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- Thieves Steal $5.1 Million Worth Of Crystal And Jewelry From Lalique Museum In France
“Three thieves targeted the Lalique museum in Wingen-sur-Moder in northeastern France at around 5:30 am on Sunday, … (and) made off with 27 pieces of jewelry worth an estimated €4.5 million ($5.1 million), prosecutors said Monday.” – AFP (Yahoo!)
- Historians Defend Smithsonian American History Museum Director From Trump Administration Attacks
“(Anthea) Hartig, director of the National Museum of American History since 2019, has commissioned exhibitions that … document the lived experiences of ordinary people, sometimes focusing on race, sexuality and colonialism. … Many historians support her goal of telling a more nuanced story of the United States.” – The New York Times
- What Exactly Does The Trump Administration Think Is Wrong With The Way The Smithsonian Depicts American History?
“Here are some of the report’s main charges, and how they relate to the administration’s broader push to promote what President Trump has called ‘patriotic’ history.” – The New York Times
- Velázquez Portrait Rediscovered By Detroit Institute Of Arts Director
“Salvador Salort-Pons, the director of the Detroit Institute of Arts, recently revealed the discovery of a portrait by Diego Velázquez made during the artist’s earliest years as a court painter to King Philip IV. Salort-Pons, a specialist in Velázquez, published his findings in the current issue of ARS Magazine.” – ARTnews
- New Hampshire Governor Vetoes Book-Banning Bill
“House Bill 434 would require school districts to establish formal policies for removing content from schools that is ‘obscene and harmful to minors,’ … (creating) a standardized removal process in which parents could challenge any book, magazine, film, video, web-based content, sound recording, or live performance offered to students.” – New Hampshire Bulletin
- Artistic Director – Syracuse Stage working with Management Consultants for the Arts
Syracuse Stage, Central New York’s premier professional theatre, seeks its next Artistic Director, who will join Managing Director Carly DiFulvio Allen to lead this storied organization. The company welcomes applications from talented individuals passionate about developing and stewarding Syracuse Stage’s artistic vision and curating theatre seasons of extraordinary quality that engage, entertain, and inspire the Syracuse community. Syracuse Stage has engaged Management Consultants for the Arts to lead the search, and interested candidates may apply for this position by visiting this link: https://www.mcaonline.com/searches/artistic-director-syracuse-stage
The annual salary range for the Artistic Director role at Syracuse Stage starts at $180,000 and includes a full benefits package commensurate with other organizations of its size, including:
- Medical/dental/vision insurance plans;
- Life Insurance, AD&D Coverage and long-term disability coverage;
- 403(b) plan;
- Paid vacation, holidays, sick leave, and personal days.
Founded in 1974, Stage has produced more than 300 plays in 48 seasons including a number of world, American, and East Coast premieres. Each season 60,000 patrons enjoy an adventurous mix of new plays and bold interpretations of classics and musicals featuring exceptional theatre artists. As the nonprofit, professional theatre in residence at Syracuse University, Stage has been integral to the success of the Department of Drama, one of the leading undergraduate theatre programs in the country. While embedded in the University, Stage is a separate 501(c)(3) organization, governed by its own Board of Directors.
- The Story Behind The Abrupt Departure Of Arena Stage’s Artistic Director
Former employees describe the tenure of artistic director Hana S. Sharif, who resigned last month, as “three years of terror.” – Notus
- Oops! Isn’t that the Declaration of Independence?
Good Morning,
Start with the day’s best story: a volunteer at Britain’s National Archives, working through an uncatalogued box, found a rare copy of the Declaration of Independence — the only known example outside the US (BBC). The timing is almost too good. America just turned 250, and the question of who keeps the national story and who gets to tell it is suddenly everywhere. Playing skunk at the party, the White House issued a 162-page attack on the Smithsonian’s American History museum for insufficient patriotism (The New York Times). Artists are running the more useful version of that argument: asking what the Statue of Liberty actually stands for (Hyperallergic), while critics and scholars survey 250 years of building to ask what makes architecture American at all (Architectural Record).
In ideas: our craving for the handmade isn’t nostalgia, argues one essayist. It’s a bid for agency in a world of infinite cheap copies (Aeon).
And in San Francisco, a gloriously trashy Dracula ballet packed the house with audiences in corsets and top hats (San Francisco Chronicle). “Rocky Horror” redux? It’s an audience strategy.
All of our stories below.
Doug
- Physical Media Are Dying. The Meaning Of “Buying” Something Has Changed
There is growing opposition to the rent-or-license model that has become increasingly common in pop culture, gaming, and streaming. In California, a law that took effect in 2025 requires digital stores to be clearer when consumers are buying a revocable licence rather than full ownership. – Fast Company
- Huge Shakeup In UK TV: Sky To Buy ITV
ITV confirmed to shareholders on Monday morning that it will sell to its pay-TV rival, meaning a crown jewel of British broadcasting becomes part of the NBCUniversal entertainment empire. – Deadline
- The End Of A Cultural Era: “Hockey Night In Canada” Is No More
Some called for defunding the national public broadcaster and others bemoaned the failures of successive federal governments to properly invest in the CBC. Many other Canadians, however, mourned the loss while simultaneously breathing a sigh of relief. – The Conversation
- The Knowing Beyond Knowledge
“What is the sense that something escapes the conditions of knowledge? It is, I think, the sense, or fact, that our primary relation to the world is not one of knowing it.” – The Point
- Trump White House Launches Scathing Attack On Smithsonian Over Its Portrayal Of History
The 162-page report, by the White House’s Domestic Policy Council, represents a sweeping attack on the museum’s presentation of American history. It is the latest step in the Trump administration’s campaign to pressure the Smithsonian into conforming to what President Trump has described as “patriotic” history.
- Paramount’s Looming $650M Problem In Its Warner Deal
Reuters said the fee would equate to around $650 million in cash to be paid by Paramount every three months, providing the U.K. government some leverage over Paramount if a study drags on to slow the deal’s closure. – The Street
- The Art World Really Is Unsustainable Now
It is extraordinarily difficult for most brick-and-mortar stores in any industry to survive, and that is especially true for art galleries. These large art shows may create a lot of foot traffic, but that doesn’t always translate to robust on-site sales for the galleries. – The New York Times
- What AI Is Doing To Art
Art forms that once expressed creators’ personal visions are reduced to fulfilling the audience’s cravings. In theory, I understand why some people say AI is just another creative tool, like the camera or the keyboard. In practice, that tool is filling our world with the ugly, frictionless, disposable content we’ve quickly come to call “slop.” – The Atlantic
- Chief Executive Officer – SAY: The Stuttering Association for the Young
SAY: The Stuttering Association for the Young seeks a visionary, purpose-driven, and tenacious Chief Executive Officer to lead the organization as it prepares for the planned retirement of its Founder and CEO, Taro Alexander.
For 25 years, SAY has provided support, advocacy, and life-changing experiences for young people who stutter. This CEO position is a rare opportunity to guide a pioneering national organization into its next era of impact, influence, and sustainability. SAY’s incoming CEO will manage and propel a respected national brand, a powerful community of participants and alumni, an engaged board, and a talented staff.
The salary for this position begins at $150,000, with an anticipated start date in late 2026. Candidates must be based in the greater New York City region or willing to relocate to it. The role is hybrid. The CEO will work in-person in the NYC office regularly and travel nationally to attend programs, fundraising events, and donor and partner meetings.
The search is led by Brett Egan and Syrah Gunning of the DeVos Institute of Arts and Nonprofit Management. Learn more and apply at https://tinyurl.com/SAYartsjor.
- The Best Architecture Of America’s 250 Years
From California bungalows to New York skyscrapers, from forest retreats to streamlined headquarters, what makes an architecture American, let alone the most significant example of such? – Architectural Record
- The Consequences Of Losing Physical Media
“For decades, the premise behind buying games, VHS tapes, DVDs, and other media was simple. You handed over money, and in return you got the game, show, or movie to keep. That bargain is now breaking down.” – Fast Company
- What’s Going On With Omnipresent ‘Traditional’ And ‘Handcrafted’ Discussion?
Two words: Skills nostalgia. – Aeon
- What, Truly, Does The Statue Of Liberty Stand For?
Many, many artists have thoughts. – Hyperallergic
- Why ‘Trashy’ Ballet Is Actually Good, At Least For Bringing In Audiences
“Call it ballet-qua-haunted house. … Audiences came in-kind on opening night, sporting black lace, corsets, velour, brocade and, in at least a couple cases, a top hat and a waxed mustache.” – San Francisco Chronicle (Yahoo)
- The Grim Economics Of Video Game Studios
“It is a testament to the state of the industry that trophies won’t keep the lights on. Still, the huge success of South of Midnight makes Compulsion’s potential [closure] stand out as a real head-scratcher.” – CBC
- Tell LitHub Your Favorite A24 Movie, And You’ll Get A Book Recommendation
For instance: “If The Brutalist, then Claire Messud’s This Strange Eventful History.” – LitHub
- Mike Wallace, Who Wrote ‘Gotham’ And Gave New York A Textured, Bottom-Up History, Has Died At 83
Wallace was “a self-proclaimed radical historian whose magisterial, unvarnished biography of New York, Gotham, written with Edwin G. Burrows, won the Pulitzer Prize and inspired two more door-stopper volumes about the city.” – The New York Times
- How Executives At Anime Streaming Service Crunchyroll Figure Out What’s Working
It all depends on cosplay at L.A.’s Anime Expo – and this year, many attendees showed signs of devotion to the relatively new series Witch Hat Atelier. – Variety
- Language For A Writer Who Some Days Barely Has Enough Energy To Lift Her Head
Susanna Clarke: “A narrative makes illness seem rational – and it gives the sufferer a measure of control – or at any rate the illusion of it. This is particularly true of the sort of chronic illness in the face of which poor doctors are often at a loss. – The Guardian (UK)
- A Volunteer Has Just About The Coolest Experience Ever In A Random Archive
True, the person writing this was a history major, but still: “A rare surviving copy of the Declaration of Independence has been discovered at The National Archives in Kew, the only known example of its kind outside the US.” Discovered by a volunteer. – BBC
- Comedy, Says This Comedian, Can Save Lives
“’After the show, people come to me in person and through messages,’ [Teruko Nakijima] said. ‘A lot of people said, ‘I felt like I am not alone.’ That gives me so much hope and unity.’” – Los Angeles Times (Yahoo)
- Trump’s White House Excoriates The Smithsonian National Museum Of American History
“The White House condemned the [museum] for what it said was a failure to celebrate the nation’s heritage, arguing it had become a political tool intent on denigrating the American story.” No First Amendment red flags here at all. – The New York Times
- How AI Is Changing Human Language
Supposed AI tells – “are also characteristic of human writing, which, after all, the large language models (LLMs) that produce them were trained on.” – The Guardian (UK)
- That’s Right, Actor And Director Olivia Wilde Took That Last Name To Honor Oscar
She’s from the US, but her family (like a whole lot of people in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and other diaspora landing spots) also claim Ireland. – Irish Times
- Can Anyone Save Wikipedia?
Elon Musk and a MAGA army, not to mention AI, not to mention (other) authoritarian governments, are sure coming for the little nonprofit that could. – The New York Times
- American Classical Music at 250 – Take Two: The BAM ExperimentThe “New World” Symphony visual presentation created by Peter Bogdanoff for the Brooklyn Philharmonic’s 1994 Dvorak festival. Building on
- Turkish Comedian Imprisoned For Insulting Erdogan
“A Turkish court on Friday ordered a comedian jailed pending trial on charges of insulting religious values and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after his stand‑up routine included references to him as a ‘dictator.’” (This is what the some might call Erdogan “not beating the charges.”) – Seattle Times (AP)