Douglas McLennan
Doug is the editor of ArtsJournal
Happy New Year
Today's AJ highlights the year we just left.
We begin with my own attempt to make sense of it all: From 30,000 Feet: Five Year-end...
From 30,000 Feet: Five Year-end Observations about Arts and Culture in 2025
We posted more than 6,000 stories across all forms of culture in 2025. When you pull back and look at them in aggregate, the individual crises—the closures in San Francisco, the lawsuits in D.C., the endless op-eds about the "death of cinema"—stop looking like isolated incidents. They resolve into a
The Walrus’ Year In Arts And Culture
These were the economic and political forces shaping culture in 2025. From the decline of the middle-class musician and the digitization of art to...
Twelve Stories That Defined 2025 For Museums
In the U.S., a tense political climate and moves by the Trump administration to exert more control over the country’s cultural institutions is creating...
In A Time Of Flattened Attention, It’s Time To Reconsider The Complications Of Saul...
The persistent cultural resistance to Bellow, who remains popularly read yet broadly under-appreciated by the taste-making classes, comes in several flavors. Over the decades...
In Memoriam: Art World Luminaries We Lost In 2025
Some were giants in their fields, while others have had quieter, less-heralded careers—and some leave behind questionable legacies. - Artnet
Here’s What’s Wrong With Letting AI Take Over Lower-Level Creative Work
What’s the harm, studio executives might wonder, if machines take over work that seems unchallenging and rote to knowledgeable professionals? The problem is that entry-level...
Kennedy Center’s Threats To Sue Artists Who Cancel Are Ultimately Empty
Richard Grenell’s letter argues not only that Redd has harmed the Center’s finances, but that his withdrawal constitutes an “act of intolerance” driven by...
The Podcast Trap — Why Have I Stopped Listening To Music?
My change in listening habits comes from a compulsion that many people in my life share: to make every minute of the day as...
All About Ratings? This Year’s Kennedy Center Honors Ratings Tank
The show averaged 3.01 million viewers, according to Nielsen’s report, CBS publicist Julie Holland shared in an email Tuesday — down about 25 percent...
An AI Country Song Hit No. 1 On The Charts. So What Do Nashville...
When “Walk My Walk” went No. 1, several observers disputed the narrative that country music was being overrun by AI. They noted that relatively few country listeners...
Dancers Who Are Focusing On Climate Change
"It's literally being a body in space, drawing attention in a way that is effective. Often the effectiveness is in making the information very...
2025 Was The Year AI Didn’t Transform Our Lives (Like It Was Supposed To)
Silicon Valley promised 2025 would be the age of tireless AI agents. Instead, they clicked slowly, got lost in drop‑down menus, hallucinated baseball maps,...
2026’s Most-Anticipated Museum Openings
Will the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi finally open its doors after all this time? That remains to be seen, but there’s certainly a chance! Here’s...
UK Streaming Viewers Prefer Lower Price With Ads Rather Than Premium
The number of UK streaming subscribers on packages that include commercials has overtaken those on higher-priced ad-free plans for the first time, in a...
How A Self-Published Unknown Author Became A Hit In 2025
A reclusive Georgia beekeeper accidentally writes a blockbuster: a gentle, allegorical novel that spreads through book clubs, Facebook aunties, and sheer goodwill, turning its...
Is Gen Z Falling In Love With CDs?
Gen Z has decided CDs are cool again, sending sales wobbling upward before promptly wobbling back down. It’s mostly about vibes, nostalgia, and proving...
Shutdown Of Book Distributor Leaves Libraries Hanging
Public libraries are struggling to get new books after major distributor Baker & Taylor abruptly shut down. Many now rely on Ingram, but scaling...
2025 Was The Year Of AI Slop
In 2025, slop is everywhere. Low-effort, low-quality, AI-generated nonsense is polluting our social media feeds, search engine results, scientific journals, music streaming services, eBook marketplaces, universities, legal filings, and more. - Mother...
The Louvre Is Astonishingly Popular. It’s Facing Collapse From All Sides
Over time, this popularity has become both a blessing and a terrible burden, and daring jewel heists are only the most eye-catching of the...
How Architecture Shapes/Frames Politics
While it’s easy to see buildings and public spaces as somewhat neutral or superficial, it’s not. Like the frame of a painting, it frames...
How The Trump Administration Is (Mis)Appropriating Norman Rockwell
“They used . . . as though his work aligned with their values, i.e., promoting this segregationist vision of America. And so of...
Beyonce Becomes The Fifth Musician To Become A Millionaire
The pop singer joins her husband, Jay-Z, along with Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen and Rihanna, in the billionaire club. - Variety
New York Public Library’s Most-Borrowed Books Of 2025
At the very top of the list is James by Percival Everett, the Pulitzer Prize–winning retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn told from Jim’s perspective. Close behind...
So You Thought Rock Music Was Dead? The Evidence Suggests Otherwise
The limited expectations for 21st-century rock may just have turned out to be freeing. For songwriters, musicians and — with luck — enough fans...
