Douglas McLennan
Doug is the editor of ArtsJournal
A First: JRR Tolkien Poetry To Be Published
“Poetry was the first way in which Tolkien expressed himself creatively and through it the seeds of his literary ambition would be sown." -...
What Should Museums Pay Artists For Participating In A Biennial?
These days, payment for inclusion in a biennial or group show at a US museum tends to range from $500 to $3,000, according to...
How Tech Is Changing Learning The Piano
A lifetime since my failure to practise prompted a family agreement that the piano wasn’t for me, I’m back at the keys. This time...
How Elizabeth Alexander (And $500M Of Mellon Money) Are Changing Monuments
The project is incredibly ambitious, a national effort to make sure that the commemorative landscape "more accurately tells our collective histories." It has led...
Artforum Chooses A New Top Editor
Five months ago, the magazine fired David Velasco, its editor in chief, after he signed and published a letter calling for Palestinian liberation shortly after the Israel-Hamas...
Attributing The Provenance Of The “Just Ken” Dance
Dance makers of Hollywood are seeking recognition for their craft by pressing the Motion Picture Academy to add an Oscar for Best Choreography. That...
The End Of The Entertainment Mega-Mergers?
“We’ve seen over the last few decades significant consolidation and a wave of mergers and acquisitions, not all of which have ultimately served the...
ABT Chooses A New Chief Exec — From National Ballet Of Canada
Ballet Theater’s leaders said they chose Barry Hughson, executive director at the National Ballet of Canada since 2014, because of his extensive experience in...
Salonen To Leave San Francisco Symphony: “I Do Not Share The Same Values”
“I have decided not to continue as Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony, because I do not share the same goals for the...
The End Of The Subscription Era?
The inflection point is coming for Substack, OnlyFans and any platform where creators are reliant on the largesse of their audiences. When creators realise...
Why Toronto’s Festivals Are Struggling
Toronto is a city of festivals, but two years after pandemic restrictions were lifted, even big names in the sector are struggling to attract...
Studies: Music Is The Universal Language
When it comes to its effects on our emotions and bodies, a new study suggests that music truly is the universal language of humanity....
Collector Gives $300 Million Collection To Seattle University
Richard Hedreen, 88, is gifting his entire collection, comprising more than 200 artworks and estimated to be worth about $300 million, to Seattle University....
Is Social Relevance At The Core Of The Arts?
Thanks to Arts Council England’s recently published analysis on opera and music theatre, ‘relevance’ is back on the agenda. But the report and its...
Cincinnati Ballet Gets A New Leader After a Year Of Upheaval
Artistic director Jodie Gates left after just 14 months on the job, followed six days later by then-president and CEO Scott Altman announcing that he would...
“Bayadère” Is Awash In Cultural Appropriation. Should It Be Canceled?
Like so many of the 19th century ballets, it has been subject to some controversy in recent years. Set in a fanciful Hindu temple, choreographed...
UNESCO Ponders How To Preserve Intangible Cultural Heritage
unesco is best known for its prestigious list of World Heritage sites. But its most interesting endeavor might be a survey of humanity’s cultural practices. -...
The Guernica Magazine Mess – An Essay About The Israel Military Action Roils Staff
The magazine, once a prominent publication for fiction, poetry, and literary nonfiction, with a focus on global art and politics, quickly found itself imploding as...
Gabriel GarcÃa Márquez Didn’t Want His Last Book Published. This Week It Was. Is...
The novel was published this week, unleashing a backlash from scholars, writers and fans who’ve taken exception not with the novel itself, but rather...
A Competition For Playing Chopin? It Has No Credibility
Giving marks to people playing a Chopin polonaise is no different from deciding on medals in gymnastics, dressage and judo at the Olympic Games,...
Are Auction Sales Guarantees Fair?
How does this practice affect the market? The art market is self-regulating, and since 2010 the practice of offering works at auction with third-party...
Post-Pandemic: Broadway Attendance Down, Also Movies, But Pop Concerts And Orchestras Up And Museums...
The Philadelphia Orchestra is averaging 78 percent attendance so far this season, compared with 63 percent before the pandemic. The New York Philharmonic is...
Historical Movies Like “Oppenheimer” Shape Historical Records. We Should Be Clear How
With Oppenheimer having received so much commercial, critical and Academy success, we have an opportunity to think about critical criteria for viewing historical film — and...
What AI Is Learning About What Life Is
While some skeptics think the models are going to hit a wall, more optimistic scientists believe that foundation models will even tackle the biggest...
Today’s Journalists Come From A Different Economic Class. Here’s How It Changes Their Work
Contemporary journalists have a relationship to ideas that is more or less the opposite of the old school’s. It begins before they even get...