Douglas McLennan
Doug is the editor of ArtsJournal
America’s Museums Promised To Diversify. How Are They Doing?
We followed up with several museums on their grand pronouncements from 2020 to see what they’ve actually followed through on, how their plans have...
The Art World (And The Courts) Have No Idea How To Deal With AI...
“While it’s absolutely true that this AI art couldn’t exist if it weren’t trained on copyrighted images and the work of artists, the end...
The Publishing Industry Is Broken
While complaints from junior staffers about crushing workloads and low pay have begun to creep into some industry reporting, publishing veterans are also unhappy....
Iconoclastic Art Critic Charlie Finch, 68
He wrote on whether Black art had grown “kitschy” and whether Cy Twombly was a “fraud.” He defended Jeff Koons, whom he once called...
What’s Behind An Exodus Of BBC Hosts?
"A big one that we've seen in recent months and years is reorganisation at the BBC, particularly in the newsroom. A lot of that...
The Arts Face A Big Mask Problem
Arts presenters "know that some audience members will be deterred by mask requirements at a time when they have vanished from so many other...
In A Land Far Far Away: A Battle Between Three American Orchestras
The competition was intense. In the first pair of performances, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra eked out a slight advantage over the Philadelphia Orchestra in...
Ten Hard Questions About The Limits Of Human Intelligence
The question of what we can know of that which lies beyond the limits of our imagination is partially about the biological function of...
Inclusive Dance Is A Growing Art Form
It's an emerging art form — inclusive dance — in which dancers may be in wheelchairs, or on crutches, or have no obvious challenges at...
The Genius Of American Schools: They’re For Everyone
Without public education delivered as a public good, the asylum seeker in detention, the teenager in jail, not to mention millions of children growing...
Of Art, Artificial Intelligence And Artisty
From copying my music teacher to copying the great composers to mashing-up great recorded content to learning to ask AI to create – it’s...
Domingo Apologizes For “Humiliating” Performance
Plácido Domingo has issued a statement apologizing to the Arena di Verona for his recent performances, which resulted in an onstage protest from the...
Putin’s War Is Killing Classical Music In Russia
Even after the Soviet Union crumbled, Russia was able to keep up its classical strengths—and attract artists from all around the world. But now...
A Better Summer For Movies. But The Outlook Is Bleak
Almost everyone agrees that the 117-year-old movie exhibition business cannot keep going like this. But hardly anybody agrees on precisely the best way forward....
How Balanchine Reckoned With The USSR
The U.S.S.R. filled him with dread, and his return brought to light one of the great themes of his life: he had set his...
The Marilyn Monroe Biopic And The Murkiness Of The Dreaded NC-17 Rating
Even if a director wanted to edit their movie to please ratings royalty, the MPAA’s murky machinations could make it hard for her to...
Manhattan DA’s Office Seizes 27 Pieces Of Art From Met Museum
The items, seized under the terms of three separate search warrants executed during the last six months, will be returned to their countries of...
Museums Association Will Require Salary Info In Job Listings
AAM’s announcement comes alongside heightened calls for salary transparency in the museum world and as salary transparency laws have taken effect across the country. In New York City,...
Before The Algorithms Took Over: YouTube’s “Coolhunters”
A journalist, a radio DJ, and actual YouTubers were brought in as editors to sift through content, finding gems that viewers might love. Officially,...
Our Long Battles Over Learning And Indoctrination
This question—why parents and taxpayers should support public schools that teach content that conflicts with their most cherished beliefs—has reverberated across the decades, sometimes...
How ArtForum Thinks About Criticism
Criticism in the broadest sense is a key tactic for maintaining a nonrigid, noncomplacent orientation toward the world. You’re always stepping back and looking...
Is History Really Just About Quantifying Numbers?
That there is more than one way to interpret numbers might seem obvious, but is worth repeating at a time when, once again, historians...
UK Arts Funding Is A Zero-Sum Game (And Getting Worse)
Arts funding, under the current government, is a zero-sum game. There’s no new money, beyond a tiny, 2% rise in the ACE budget. ...
Australian Artists Rethinking Tours Over Climate Concerns
During an 11-week national tour, each member of the company was responsible for approximately seven tonnes of carbon emitted. The average per-capita emission in...
Are Public Radio Listeners Cooling On Podcasts?
While podcast consumption is holding steady overall among public radio fans, Jacobs Media's just-released Public Radio Techsurvey 2022 shows some warning signs for public...
