Douglas McLennan
Doug is the editor of ArtsJournal
How The Humanities Declined Into Crisis
A combination of technological, economic, political, and cultural forces, at work both within and without the university, had by the early 2020s effectively pummeled...
Duchamp’s Ideas A Century Ago That Still Have Us Debating
I think Duchamp got at something vital about Western culture over the previous 400 years: that an object didn’t count as “art” because of its...
An Essay That Explains Why The New York Art World No Longer Works
Titled “New York Real Estate and the Ruin of American Art” and published by October, Kline’s essay is a despairing portrait of the city’s art scene....
Chicago’s Uptown Theatre Gets A New $46M Home
For almost three decades, the ambitious, history-centered company had to make do with the second-floor of a 110-year-old church building in Lake View —...
The City Of Boston Gets A New Arts Chief
“Many cities are facing affordability crises, lack of access to physical space for creative work, and tighter budgets. It’s more important than ever to...
Inside The Project To Remake Paris’ Catacombs
Over the past five months, architects, designers, technicians and masons have been renovating this vast tomb — installing new lighting and ventilation systems, restoring...
Why It’s So Difficult To Get Our Heads Around AI
Artificial intelligence is both a technology and a theology, and in its latter aspect, it too often resembles a doctrinal dispute among an assortment...
Justice Department Settles Investigation Into Broadway Touring
The Justice Department has quietly resolved a yearslong investigation into possible anticompetitive practices by a major player in the lucrative touring market for Broadway...
Alternative Conservative Entrance Exam Gains Traction In US Schools
The CLT stands out because it mainly features passages from noted philosophers, religious scholars, scientists and authors in the canon of Western literature, including...
Can An Artist Retreat Over Clay Pots Suggest A Direction For AI?
Es Devlin is calling order on a group of artists, AI researchers, spiritual leaders, academics and experts from global tech gathered at the kilns...
Pepsi Pulls Sponsorship Of UK Festival To Protest Booking Of Kanye West. Now The...
Keir Starmer joined criticism of the festival at the weekend, saying it was “deeply concerning” that West had been booked to perform “despite his...
It’s Our Phones That Have Caused Our Brains To Rot. Not AI
Even if you spend very little time online, there’s little you can do outside the logic of the internet. It is a force that...
The Industrial Revolution Killed Jobs. To Fill Idle Time With What, Was The Question
It might repay us to take a moment, not just from our jobs but also from our leisures, to make some to-do about doing...
Book Science And The Art Of Preserving Old Books
Book scientists are working tirelessly with an array of technologies — including microscopes, multispectral imaging and artificial intelligence — to recover, understand and preserve...
When The WPA Placed Art At The Center Of Democracy
The WPA provided for culture workers through Federal One, encompassing the Federal Art, Music, Theatre, and Writers’ Projects. But the social benefits of painting...
America’s Most-Visited Museums In 2025
Despite unsteadiness across the museum industry, the country's most-visited institutions remained relatively stable. - NPR
Should UK Government Fund Comedy?
Leading figures from the world of comedy have met the government to make the case for comedy, including that it be recognised as an...
Ellisons Intend To Fund Warner Bros. Deal From Gulf States
Per the outlet, the corporation is seeking signed equity commitments of close to $24 billion, for which Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has agreed to...
When Thinking About AI And Authorship, What Is Real?
The further artists move out of amateur hour and into the professional realm, of course, the more we expect their work to reflect their...
Trump’s Presidential “Library” Is A Grift
The design language is neither stately and trim in the Republican mode, nor bold and innovative, as preferred by Democrats. It is, instead, generically...
The Fake Fans Problem
In the dream world of an executive, fandom is something like a parasitic disease — contagious through mere exposure, trafficking quickly between hosts with...
Can The Louvre’s New Director Right The Ship?
The former head of the Château de Versailles, Christophe Leribault arrived after Des Cars’s desperate five-month struggle to save her job came to an...
Translation Isn’t Just Words, It’s World View. AI Translators So Far Aren’t Good At...
Linguistic diversity among AI systems is real and growing. Cultural worldview diversity, however, has not kept pace. - The Conversation
Musicians Say Touring Has Become Unsustainable
Independent venue closures, social media algorithms, streaming royalties and the rise of generative AI have contributed to a wider ecosystem that artists say is...
Bollywood Is Rushing Headlong Into AI
While union rules constrain Hollywood's use of the technology, Indian cinema is racing ahead, pitting efficiency against questions of creative authenticity and audience acceptance....
