Douglas McLennan
Doug is the editor of ArtsJournal
The Cardiff Philharmonic Canceled A Tchaikowsky Performance. Its Reasoning Demonstrates A Moral Quandry
That list doesn’t make for a snappy headline, but it does demonstrate good sense — a quality that’s been in short supply as people...
First Encounters: Making Art For/With Babies
“Because it is the babies who train us really in what works for them and that is crucial. I can’t imagine making the work...
Starchitecture Dreaming: Their Dystopian Dreams Of Conquering Nature
As more become victims of the city’s fantasies of walling itself off from the climate crisis, what is increasingly obvious is the city’s willingness...
TikTok Announces New Program To Pay Musicians
The service will allow musicians to upload songs directly to the app and receive royalties for plays, managed through a designated artists' platform. The...
What Ukrainian Literature Says About Ukraine’s Relationship With Russia
Ukrainians frequently speak of the need to become Ukrainians: to consolidate their culture, language, and institutions after centuries of imperial domination. What Ukrainians see...
The Ukraine Cultural Sites At Risk Of Being Destroyed
A lot has already been lost or destroyed. Museums in the homes of folk artists and folk production are found throughout the country. - The...
Jed Perl: An Argument For “Freestanding Art”
Living as we are, in a time of social, political, economic, and environmental crisis, I believe we must resist the temptation to view the...
Study: Student Reading Facility Declined During The Pandemic
As the pandemic enters its third year, a cluster of new studies now show that about a third of children in the youngest grades are missing reading benchmarks, up...
Scientists Turn To Bacteria To Clean Michelangelo Sculpture
Scientists tested 11 strains of bacteria on marble before it was decided that three non-toxic varieties would be the most effective for Michelangelo’s masterpiece. Serratia...
Humana Festival Says It Won’t Do Festival
The Humana Festival of New American Plays, as envisioned prior to the Global Pandemic, has inspired a new approach to develop and produce new...
Getty Sues Hedge Fund Over Massive Losses
The Getty invested $60 million in the fund, which was titled “structured alpha,” in 2016. Three years later, the investment had grown to $73...
Why We’re Built To Forget
It used to be thought that forgetting anything — from minor things like the name of a casual acquaintance to the more painful loss...
Tracking The Word Choice Vectors In Rap Music
There’s an appealingly simple sociolinguistic view, one my grizzled inner skeptic appears to have embraced, whereby words function as vectors of status: where vocabulary...
Ken Robinson: What Does Education Mean Now?
What does it mean to be educated now? As we all live in two worlds—the world within you that exists only because you do,...
Geffen Hall Is Fully Funded And Will Open Year Early
The project’s leaders announced on Wednesday that they had raised their goal of $550 million to cover the cost of the renovation, and that...
How Did Intelligence Evolve Biologically?
The processes of intelligence are so intricate, so multilayered and baroque, no wonder some people might be tempted by stories about a top-down Creator....
100 Years After It Sank, Shackleton’s Ship Found In Antarctica (and In Remarkable Condition)
The Endurance was found off the coast of Antarctica, approximately four miles south of the position originally recorded by its captain, Frank Worsley. It...
Arts Venues Sue Small Business Administration Over COVID Money
Nearly 50 rejected venue grant applicants have taken the SBA to court, including escape rooms, a dance convention, a circus arts company, a ministry,...
Is Having Two Museum Directors Better Than Having One?
“There’s a lot of structural change underway and nobody knows where this is going. I think there’s a strong desire from all the actors...
How To Fight Disinformation
So is a country’s level of media literacy anything more than a measure of the wealth and the education of its population? How can...
Careful Of Boycotting Russian Artists and Institutions. It’s Difficult To Come Back
"Almost on the hour, we’re hearing about cultural boycotts, departures of curators and directors, and the shuttering of institutions. The moral convictions behind these choices cannot be doubted....
Agreement: Museums Can Remove Sackler Name Without Penalty
The Sacklers would also lose their naming rights at museums and other entities that have received their financial contributions a win for activists who...
Smithsonian To Return Benin Bronzes
A spokeswoman for the Smithsonian, Linda St. Thomas, said most of the 39 pieces would be returned. But she said it was not clear...
Iraq’s National Museum Reopens After Three Years
The newly renovated national museum had closed its doors in 2019 amid escalating anti-government protests in Baghdad. Home to artifacts dating from ancient Mesopotamian,...
Could Technology Help Preserve Musical Theatre Voices?
“Similar to how your iPhone nowadays tells you, ‘Oh, you listened to music a little too loudly this week; watch out, because we don’t...
