AJ Four Ways: Text Only (by date) | headlines only
DANCE
IDEAS
- The Artist Taking Broken Things And Making Them Beautiful

“Toporkoff has found that she prefers working with mouth-blown glass because of its depth of color and texture and natural imperfections like bubbles and ripples. She sources the glass from Saint-Just Glassworks in the Loire region of France.” – The New York Times
- Dustin Hoffman Took Up Acting For A Very Normal College Student Reason

“My friend said, ‘Take acting, it’s like gym. Nobody flunks. You know, the worst you can get in gym is a C.’” – Today Show
- The ‘Blue Wave’ On Tuesday Swept A Fair Number Of Artists To Power

“Next year’s massive reconfiguration of power … brings with it a number of elected officials with creative backgrounds, some of whom even incorporated music, dance and art into their campaigns and promises to constituents.” – Los Angeles Times (MSN)
- A Ransomware Attack Takes Down The Queens Public Library

“Unfortunately, it’s part of the world that we live in right now. So the Queens Public Library is a victim of the type of world that we’re living in, where people are launching cyber attacks against various types of entities, large corporations, and now Queens Public Library.” – LitHub
- Why John Luther Adams Moved To An Arid Spot In Australia

“Adams, 73, is attracted to extremes. The more awe-inspiring, the better. It’s what has nourished his singular sound, which doesn’t so much represent as become the natural world.” – The New York Times
ISSUES
- The Artist Taking Broken Things And Making Them Beautiful

“Toporkoff has found that she prefers working with mouth-blown glass because of its depth of color and texture and natural imperfections like bubbles and ripples. She sources the glass from Saint-Just Glassworks in the Loire region of France.” – The New York Times
- What Botero’s Remakes Tell Us About Western Art History

“A Colombian artist being so enamoured by European artists invites questions about visibility – and whose art is deemed significant.” – BBC
- This Tapestry Artist From Kazakhstan Has Been Long Overdue For International Recognition

“Batima Zaurbekova is among Kazakhstan’s most celebrated artists. Beyond its borders, however, her name is far less known. The gap says less about her work than about who has been doing the looking—and framing.” – Artnet
- National Capital Planning Commission Approves Construction Of Trump Arch

The motion to approve the project passed by an 8-4 vote after listening to over 100 public remarks largely against the project after a nearly 9-hour meeting. – The Hill
- Livestream Of Trump Arch Public Testimony Meeting Crashed

The livestream went down during public testimony largely against the project and after a tense exchange with Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.). NCPC tech experts were looking into the issue, Reuters reported. – The Hill
MEDIA
- The ‘Blue Wave’ On Tuesday Swept A Fair Number Of Artists To Power
“Next year’s massive reconfiguration of power … brings with it a number of elected officials with creative backgrounds, some of whom even incorporated music, dance and art into their campaigns and promises to constituents.” – Los Angeles Times (MSN)
- Now That Russell Brand Has (Finally) Been Convicted Of Rape And Assault, Some Publishers Are Pulling His Books
However: “Tony Lyons, the publisher at Skyhorse, which published Brand’s How to Become a Christian in 7 Days under its new Tucker Carlson Books imprint this year, said in an email that the company ‘had no plans to withdraw Russell Brand’s books.’” – The New York Times
- Why Are Parts Of The Christian Internet So Fussed Over Gerwig’s New Narnia Movie?
Sexism, basically. Yet: “Critics of Gerwig’s casting of Streep forget that many of us heard tales of Narnia first in our mother’s voice. … This powerful, unknowable god first spoke to us in a loving voice which guided and comforted us, even when we might be afraid.” – Reactor
- Art Is Good For Your Health? Can’t We Do Better?
In other words, the key sell for engaging with art in this case is that there is science – a real expertise! – backing it up, to reassure those on the fence that it’s not all a clanging, nebulous waste of time. – The Guardian
- Other U.S. Cities Are Boosting Arts Funding, But Chicago’s Will Remain Flat
“The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events is set to receive about $62.5 million next year in the proposed budget. That’s up less than 1% from the arts budget that passed City Council last year.” – WBEZ (Chicago)
MUSIC
- A Ransomware Attack Takes Down The Queens Public Library
“Unfortunately, it’s part of the world that we live in right now. So the Queens Public Library is a victim of the type of world that we’re living in, where people are launching cyber attacks against various types of entities, large corporations, and now Queens Public Library.” – LitHub
- Do Booker-Nominated Authors Know How To Write A Booker-Nominated Novel?
The Guardian asks them, with some decent results. “Iris Murdoch once said, ‘One should sit quietly and let the thing invent itself,’ and I took that as a mantra, letting the book emerge. It turns out that can be quite messy.” – The Guardian (UK)
- The Romantasy Diaper Controversy
You know what often comes after years of (hot) sex, at least for some couples? That’s right: Babies. But do they, and their needs, belong in the hottest book series on the market? – Slate
- Strand Bookstore To Repay $1.5M COVID Relief Funds
The century-old Strand Bookstore has agreed to pay the federal government nearly $1.5 million to resolve a claim that it was not eligible for a pandemic-relief loan it obtained because the store’s owner is married to a member of Congress. – The New York Times
- Library Use Going Up As Economy Stresses
It is something of a truism in the library world that, when economic conditions worsen, people use libraries more. Patrons and librarians across the U.S. tell NPR they’re seeing that pan out now. – NPR
PEOPLE
- The Artist Taking Broken Things And Making Them Beautiful
“Toporkoff has found that she prefers working with mouth-blown glass because of its depth of color and texture and natural imperfections like bubbles and ripples. She sources the glass from Saint-Just Glassworks in the Loire region of France.” – The New York Times
- Dustin Hoffman Took Up Acting For A Very Normal College Student Reason
“My friend said, ‘Take acting, it’s like gym. Nobody flunks. You know, the worst you can get in gym is a C.’” – Today Show
- The ‘Blue Wave’ On Tuesday Swept A Fair Number Of Artists To Power
“Next year’s massive reconfiguration of power … brings with it a number of elected officials with creative backgrounds, some of whom even incorporated music, dance and art into their campaigns and promises to constituents.” – Los Angeles Times (MSN)
- A Ransomware Attack Takes Down The Queens Public Library
“Unfortunately, it’s part of the world that we live in right now. So the Queens Public Library is a victim of the type of world that we’re living in, where people are launching cyber attacks against various types of entities, large corporations, and now Queens Public Library.” – LitHub
- Why John Luther Adams Moved To An Arid Spot In Australia
“Adams, 73, is attracted to extremes. The more awe-inspiring, the better. It’s what has nourished his singular sound, which doesn’t so much represent as become the natural world.” – The New York Times
PEOPLE
- The Artist Taking Broken Things And Making Them Beautiful
“Toporkoff has found that she prefers working with mouth-blown glass because of its depth of color and texture and natural imperfections like bubbles and ripples. She sources the glass from Saint-Just Glassworks in the Loire region of France.” – The New York Times
- Dustin Hoffman Took Up Acting For A Very Normal College Student Reason
“My friend said, ‘Take acting, it’s like gym. Nobody flunks. You know, the worst you can get in gym is a C.’” – Today Show
- The ‘Blue Wave’ On Tuesday Swept A Fair Number Of Artists To Power
“Next year’s massive reconfiguration of power … brings with it a number of elected officials with creative backgrounds, some of whom even incorporated music, dance and art into their campaigns and promises to constituents.” – Los Angeles Times (MSN)
- A Ransomware Attack Takes Down The Queens Public Library
“Unfortunately, it’s part of the world that we live in right now. So the Queens Public Library is a victim of the type of world that we’re living in, where people are launching cyber attacks against various types of entities, large corporations, and now Queens Public Library.” – LitHub
- Why John Luther Adams Moved To An Arid Spot In Australia
“Adams, 73, is attracted to extremes. The more awe-inspiring, the better. It’s what has nourished his singular sound, which doesn’t so much represent as become the natural world.” – The New York Times
THEATRE
VISUAL
- True Crime Podcasts Are Known For Exploiting Victims. Can A Famous Survivor Host Make A Difference?
Elizabeth Smart: “I want this to be an empowering experience for them. I want them to feel pride in sharing their story.” – Slate
- In A State That Does Not Fund Public Education Well, Artists Band Together To Bring The Arts To Rural Schools
“The work could especially help the approximately 100 districts in the state where some, if not all, schools are only offering classes Monday through Thursday, primarily because of funding restrictions.” – Oregon ArtsWatch
- AI May Be Changing The Ways People Think
Some psychiatrists and philosophers interested in AI-human relationships suspect that AI psychosis may just be the most visible example of a much broader phenomenon: the subtle reshaping of ordinary human belief by conversational AI. – Big Think
- Our Primal Need To Be Needed
We have a real need to be needed. And yet many forces—thinking machines, aging, economic and social dislocation—appear to be making us feel redundant. Are we building a world in which no one is particularly necessary? Do we already live in such a world? – The New Yorker
- Defining The Artificial State
We have not a single piece of meaningful legislation in the United States Congress about artificial intelligence. We have essentially nothing about social media. This is something that we’re now battling out in the courts. – The Walrus












