fired its artistic director and named a replacement in under two weeks (Moto Perpetuo). The U.S. Holocaust Museum softened its own content preemptively, before the administration even asked (Politico). And the Trump administration dropped its legal fight to dismantle IMLS — then zeroed out its funding in the next budget (Publishers Weekly). Why litigate when you can starve the beast?
The sector is investing in buildings at historic scale. The institutional infrastructure underneath — leadership stability, regulatory protection, the willingness to hold ground — is thinning fast. What could go wrong?
This week, my AJ Chronicles’ deeper dive into stories of the week focuses on combatting a culture awash in slop. You can read it here.
All this week’s stories below, organized by topic.
- Our Biggest Problem<a href="https://www.artsjournal.com/herman/2026/04/our-biggest-problem.html" title="Our Biggest Problem” rel=”nofollow”>His mouth is too big, and his conscience . . . well . . . he doesn’t have one.
- John Milbauer shares three things he learned in policy school that he wished he learned in music school
John Milbauer, Dean of DePaul University’s School of Music, shares the three things he learned in policy school that he wished he learned in music school.
- Sitar Arts Center seeks Executive Director
Sitar Arts Center is seeking an Executive Director to lead a thriving arts education nonprofit advancing creative youth development in Washington, DC. The ideal candidate brings strategic vision, fundraising leadership, and a passion for arts education and community impact. Starting salary begins at $175,000.
PEOPLE
- AJ Chronicles: How to Fight the SlopOld systems of certification are failing from every direction: technological, legal, institutional and political. So what’s left when you can’t just say “trust us”? You have to show your work and construct a context, making the case not by institutional credential but by demonstration.
- A Whole Lotta New Concrete in Culture this Week
This Week’s Highlights:
The biggest institutions are building like the future belongs to them. LACMA opened its $724 million reinvention (Los Angeles Times). London’s National Gallery chose Kengo Kuma to design a $464 million modern-art wing (The Guardian). The Dallas Symphony closed a $50 million endowment campaign (The Dallas Morning News). And Lyric Opera of Chicago expanded its season and signed Sondra Radvanovsky for five years (Chicago Tribune).
But the culture’s software looks a bit less permanent. The Hirshhorn’s director is the fourth to leave the Smithsonian in two years (The New York Times). The Salzburg Festival fired its artistic director and named a replacement in under two weeks (Moto Perpetuo). The U.S. Holocaust Museum softened its own content preemptively, before the administration even asked (Politico). And the Trump administration dropped its legal fight to dismantle IMLS — then zeroed out its funding in the next budget (Publishers Weekly). Why litigate when you can starve the beast?
The sector is investing in buildings at historic scale. The institutional infrastructure underneath — leadership stability, regulatory protection, the willingness to hold ground — is thinning fast. What could go wrong?
This week, my AJ Chronicles’ deeper dive into stories of the week focuses on combatting a culture awash in slop. You can read it here.
All this week’s stories below, organized by topic.
- Our Biggest Problem<a href="https://www.artsjournal.com/herman/2026/04/our-biggest-problem.html" title="Our Biggest Problem” rel=”nofollow”>His mouth is too big, and his conscience . . . well . . . he doesn’t have one.
- John Milbauer shares three things he learned in policy school that he wished he learned in music school
John Milbauer, Dean of DePaul University’s School of Music, shares the three things he learned in policy school that he wished he learned in music school.
- Sitar Arts Center seeks Executive Director
Sitar Arts Center is seeking an Executive Director to lead a thriving arts education nonprofit advancing creative youth development in Washington, DC. The ideal candidate brings strategic vision, fundraising leadership, and a passion for arts education and community impact. Starting salary begins at $175,000.
THEATRE
VISUAL
- AI And The End Of Homework: AI Can Now Do All The Work
Need to take an online math quiz? Write a biology-lab report? Create a PowerPoint presentation for history class? AI can do all of this and more. One high schooler recently told me that he struggles to think of a single assignment that AI wouldn’t be able to do for him. – The Atlantic
- Our Zombie Entertainment Industrial Complex
Entertainment and tech companies have gotten smarter about putting consumers into bastardized flow states that leaves people feeling drained and sad rather than challenged and enlarged as selves. – Derek Thompson
- Who Likes To Be Sad? So Why Do We Seek Out Art That Makes Us Sad?
It’s a phenomenon that has long puzzled psychologists and philosophers alike. Given that we usually dread sadness and strive to avoid it because it feels so bad – from painful conversations to the grief of loss – why do we actively seek it in art? – Psyche
- Wrestling For The Soul Of The Machine
This is a war over whether technology will merely optimise calculations or eliminate a quintessentially human element such calculations can’t capture. But beneath these debates, the question still lurks: what makes us so special? And can it be computed? – Aeon
- How The Humanities Declined Into Crisis
A combination of technological, economic, political, and cultural forces, at work both within and without the university, had by the early 2020s effectively pummeled the tradition of universitarian humanism into unconsciousness. – Chronicle of Higher Education
