Douglas McLennan
Doug is the editor of ArtsJournal
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....
Uffizi Hit By Cyberattack
The Uffizi said it had been targeted by a cyberattack on February 1, but added that nothing had been stolen and no information lost....
Italian Court Orders Netflix To Refund All Subscription Price Hikes
The lawsuit was brought by Italian consumer advocacy group Movimento Consumatori, which alleged that the price hikes violate the Consumer Code, Italian legislation that...
What An Elite College Degree Really Buys
So the people who go to the fanciest colleges tend to have the most successful careers—this is not exactly news. The question of why...
How Do We Police AI In Writing?
Although I don’t buy the claim that AI is “inevitable” in some theoretical sense, I also feel like the current incentives in media and...
AJ Chronicles: The Excellence Problem and Why it Matters
I don't mean to be pedantic, but I think defining what we mean by excellence really matter if we're really going to figure out the place of AI in creativity. Four stories this week suggest layers to this debate:
Chandler Center for the Arts seeks Arts Center Manager
Chandler Center for the Arts seeks Arts Center Manager. Salary in the range of $110,780.80 to $160,596.80. Please see link for full details.
Vice President, Division of Media Arts Ventures, Emerson College
Emerson College invites applications and nominations for a visionary leader and experienced manager to serve as its inaugural Vice President for Media Arts and Ventures.
HarperCollins Partners With AI Company For Animation
HarperCollins has announced a multi-year partnership with Toonstar, an “AI-powered” animation studio, to adapt a slate of the publisher’s titles into original YouTube series. -...
German Artist Sentenced To Jail In Absentia In Moscow For Art Mocking Putin In...
A German artist who created carnival displays mocking Russian President Vladimir Putin was sentenced in absentia on Thursday to 8 1/2 years in prison by a...
What Age-Verification Laws Are Really About: Centralized Control And Censorship
The letter characterizes this tech, also known as “age assurance,” as a tactic for the “centralization of power.” The letter notes, “Those deciding which...
What’s This? Optimism In LA’s Classical Music Scene?
Arts philanthropy is essential but elusive. Even so, there is a curious — and hopefully not delusional — optimism in classical music, L.A. style....
