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- The Oscars Are Moving To Downtown LA
Beginning in 2029 — the same year the Oscar telecast moves to YouTube — the Academy Awards will move to downtown Los Angeles, to L.A. Live, a sports-and-entertainment complex adjacent to the Crypto.com Arena, home of the Lakers basketball team and the Kings hockey team. – The New York Times
- This World-Famous Concert Hall Lets Students In To Study While Musicians Play For Them
“The study sessions were first organized during the COVID-19 pandemic by Entree, the youth association of (Amsterdam’s) Concertgebouw, to help students improve their concentration and introduce them to the charms of classical music. They have been a hit ever since.” – AP
- Kennedy Center Started Laying Off Staff Today
Multiple departments were affected — including programming, development, advertising, marketing and the office of the president — according to multiple people at the center. – Washington Post
- I wanted To Be A Critic. It Doesn’t Exist Anymore
This is how I came to understand that the relationship between what we see and what we know—the art of noticing— is a sophisticated act of interpretation, not just passive observation… “By the time you get to New York, this won’t be a thing,” he hissed, and I withered. He wasn’t wrong. – Talk Scratch
- Arts Funding By Local Governments In Britain Has Fallen By Half Since 2010
“Analysis by the Autonomy Institute shows spending has dropped from £1.19 billion in 2010 to £539 million in 2024 to 25. The data covers local authority budgets for arts and entertainment, including theatres, live performance, museums and galleries.” – WhatsOnStage (UK)
- Hauser & Wirth Partner Leaves To Start An Artist Management Agency
After 16 years helping build one of the most powerful galleries in the world, Cristopher Canizares is stepping away from Hauser & Wirth to try something the art market still hasn’t quite figured out how to define: an artist management agency. – ARTnews
- Can Bluey Bring On A New Generation Of Classical Music Fans?
All we have to do is keep kids and families watching Bluey, and they will playfully and profoundly enjoy more classical tunes than the children of almost any previous generation. – The Guardian
- AI Is Making A Bollox Of The Publishing Industry
As more A.I.-generated writing is put out in the world, more readers will question whether the text they are poring over was penned by a human. We’re barreling toward a rapid erosion of trust between authors and readers, and the publishing industry is unprepared to deal with the consequences. – The New York Times
- The People Getting Falsely Accused Of Using AI Because They Write Too Well
Everyone is trying to figure out who is LLM and who is human, and sometimes we’re getting it wrong. In particular, people who learned English as a second or third language, working hard to master the strange, unpredictable rules, are accused of using AI precisely because they follow those rules. – New York Magazine
- A Film School Teaching Movie Professionals To Make Movies With AI
“You can’t create an AI film that resonates with an audience without understanding how to craft an incredible story. We found the people making the very best AI-assisted films in our community are working professionals in the industry.” – The Hollywood Reporter
- Foundation Stops Supporting Toronto Arts Foundation After Protests
The Azrieli Foundation, a charitable organisation with ties to Israel’s largest real estate company, will cease its support of the Toronto Arts Foundation following a protest campaign by Canadian artists and arts workers. – The Art Newspaper
- Implications Of The Sora/Disney Divorce
Sora stumbled upon AI’s massive potential by giving users free rein over popular characters — from “Rick & Morty” to Pikachu — in any scenario they can imagine. But that, of course, was a nightmare scenario for studios. – Yahoo
- How The London Review Of Books Is Making Money Despite Losing Circulation
The independently-owned title has seen sales decline from a post-pandemic high of 91,000 copies in 2021 to about 78,000 currently. But the LRB has increased income by an average of 6.8% year-on-year since the pandemic and is focusing on revenue per copy rather than discounting to increase circulation. – Press Gazette (UK)
- Works & Process 2026-2027 Paid Residency Open Call
Works & Process invites New York City-based dance artists and dance companies to apply for paid, week-long, out-of-town residencies. Taking place between October 2026 – May 2027, in collaboration with over a dozen partners in six states, residencies may be used to start a new project or continue developing an existing work.
Works & Process residencies will support creative process for companies of eight (or fewer) artists for seven-day residencies. Each artist receives an industry-leading fee of $175 per day ($1,225 per week). Residencies also include 24/7 studio access, on-site housing, a travel stipend, and health insurance enrollment access. Each residency culminates in an open rehearsal or showing for the local community. In addition, the project may potentially be presented by Works & Process in New York City.
300 applications will be accepted starting March 24.
- Supreme Court Protects Internet Providers From Liability For Music Piracy
The Supreme Court unanimously ruled on Wednesday that internet provider Cox Communications cannot be held liable for music piracy from its users. – The Hollywood Reporter
- How Can We Make Theatre Touring More Environmentally Friendly?
At the moment, theatre companies undertake a range of sustainability practices, including reusing set pieces in different shows and ethically sourcing and constructing sets. –ArtsHub
- Reboot Your Eyeballs<a href="https://www.artsjournal.com/herman/2026/03/reboot-your-eyeballs.html" title="Reboot Your Eyeballs” rel=”nofollow”>
It’s food for the retina. - One Of America’s Best Minimalist Art Collections Is Sitting In An Old Philadelphia Rowhouse
The collection, and the home near Rittenhouse Square, belonged to Henry McNeil Jr. (son of Tylenol magnate Henry Slack McNeil), who died last July at 81. There are works by Sol LeWitt, Carl Andre, Donald Judd, Dan Flavin, and others; there’s even a Picasso print in the bathroom. – The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
- One Of Chicago’s Leading Black Theaters Was Secretly Dissolved By Its Board, Say Actors
“’We were never notified,’ said Monifa Days, co-founding ensemble member (of Congo Square Theatre Company). ‘Our lawyers were never notified. How we found out was we would just do searches in the state’s database about where our status was … and that’s how we found out.’” – WBEZ (Chicago)
- Sydney Dance Company’s Artistic Director Announces Departure
“Rafael Bonachela will step down in the middle of 2028, marking 20 years at SDC. Under his leadership, the company has emerged as a significant player on the global dance stage and established extensive training programs for young dancers.” – The Sydney Morning Herald
- Tracy Kidder, Author Of Award-Winning Nonfiction Bestsellers, Has Died At 80
“(He) turned everything from computer engineering to life in a nursing home into unexpected bestsellers. … Kidder won the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award for his 1981 work The Soul of a New Machine, which (explored) a fledgling computer company long before most people cared about the inner workings of Silicon Valley.” – AP
- Chicago’s Raven Theatre Chooses Steppenwolf Veteran For Producing Artistic Director
“Jonathan Berry, a longtime Chicago director and former artistic producer at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, will take the helm at Raven Theatre, a 43-year-old off-Loop Chicago theater that operates a busy, two-stage complex in an Edgewater building that once housed a grocery store.” – Chicago Tribune (Yahoo!)
- Jury Finds Meta And YouTube Liable For Deliberately Designing Addictive Apps
“Jurors (in Los Angeles) found the tech companies to be both negligent and having failed to provide adequate warnings about the potential dangers of their products. The jury awarded the plaintiff in the case damages of $6m, with Meta to pay 70% and YouTube the remainder.” – The Guardian
- BBC’s New Director-General Is A Senior Exec From Google
“Matt Brittin, 57, who has a background in tech, rather than traditional broadcasting, spent almost two decades at Google, becoming the company’s president in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.” – AP
- “Dog on a Cold Stone Floor,” or When Nonprofit Arts Organizations Obsess About the Art More Than the PeopleArt is a universal good. No argument. Nonprofit arts organizations are not art, and therefore are not a universal good. No argument there, either.
- Good Morning
OpenAI killed Sora this week, taking Disney’s $1 billion equity bet down with it (Variety). Three months after the two companies struck a “groundbreaking” deal licensing 200 Disney characters for AI video generation, the app is just gone — no explanation offered (Ars Technica). The Patreon CEO has a phrase for the pattern: AI companies call it fair use when training on independent creators, then cut multimillion-dollar deals with Disney and Warner Music when they need the brands (Fortune). Apparently the same creative property is both free and worth paying for — depending on who’s asking.
Control over creative work is slipping elsewhere, too. Producers of the Broadway Dog Day Afternoon adaptation threw playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis out of rehearsals weeks before opening after a clash with a Warner Bros. exec (The New York Times). The Boston Symphony, having fired Andris Nelsons, still doesn’t seem to have a plan for what comes next (Boston Globe). And Tacoma Arts Live has filed for receivership, preparing to sell the historic Tacoma Armory on its way out (Seattle Times).
The inaugural Hilary Mantel Prize went to Anna Dempsey for an unpublished novel called This Is About an Alligator and Nothing Else (The Guardian). A title Mantel herself would have appreciated.
All of our stories below.
- Disney Bails On $1B Investment In OpenAI After AI Company Pulls Plug On Sora
Disney and OpenAI announced the blockbuster three-year licensing deal in December, saying that over 200 Disney-owned characters would be available for use in Sora-generated videos. At the same time, Disney said it would be making a $1 billion equity investment in the AI company. – Ars Technica
- This Chicago Symphony Musician Took Her Baby On An Orchestra Tour
Second flutist Emma Gerstein didn’t want to miss Klaus Mäkelä’s first tour with the CSO, which was to the East Coast last month. Neither did she want to stop nursing her ten-month-old, Ronan. So he came along with his mom, who kept a diary about the experience. – WBEZ (Chicago)
- Lion King Composer Sues Comedian For Misrepresenting “Circle Of Life”
A Grammy-award winning South African composer who wrote and performed the iconic opening chant in “Circle of Life” for Disney’s “The Lion King” movies is suing a comedian for allegedly damaging his reputation by intentionally misrepresenting the song’s meaning on a podcast and in his stand-up routine. – AP News
- “I Miss The Amateur Spirit” — Willem Dafoe On His Theatre Programming At The Venice Biennale
“His goal (is) to platform voices that many audiences won’t be familiar with — and to push back against a theater landscape he feels has lost its edge. ‘Professionalism has flattened its soul,” he said. ‘It can feel polished to the point of sameness.’ … His program … (will) favor cracks over polish.” – The Hollywood Reporter
- Stunning Museum In Downtown San Francisco For Sale
In another market, the building might fetch $100 million. Today, in a downtown cultural district still recovering from the pandemic – with depressed real estate values, weakened foot traffic and strained arts funding – the buyer pool shrinks to a narrow question: Who can take on a large, vacant cultural space and make it work? – San Francisco Chronicle (Yahoo)
- Manchester’s Strange Quarter Bristles With Creative Activity, Redefining The City
In a city still somewhat in thrall to its heritage, from the Haçienda to Oasis, many in the Strange Quarter say the area has redefined Manchester’s cultural life. – The Guardian
- How To Grow A Dance Company In Southern California
“If I’m just talking about the work, I would say we have a very clear movement approach that has developed over time, a shared language that includes a lot of different modern dance techniques, a language that has become unique to us.” – LA Dance Chronicle
- This Dancer Is Ending A 53-Year Stage Career With San Francisco Ballet — But He’s Not Retiring
“Since 1980, Val Caniparoli” — for decades SFB’s principal character dancer — “has dedicated most of his energies to a much-lauded choreography career, and rather than slowing down, he’s building momentum as he enters an exciting new phase.” – San Francisco Chronicle (Yahoo!)
- Former Museum Wunderkind David Ross’ Reckoning
Ross had become a master at catering to ego, facilitating deals and making a class of people feel important. Now he’d begun to wonder if the skills that made him exceptional at his job had also made him in some ways complicit. – The New York Times
