AJ Four Ways: Text Only (by date) | headlines only
DANCE
IDEAS
- The State Museum of Pennsylvania – Director
The State Museum of Pennsylvania (SMOP) seeks a strategic, collaborative leader to serve as its Director.
As a bureau of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC), the Museum brings Pennsylvania’s natural and cultural history to life through collections of more than 12 million artifacts spanning cultural history, art, archaeology, geology, paleontology, and natural history.
Over the next several years, the Museum will undergo a $58 million transformation — the largest investment in the complex since 1964. This is a rare opportunity for a mission-driven museum leader to guide a statewide institution through a once-in-a-generation renewal. The Director will shape a reimagined visitor experience, deepen community engagement, collaborate with staff and steward collections through the transition, championing the importance of Pennsylvania’s history now and for the future. PHMC seeks a collaborative, experienced museum leader with a passion for public history who will serve as a visible, compelling spokesperson, sustain engagement during closure, build momentum for reopening, and thrive in the Museum’s public-sector environment.
The Museum has an annual operating budget of approximately $4 million, as well as a planned capital budget of approximately $80 million over 10 years to support continued exhibition development. Salary begins at $115,000 and includes a competitive Commonwealth benefits package. The start date is projected for late summer 2026. The search is being led by Syrah Gunning of the DeVos Institute of Arts and Nonprofit Management. Learn more and apply at: https://tinyurl.com/SMOPaj
- Remembering “The Pied Piper Of Early Music,” David Munrow, 50 Years After His Suicide
“With all the bravura of the 1960s, David Munrow erupted into the world of early music and transformed what had been a minority interest into popular listening. His … impact lives on in the music he rediscovered and popularised, and the innovative ways in which he presented and performed it.” – The Guardian
- Ontario Starts Crackdown On Ticket Resellers
The Ontario government has begun cracking down on ticket scalpers and resale websites to make sure they’re complying with new rules brought in last month that cap the resale price of tickets at face value, as some ticketing platforms still openly list tickets for well above their original price. – CBC
- The Producer Who Wants To Make Microdramas Which Are Actually Good
“Snow Story Productions CEO Austin Herring said the big hits in microdramas were ‘borderline unwatchable’ when he entered the field in 2024, where salacious and soap opera-level storytelling were the norm. But he remained committed to elevating the production standard.” – TheWrap (MSN)
- Neue Galerie To Merge With The Metropolitan Museum
Beginning in 2028, the Metropolitan Museum of Art will own the Neue’s Fifth Avenue home and the prestige collection of 20th-century Austrian and German art built by Ronald S. Lauder. – The New York Times
ISSUES
- Neue Galerie To Merge With The Metropolitan Museum
Beginning in 2028, the Metropolitan Museum of Art will own the Neue’s Fifth Avenue home and the prestige collection of 20th-century Austrian and German art built by Ronald S. Lauder. – The New York Times
- Artists In The Age Of AI: Let’s Explore The Labor-Intensive Art Of The Renaissance
Artists have been raiding the toolkits of the Old Masters with new urgency of late, borrowing and reworking Renaissance and Baroque compositional drama, symbolism, and increasingly, their labor-intensive methods. – Artnet
- How The Smithsonian Decided To Celebrate America’s 250th Birthday
“What we landed on were those moments where individuals or communities had fought for recognition and advocated for their own sense of identity and self in their role in creating and becoming a part of the United States. But we also wanted to do the playful.” – The Guardian
- Louvre Prioritized Prestige Over Security In Period Before Crown Jewel Theft, Says French Parliament Report
“Security, the report revealed, had been ‘relegated to the background,’ despite two audits completed in 2017 and 2019, years before the jewel heist. The 2019 audit prompted a Security Equipment Master Plan, but it was apparently not implemented in a timely fashion by (then-director) Jean-Luc Martinez.” – ARTnews
- Iran: We Never Dropped Out Of The Venice Biennale, And We’re Still Coming
Earlier this month, Biennale organizers announced that Iran had withdrawn from the event. But a high official in the country’s culture ministry just said in an interview, “(we) neither submitted a withdrawal letter nor stated that we would not attend. Rather, we said we would participate and requested more time.” – Artforum
MEDIA
- Ontario Starts Crackdown On Ticket Resellers
The Ontario government has begun cracking down on ticket scalpers and resale websites to make sure they’re complying with new rules brought in last month that cap the resale price of tickets at face value, as some ticketing platforms still openly list tickets for well above their original price. – CBC
- NYU Students Protest Jonathan Haidt As Graduation Speaker
Student government leaders at New York University are objecting to his selection as the graduation speaker at Yankee Stadium — calling it “deeply unsettling” — and in a letter, asked university officials to reconsider before the ceremony on Thursday. – The New York Times
- Lincoln Center Unveils $335 Million Redesign Of Its Western Edge
The project, which aims to make that side of the campus less fortress-like and more inviting, will turn the concrete-heavy stretch around Damrosch Park into a space with gardens, public gathering areas and a new 2,000-seat amphitheater. – Time Out New York
- Australia Announces A$1.1 Billion Arts Funding Budget
“The government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has unveiled a $1.1 billion (just under US$800 million) arts and culture package in the 2026–27 Federal Budget, headlined by increased (money for funding agency) Creative Australia, targeted support for national collecting institutions and new investment in cultural infrastructure projects across the country.” – Limelight (Australia)
- Time Out Names London As The World’s Top Culture Scene
Recognised for the scale, quality and accessibility of its cultural scene, the UK capital embraces diverse communities and historic landmarks, alongside an extraordinary range of world-class museums and galleries – many of them free to visit. – Time Out
MUSIC
- Keats’s Rediscovered Love Letters Could Sell For $2 Million
“A once-stolen collection of letters written by the poet John Keats to his fiancée Fanny Brawne will be sold at Sotheby’s New York this June with an estimate of $1.5 million to $2.5 million. The group of eight letters … date from 1819 to 1820, a period when Keats was suffering from tuberculosis.” – Artnet
- The Various Things British People Mean When They Say “Sorry”
“In the UK, ‘sorry’ is not simply an apology, it’s a cultural reflex – a five-letter pressure valve used to soften requests, smooth over awkwardness, fill conversational gaps and avoid the national horror of seeming rude. … For visitors, the puzzle is … working out what ‘sorry’ actually means.” – BBC
- What Makes Some People So Good At Picking Up And Changing Accents?
One study found that the best predictor of whether someone could imitate a new accent was being able to execute a tongue-twister. A good ear for music and openness to new experiences also correlate with skill at accents. – BBC
- What Happens To Humanity When We Lose A Language?
“Some communities are lucky enough to have the political or cultural autonomy to protect their languages – think of Welsh or Māori – but many aren’t so fortunate. Some rue and rally; others resign themselves to decline.” – The Guardian (UK)
- If You, A Writer, Think Most Writers Are Trash, Are You A Literary Jerk?
Uh, yes. “This feels a little bit like a you-problem. And by that, I mean you need to start treating yourself (and your writing) more carefully, and with a great deal more empathy and respect.” – LitHub
PEOPLE
- The State Museum of Pennsylvania – Director
The State Museum of Pennsylvania (SMOP) seeks a strategic, collaborative leader to serve as its Director.
As a bureau of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC), the Museum brings Pennsylvania’s natural and cultural history to life through collections of more than 12 million artifacts spanning cultural history, art, archaeology, geology, paleontology, and natural history.
Over the next several years, the Museum will undergo a $58 million transformation — the largest investment in the complex since 1964. This is a rare opportunity for a mission-driven museum leader to guide a statewide institution through a once-in-a-generation renewal. The Director will shape a reimagined visitor experience, deepen community engagement, collaborate with staff and steward collections through the transition, championing the importance of Pennsylvania’s history now and for the future. PHMC seeks a collaborative, experienced museum leader with a passion for public history who will serve as a visible, compelling spokesperson, sustain engagement during closure, build momentum for reopening, and thrive in the Museum’s public-sector environment.
The Museum has an annual operating budget of approximately $4 million, as well as a planned capital budget of approximately $80 million over 10 years to support continued exhibition development. Salary begins at $115,000 and includes a competitive Commonwealth benefits package. The start date is projected for late summer 2026. The search is being led by Syrah Gunning of the DeVos Institute of Arts and Nonprofit Management. Learn more and apply at: https://tinyurl.com/SMOPaj
- Remembering “The Pied Piper Of Early Music,” David Munrow, 50 Years After His Suicide
“With all the bravura of the 1960s, David Munrow erupted into the world of early music and transformed what had been a minority interest into popular listening. His … impact lives on in the music he rediscovered and popularised, and the innovative ways in which he presented and performed it.” – The Guardian
- Ontario Starts Crackdown On Ticket Resellers
The Ontario government has begun cracking down on ticket scalpers and resale websites to make sure they’re complying with new rules brought in last month that cap the resale price of tickets at face value, as some ticketing platforms still openly list tickets for well above their original price. – CBC
- The Producer Who Wants To Make Microdramas Which Are Actually Good
“Snow Story Productions CEO Austin Herring said the big hits in microdramas were ‘borderline unwatchable’ when he entered the field in 2024, where salacious and soap opera-level storytelling were the norm. But he remained committed to elevating the production standard.” – TheWrap (MSN)
- Neue Galerie To Merge With The Metropolitan Museum
Beginning in 2028, the Metropolitan Museum of Art will own the Neue’s Fifth Avenue home and the prestige collection of 20th-century Austrian and German art built by Ronald S. Lauder. – The New York Times
PEOPLE
- The State Museum of Pennsylvania – Director
The State Museum of Pennsylvania (SMOP) seeks a strategic, collaborative leader to serve as its Director.
As a bureau of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC), the Museum brings Pennsylvania’s natural and cultural history to life through collections of more than 12 million artifacts spanning cultural history, art, archaeology, geology, paleontology, and natural history.
Over the next several years, the Museum will undergo a $58 million transformation — the largest investment in the complex since 1964. This is a rare opportunity for a mission-driven museum leader to guide a statewide institution through a once-in-a-generation renewal. The Director will shape a reimagined visitor experience, deepen community engagement, collaborate with staff and steward collections through the transition, championing the importance of Pennsylvania’s history now and for the future. PHMC seeks a collaborative, experienced museum leader with a passion for public history who will serve as a visible, compelling spokesperson, sustain engagement during closure, build momentum for reopening, and thrive in the Museum’s public-sector environment.
The Museum has an annual operating budget of approximately $4 million, as well as a planned capital budget of approximately $80 million over 10 years to support continued exhibition development. Salary begins at $115,000 and includes a competitive Commonwealth benefits package. The start date is projected for late summer 2026. The search is being led by Syrah Gunning of the DeVos Institute of Arts and Nonprofit Management. Learn more and apply at: https://tinyurl.com/SMOPaj
- Remembering “The Pied Piper Of Early Music,” David Munrow, 50 Years After His Suicide
“With all the bravura of the 1960s, David Munrow erupted into the world of early music and transformed what had been a minority interest into popular listening. His … impact lives on in the music he rediscovered and popularised, and the innovative ways in which he presented and performed it.” – The Guardian
- Ontario Starts Crackdown On Ticket Resellers
The Ontario government has begun cracking down on ticket scalpers and resale websites to make sure they’re complying with new rules brought in last month that cap the resale price of tickets at face value, as some ticketing platforms still openly list tickets for well above their original price. – CBC
- The Producer Who Wants To Make Microdramas Which Are Actually Good
“Snow Story Productions CEO Austin Herring said the big hits in microdramas were ‘borderline unwatchable’ when he entered the field in 2024, where salacious and soap opera-level storytelling were the norm. But he remained committed to elevating the production standard.” – TheWrap (MSN)
- Neue Galerie To Merge With The Metropolitan Museum
Beginning in 2028, the Metropolitan Museum of Art will own the Neue’s Fifth Avenue home and the prestige collection of 20th-century Austrian and German art built by Ronald S. Lauder. – The New York Times
THEATRE
VISUAL
- Study: People Are Bad At Figuring Out What They Don’t Know (Yet They Think They Can)
People aren’t just bad at remembering things they see all the time, but also in actually knowing how they work. In a 2006 study, many people made significant errors when drawing a bicycle, like putting the chain around the front wheel as well as the back wheel. – The Conversation
- How Your Brain Toggles Between The Familiar And Exploration
Research from my team suggests that people balance between exploration and habit – that is, trying something new or sticking with the familiar – when deciding what route to take. Which navigation strategy someone chooses depends not only on their spatial abilities but on their network of brain regions that support navigation. – The Conversation
- Reconciling The Values Of Silicon Valley
For decades, these ideologies were tolerated as part of a tacit social bargain: A group of intelligent eccentrics were left to their own devices on a patch of land in the Santa Clara Valley, and, in return, American society received an extraordinary set of new technologies. – Liberties Journal
- The (Mis)Understanding Of Joan Didion
The places and events that Didion samples in the late Sixties—a time of unpopular foreign involvements, identity-based unrest at home, and a divisive, enigmatic national government—make right now an instructive time to read Slouching. – Hedgehog Review
- Is Capitalism Forever? Or…
No matter how one defines capitalism, the concept has served its critics well. Capitalism named an enemy, gave it a shape, and showed that it was on the march, threatening everything in its path. It still does. Scholars, by contrast, have often blanched at the term, dismissing it as political or polemical. – The Nation
