Douglas McLennan
Doug is the editor of ArtsJournal
Women-Owned Radio Stations And The Communities They’re Building
Whatever their mission and wherever their location, what the stations have in common is the amplification — literally and metaphorically — of women’s voices...
Player Pianos, Automation And AI
Nearly every major pianist of the early 20th century made music for these machines. Echoing AI commentary today, some musicians viewed the player piano...
Damage To Iran’s Historic Sites Mounts
The strikes on Isfahan on Monday came a week after another cultural icon, the Golestan Palace, was badly damaged during an attack on a police...
What We Can Learn From Radical Access To The Arts
Access Fringe program at the Melbourne Fringe Festival is a 10-year partnership with Arts Access Victoria supporting d/Deaf and disabled artists through commissions, mentorships and...
Why Did The Boston Symphony Decide To Part Ways With Its Music Director?
Right now though, it’s anyone’s guess where the “future vision” of the BSO will take them – and if the relationship between the players...
Lessons From Sundance: New Focus On Artist Care
For all of the egregious consent violations in the film industry that the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements shone a light on, I was...
Grand Rapids Symphony – President & CEO
As it approaches its 100th anniversary in 2030, the Grand Rapids Symphony seeks a mission‑driven President & CEO to lead its next chapter of impact
What If A “Day Job” Is The Foundation Of An Artistic Career?
Rather than sticking our heads in the sand—and hoping that belief, alone, will be the source of motivation we need to succeed—what if we...
How Luxembourg’s Minister Of Culture Defended This Year’s Venice Biennale Entry
“The role of the state is not to filter works in the name of good taste,” Thill said, adding that art should challenge audiences...
Why You Can’t Love A Clone
Even if a new mug – or a clone – is identical to the original in every visible way, the fact that it is not the same alters...
Fighting Over Art And Politics Again (And Again)
Identity, even when mobilized as a force for visibility and justice, can shield art from critique—transforming dissent into offense and rendering criticism suspect. Questioning...
How Politics Made Contemporary Art Predictable And Dull
The ambition to explore every facet of the present was quickly replaced by a devout commitment to questions of equity and accountability. There was...
The Global Elite Have Given Up On Spelling And Grammar
The literary breaches, while trivial, highlight a reality that has become all too clear: There’s an inverse correlation between power and proper punctuation. - The...
Marseille Has A Thriving Artist Community. So Why Might The City Elect A Far...
If your experience of Marseille is limited to certain multicultural central neighbourhoods then it might be easy to assume that this is – and...
This Year’s Spotify Report: Music Business Is Increasingly Global
Spotify said artists from 75 different countries had generated at least $500,000 in streaming royalties last year, compared to 66 the year prior, with...
Making The Case For Opera In Odd Spaces
Sitting in front of the singers, without the distraction of the sets or even an orchestra, I found myself face to face with Mozart’s...
The LiveNation Settlement Will Solve Nothing
With a fine equivalent to a few days’ revenue and some marginal changes to its business practices, Live Nation will, more or less, plow...
Handicapping The Oscars
Whatever happens on Oscar Sunday, I suspect that the two front-runners will share the spotlight in a spirit as companionable as it is competitive. -...
Simon & Schuster Hires Former Amazon Exec As New CEO
The choice of Greg Greeley marks the first time in memory that Simon & Schuster had hired a CEO from outside the company. The...
Yearning For The Meaning Of Consciousness
"What I find moving in these discussions is the intense yearning for a world that is more alive than secular scientists might think it...
The Collective Community Wound When Famous Buildings Burn
The fire will have obvious economic consequences for the city, particularly through the loss of businesses caught in and close to the fire. But...
Exodus Of Top Staff At The Art Gallery Of Ontario
Art Gallery of Ontario deputy director and chief curator Julian Cox will leave his post this April after eight years in the role, marking the latest departure...
Roblox Is Hugely Popular — But What Is It Teaching Our Kids?
Roblox burgeoned during the COVID-19 pandemic; many of my students told me that their most cherished remote-learning memories were actually ditching Zoom classes to play Roblox...
Is There Still Room For “Beautiful” Mathematics In An AI World?
GH Hardy believed there should be a strong aesthetic judgment in mathematics, drawing parallels with poetry, and argued that beauty is the first test of good...
Why The German Government Feels Threatened By Independent Bookshops
Independent bookshops are dangerous because they interrupt us. They do not optimise our curiosity. They derail it. Is that the reason why Germany’s culture...
