AJ Four Ways: Text Only (by date) | headlines only
DANCE
IDEAS
- Ex-COO Of Atlanta’s High Museum Of Art Pleads Not Guilty To Theft Charges

“On Tuesday, during (Brady) Lum’s arraignment in federal court in Atlanta, the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia accused Lum of manipulating financial records and authorizing illegitimate purchases for his personal benefit, including high-end musical instruments, private lessons, and workshop equipment.” – ARTnews
- This 95-Second Scene Change At The Met Opera Is An Astounding Feat Of Coordination

In the company’s staging of Kaija Saariaho’s opera Innocence, seven stage managers, four prop masters, and a big flock of stagehands transform the set from a decorated wedding-banquet hall into a blood-spattered high-school classroom in a minute and a half — and they do it while the set is rotating. – The New York Times
- Kennedy Center Boss: See? We Really Do Need To Renovate!

“Matt Floca, the new executive director and COO, is leading tours this month that show water damage and intrusion to expansion joints, marble slabs and exterior pavers. Participants are guided through the building’s water and HVAC systems, as well as the parking garages and loading docks said to need repairs.” – AP
- Hampshire College Will Shut Down At End Of Year

“Founded in 1965, and opening its doors to students five years later as a campus determined to ‘radically reimagine liberal arts education,’ the small liberal arts college (in Amherst, Mass.) started facing significant financial headwinds seven years ago.” – WBUR (Boston)
- Performing Arts Touring In England Is “In Crisis” And Needs “Radical Rethink”: Report

“A report commissioned by Arts Council England finds that touring is ‘in crisis’, though ‘not entirely broken’, given some parts of the sector, such as large-scale commercial touring in major cities, are going ‘from strength to strength’. However, touring to smaller and mid-scale venues is ‘increasingly unsustainable’.” – Arts Professional (UK)
ISSUES
- Ex-COO Of Atlanta’s High Museum Of Art Pleads Not Guilty To Theft Charges

“On Tuesday, during (Brady) Lum’s arraignment in federal court in Atlanta, the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia accused Lum of manipulating financial records and authorizing illegitimate purchases for his personal benefit, including high-end musical instruments, private lessons, and workshop equipment.” – ARTnews
- The Trump-As-Jesus Image Conveyed More Than He Realized: Philip Kennicott

“Among those messages: a palpable sense of desperation. In the rapid and angry response to the meme, one sensed a coalition beginning to crack, and in the message itself — unfiltered, offensive and unhinged — one sensed the instability of the man who disseminated it.” – The Washington Post (MSN)
- EU Tells Venice Biennale To Justify Russia’s Inclusion Or Lose Funding

The letter, invoking the charge that the Biennale had violated EU sanctions against Russia, asks the exhibition to “respond to these allegations” and “inform us of any corrective measures you intend to adopt.” At stake is a €2 million ($2.3 million) grant that the commission is prepared to “suspend or terminate” – ARTnews
- Australia’s Most Controversial Exhibition Of Indigenous Art Opens After Three-Year Delay

The major exhibition “Ngura Puḻka – Epic Country,” was supposed to open at the National Gallery in Canberra in 2023. It was almost entirely installed when The Australian (a Murdoch paper) published allegations which led to a string of investigations, sustained and divisive public commentary, a multimillion-dollar lawsuit, and a three-year postponement. – The Guardian
- Someone Will Win This Picasso For €100

A raffle in France is offering the chance to win a portrait by Pablo Picasso for the price of a €100 (£87) ticket, with proceeds going to Alzheimer’s research. – The Guardian
MEDIA
- Kennedy Center Boss: See? We Really Do Need To Renovate!
“Matt Floca, the new executive director and COO, is leading tours this month that show water damage and intrusion to expansion joints, marble slabs and exterior pavers. Participants are guided through the building’s water and HVAC systems, as well as the parking garages and loading docks said to need repairs.” – AP
- Hampshire College Will Shut Down At End Of Year
“Founded in 1965, and opening its doors to students five years later as a campus determined to ‘radically reimagine liberal arts education,’ the small liberal arts college (in Amherst, Mass.) started facing significant financial headwinds seven years ago.” – WBUR (Boston)
- Performing Arts Touring In England Is “In Crisis” And Needs “Radical Rethink”: Report
“A report commissioned by Arts Council England finds that touring is ‘in crisis’, though ‘not entirely broken’, given some parts of the sector, such as large-scale commercial touring in major cities, are going ‘from strength to strength’. However, touring to smaller and mid-scale venues is ‘increasingly unsustainable’.” – Arts Professional (UK)
- New Contemporary Art Museum In Indianapolis Aims To Reinvent The Form
The $13 million campus, which spans five acres, includes a Vegas-style, chicken-themed wedding chapel, a radio station, a contemporary art gallery with a coffee shop, an amphitheater, a sculpture park and 18 colorful, affordable houses for resident artists and their families. – The New York Times
- Trump Fires Entire Presidio Board
A year after threatening to “dramatically” downsize the operations of San Francisco’s Presidio, President Donald Trump has terminated the park’s board of trustees. – San Francisco Chronicle
MUSIC
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Is Saved, Three Weeks Before It Was To Close
“The Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism, the nonprofit parent organization of The Baltimore Banner, reached an agreement with Block Communications to acquire the I, which was slated to shut down in May.” – Nieman Lab
- Other Legacy U.S. Newspapers Which Have Gone Nonprofit
So far, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is the fourth large one (not including The Philadelphia Inquirer, which remains for-profit itself though it is owned by a nonprofit organization). – AP
- LGBTQ Bookstores Had Been Slowly Disappearing For Years, Now There’s A New Generation Of Them.
“The number of LGBTQ+-focused bookstores in the U.S. has slowly but steadily increased over the past five years. While this new generation of booksellers all give a nod to their predecessors, they’ve also made a point of doing things differently.” – Publishers Weekly
- A Professor Gets Besotted With His Chatbot
An English professor burns the midnight oil talking to Microsoft Copilot about Shakespeare, Dickinson, Hawthorne, and a play he’s been working on—and comes away deeply impressed by its literary insights. – Quillette
- What Paramount Is Planning For Its New Publishing House
“The new imprint will develop new publishing content based on properties from Paramount’s various divisions, such as SpongeBob SquarePants, … Star Trek, and Yellowstone, complementing the work of its licensed publishers. … The imprint will also allow the company to generate original intellectual properties with potential for extension into entertainment and experiences.” – Publishers Weekly
PEOPLE
- Ex-COO Of Atlanta’s High Museum Of Art Pleads Not Guilty To Theft Charges
“On Tuesday, during (Brady) Lum’s arraignment in federal court in Atlanta, the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia accused Lum of manipulating financial records and authorizing illegitimate purchases for his personal benefit, including high-end musical instruments, private lessons, and workshop equipment.” – ARTnews
- This 95-Second Scene Change At The Met Opera Is An Astounding Feat Of Coordination
In the company’s staging of Kaija Saariaho’s opera Innocence, seven stage managers, four prop masters, and a big flock of stagehands transform the set from a decorated wedding-banquet hall into a blood-spattered high-school classroom in a minute and a half — and they do it while the set is rotating. – The New York Times
- Kennedy Center Boss: See? We Really Do Need To Renovate!
“Matt Floca, the new executive director and COO, is leading tours this month that show water damage and intrusion to expansion joints, marble slabs and exterior pavers. Participants are guided through the building’s water and HVAC systems, as well as the parking garages and loading docks said to need repairs.” – AP
- Hampshire College Will Shut Down At End Of Year
“Founded in 1965, and opening its doors to students five years later as a campus determined to ‘radically reimagine liberal arts education,’ the small liberal arts college (in Amherst, Mass.) started facing significant financial headwinds seven years ago.” – WBUR (Boston)
- Performing Arts Touring In England Is “In Crisis” And Needs “Radical Rethink”: Report
“A report commissioned by Arts Council England finds that touring is ‘in crisis’, though ‘not entirely broken’, given some parts of the sector, such as large-scale commercial touring in major cities, are going ‘from strength to strength’. However, touring to smaller and mid-scale venues is ‘increasingly unsustainable’.” – Arts Professional (UK)
PEOPLE
- Ex-COO Of Atlanta’s High Museum Of Art Pleads Not Guilty To Theft Charges
“On Tuesday, during (Brady) Lum’s arraignment in federal court in Atlanta, the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia accused Lum of manipulating financial records and authorizing illegitimate purchases for his personal benefit, including high-end musical instruments, private lessons, and workshop equipment.” – ARTnews
- This 95-Second Scene Change At The Met Opera Is An Astounding Feat Of Coordination
In the company’s staging of Kaija Saariaho’s opera Innocence, seven stage managers, four prop masters, and a big flock of stagehands transform the set from a decorated wedding-banquet hall into a blood-spattered high-school classroom in a minute and a half — and they do it while the set is rotating. – The New York Times
- Kennedy Center Boss: See? We Really Do Need To Renovate!
“Matt Floca, the new executive director and COO, is leading tours this month that show water damage and intrusion to expansion joints, marble slabs and exterior pavers. Participants are guided through the building’s water and HVAC systems, as well as the parking garages and loading docks said to need repairs.” – AP
- Hampshire College Will Shut Down At End Of Year
“Founded in 1965, and opening its doors to students five years later as a campus determined to ‘radically reimagine liberal arts education,’ the small liberal arts college (in Amherst, Mass.) started facing significant financial headwinds seven years ago.” – WBUR (Boston)
- Performing Arts Touring In England Is “In Crisis” And Needs “Radical Rethink”: Report
“A report commissioned by Arts Council England finds that touring is ‘in crisis’, though ‘not entirely broken’, given some parts of the sector, such as large-scale commercial touring in major cities, are going ‘from strength to strength’. However, touring to smaller and mid-scale venues is ‘increasingly unsustainable’.” – Arts Professional (UK)
THEATRE
VISUAL
- How AI Will Kill Content Platforms
Not only will AI agents compete away the revenue streams of the giant digital platforms, but they will also render irrelevant the data on which the platforms built their competitive advantage. – Harvard Business Review
- Why Has Culture Gone Flat?
Capitalism—and then late capitalism, and then late, late capitalism—has been identified as the culprit for culture’s flattening for at least a century. David Marx borrows heavily from Fredric Jameson’s account of postmodernism. – LA Review of Books
- All In? (Or Not): The Existential Bet On AI
Artificial intelligence will bring us heaven on earth or kill us all. It is the most important invention in human history or a scam. – The Nation
- Do-Gooders And The Pointlessness Of Jobs
The few jobs today that are tangibly useful—say, social workers and science teachers—pay far less than the mass of uninspiring administrative and middle-management roles that prop them up. As a result, many opt for the paycheck, even if that means resigning oneself to working a job that doesn’t really need to be done. – The Point
- Language And The Battle For Democracy
If ‘language is one of the keys to individual autonomy’, the central challenge in a linguistic landscape being flattened and standardized by AI is to ‘continue to believe in language learning as a tool of emancipation and liberation’. – Eurozine

















