AJ Four Ways:
Text Only (by date) | headlines only
- Architect Peter Zumthor On Criticism Of His New Building At LACMA
On the fact that there’s less exhibition space than in the previous building: “What is this with bigness? What kind of a hang-up is this? You don’t have to be big. It has the right scale. … Small museums are beautiful, big museums tend to be really difficult.” – Los Angeles Times (Yahoo!)
- South Korea Wants To Export Its Version Of Broadway. Can A.I. Glasses Make It Doable?
The country’s live theater is vibrant (Exhibit A: Maybe Happy Ending); producers and local authorities want it to catch on abroad the way K-pop and TV drama have, and language is the biggest barrier. Now they’ve developed AI-powered glasses which listen for cue words and match subtitles to dialogue. – The New York Times
- As V&A Museum’s Newest Branch Opens, Staffers Campaign For Living Wage
On Saturday, V&A East will open its doors in Stratford, east London, showcasing stunning fabrics, photos and black British music. … While the V&A complies with all legal minimum-wage requirements, … campaigners say some of the lowest-paid staff and contractors in London are not in receipt of the living wage.” – The Guardian
- Former NPR President Kevin Klose Dead At 85
He spent a quarter-century at The Washington Post, including as Moscow bureau chief during the Brezhnev era; he then served as president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. As CEO of NPR from 1998 to 2008, he played a central role in landing the transformative $150 million donation from Joan Kroc. – The Washington Post (Yahoo!)
- The Money Goes Somewhere
Good Morning
The BBC is cutting 2,000 jobs and £500 million from its budget (AP). Disney is eliminating entire PR and marketing teams (TheWrap). San Diego’s mayor wants to slash city arts funding by 85% (San Diego Union-Tribune). And in Berkeley, a 36-year-old theater company is closing because nobody wanted to work that hard for that little money (San Francisco Chronicle).
But here’s the counterpoint: NPR just announced $110 million in philanthropic gifts — the largest from a living donor in its history (Editor & Publisher). The Met is in the middle of a $1.5 billion renovation (New York Times). The money hasn’t disappeared. It’s concentrating at the top.
Meanwhile, Helen DeWitt turned down a $175,000 literary prize and opinion is sharply divided on whether that’s principled or deranged (The Guardian).
All of our stories below.
- Artistic Director – Indianapolis Ballet working with Management Consultants for the Arts
Indianapolis Ballet (IB) seeks its next Artistic Director, who will carry the organization’s mission forward, embracing the history and future of classical ballet through dynamic performances, visionary new works, extraordinary training, and by providing transformative community outreach programs to the widest possible audiences. Entering its eighth season as a professional company, IB is the largest professional dance company in the state of Indiana. Founded first as a ballet school in 2006 by Victoria Lyras, IB has grown into a dynamic force, presenting up to nine productions annually. Its partnership with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra provides extraordinary live musical accompaniment on select programs.
Indianapolis Ballet has engaged Management Consultants for the Arts to lead the search, & interested candidates may apply for this position by visiting this link:
https://www.mcaonline.com/searches/artistic-director-indianapolis-ballet - Furtwängler in Wartime – Reflections on Ian Buruma’s “Stay Alive”
Boston’s “Arts Fuse” today carries my thoughts on “Furtwängler in Wartime” occasioned by Ian Buruma’s new book “Stay Alive.” Excerpts follow. You can read the whole thing here.
One learns from Ian Buruma’s Stay Alive: Berlin 1939-45 – an absorbing study of what it was like to live in the German
- How Jonah Hill Went From Shlubby Comic Actor To Oscar Nominee To Film Auteur
His new movie, Outcome — which he directed- co-wrote, and co-stars in — “is difficult to watch without drawing parallels to Hill’s odd and unexpected arc, as well as to the real-life controversies that could have sunk his career.” – The Hollywood Reporter
- Helen DeWitt Declined A Prestigious $175,000 Prize. Is She Principled Or Crazy?
Opinions on her recent stance are strongly divided: some have praised her principled refusal to play the self-promotion game that takes so much out of writers, while others have called her a spoilt, entitled nightmare. – The Guardian
- Connections Between Classical Music And Heavy Metal?
There’s more that connects metal and classical music than sets them apart. A love of volume, turning the noise up to 11? From Black Sabbath to Stravinsky, check. A worship of virtuosity, of speed, technique and orgiastic instrumental excess, from Vivaldi to Van Halen? Absolutely. – The Guardian
- Owner Of Now-Closed Boulder Dance Studio Indicted For Theft, Insurance Fraud
“The owner of the shuttered Boulder dance studio, Frequency Dance, turned herself in Thursday afternoon at the Boulder County Jail after being indicted on accusations of staging two break-ins and getting more than $567,000 in fraudulent insurance payouts.” – Daily Camera (Boulder)
- What’s Behind Saudi Arabia’s Multi-Billion-Dollar Investment In Paramount’s Warner Deal
The Kingdom’s bet on entertainment at home has been matched by an equally ambitious push abroad — one that is rapidly reshaping Hollywood’s balance sheet. – The Hollywood Reporter
- Trump’s Plan For A Supersized Arch Alienates Even Supporters
Trump’s push to build the giant arch — more than quadrupling its size from original plans — has alienated early proponents of the project, classical architects and veterans groups who say it will diminish nearby Arlington Cemetery. – The New York Times
- Court Moves To Examine Merger Of Two Local TV Conglomerates
The deal shatters several records: It gives Nexstar control of 265 local stations in 44 states and the District of Columbia, reaching 80% of the nation’s households. Federal competition law from 2004 limits companies to less than half that level. – NPR
- Kentucky Gives Louisville Orchestra $3.2 Million For Statewide Touring
“The Louisville Orchestra has received a $3.2 million from the Kentucky General Assembly to continue its statewide In Harmony Tour through 2028. (The tour is) a music education and performance program that has brought live music to more than 57,000 people across 50 counties in the Commonwealth.” – Louisville Courier Journal (MSN)
- The End Of The Internet As We Know It
Now, thanks to new A.I. tools, anyone can write code. Soon, bad actors could use those same tools to find out what’s wrong with code. The détente is over. – The New York Times
- NPR Announced Transformative Philanthropic Support
NPR today announced it has received philanthropic gifts totaling more than $110 million — including the largest by a living donor in NPR’s history — as a strategic investment in its future. – Editor & Publisher
- DePaul University, Strapped For Cash, Closes Historic Theater In Downtown Chicago
It’s unclear what will happen to the 116-year-old, 1,400-seat Merle Reskin Theatre. It has landmark status, however, and won’t be demolished. – Chicago Sun-Times
- Spotify Partners With Local Music Venues
Under the partnership, Spotify will boost visibility for independent venues through existing features including venue pages and its Live Events Feed throughout 2026. The platform will also display NIVA’s Certified Live Independent seal on venue pages for participating spaces. – Music Business Worldwide
- An Autistic Man Wrote A Bestselling Book. Didn’t He?
“It is mysterious and confounding to see a severely autistic nonspeaker perform acts of scholarship and fiction writing if you don’t presume intelligence in a disabled person. I have been using the same green board since I was in middle school and I find the letters and colors very calming.” – The Atlantic
- Why Should We Indulge In Art In Difficult Times?
At a time of great suffering and upheaval, is it right to engage with art? Or are we using it as a way of dodging the moral realities of the world? – ArtsHub
- One More Bay Area Theater Company Closes Up Shop
“Central Works, which has been making new plays in Berkeley for 36 years, plans to close at the end of its 2026 season with the retirement of co-directors Gary Graves and Jan Zvaifler.” They tried to find successors, but nobody wanted to work that hard for that little money. – San Francisco Chronicle (Yahoo!)
- San Diego Mayor’s Proposed Budget Cuts Arts Funding By 85%
“The proposed budget (reduces arts spending) from $13.8 million to just about $2 million, eliminating all funds under the city’s two grant-making arms. … The remaining $2 million will essentially keep open the city’s Cultural Affairs Department, whose staff oversee the public art program and grant-making process.” – The San Diego Union-Tribune (MSN)
- Former Manager Of Fresno Arts Council Confesses To Embezzling $1.8 Million
Suliana Caldwell will plead guilty to one count of wire fraud and pay restitution. She admitted to making repeated unauthorized transfers of city taxpayer money intended for arts funding to her personal PayPal and bank accounts and to falsifying financial documents to hide her theft. – Fresnoland
- BBC Announces Mass Layoffs
“The BBC said Wednesday that it plans to cut up to 2,000 jobs to save 10% of its annual budget — £500 million ($677 million) — over the next two years. … The (broadcaster) said earlier this year that it faced ‘substantial financial pressures’ and wanted to cut a tenth of its budget by 2029.” – AP
- Entire Teams Are Being Eliminated In Disney’s Mass Layoffs
Among those let go are 20 people from the company’s publicity departments, as well as the entire home entertainment and EPK teams. On the digital marketing side, positions at every level, including senior vice president, were eliminated. Layoffs have also occurred throughout the Marvel division due to a reduced production slate. – TheWrap (MSN)
- The Met Museum Is In The Middle Of A $1.5 Billion Renovation
One wing has already been renovated; another is being built; galleries will be renewed and rehung; new retail and dining areas are coming; infrastructure will be improved. And it’s all happening within the museum’s current footprint and while the visitors keep streaming in. – The New York Times
- British Government Approves Purchase Of Telegraph Newspaper
“Axel Springer’s planned £575 million takeover of Telegraph Media Group has been approved by the UK Government. It is still awaiting regulatory approval in Ireland and Austria (due to there being a lower threshold for competition concerns in those countries although there is no expectation of any impact there).” – Press Gazette (UK)
- Born in the DSA*: “The American Dream” Evolved Into the Cruelest, Most Dangerous Con Ever PlayedWhat a grift. It only exists to make folks feel worthless, angry, and divisive. As such, it’s the perfect tactic to sow national unrest.
- A Dynastic Succession In The Kabuki Theater World Is A Dramatic Affair
“Handing down a name over generations is a central part of the traditional Japanese artform, … and that ceremony gets celebrated at theaters and special events every few years. Now, the ritual is taking place with the eighth Kikugoro, who is having that honor passed down from his 83-year-old father, the seventh Kikugoro.” – AP
- The Pressure To Go Viral: These Days You Can’t Be An Artist Without It
All of a sudden, chefs, lawyers, podcasters, critics – all people with jobs once associated with an off-camera existence – are turning the lens on themselves. Even film director Werner Herzog, a once proud non-social media user, is now sizzling steaks and doing unboxing videos to camera. – The Guardian
- France Passes Law To Expedite Return Of Looted Artworks
“The bill aims to simplify the return of cultural property taken illegally from France’s former colonies, particularly focusing on items taken between 1815 and 1972 — the year UNESCO’s convention for the protection of cultural heritage came into force.” – Euronews
- Man Wins $1.2M Picasso In Christie’s Raffle
“How do I know this isn’t a prank?” the 58-year-old asked when he was told he was the new owner of the 1941 work by the Spanish master. Organisers said more than 120,000 tickets for the prize draw were sold at €100 (£87; $118) each, raising around €11m (£10m; $13m) for Alzheimer’s research. – BBC
- Why Movie Theatre Owners Are Fighting The Paramount/Warner Deal
“Further concentrating marketplace power in the hands of a smaller group of distributors that dictate the terms, windows, scheduling, screen-placement of movies, and access to historic film catalogs will have a real and lasting impact on Main Street and millions of movie fans around the world.” – Los Angeles Times
- I Survived A Year Inside Stephen King’s Archives
This book is Caroline Bicks’s account of what happened when King gave her permission to spend a year in his archive, poring over the drafts of five of his most popular novels, including Pet Sematary, The Shining and Carrie. Bicks’s particular aim is to spot what she calls King’s “biblio‑magic” in action. – The Guardian
