Douglas McLennan
Doug is the editor of ArtsJournal
Jeff Koons: Here’s What Really Motivates Me (It Isn’t Money)
He has been frustrated by suggestions that his art was partly driven by a desire to make a lot of money. “The value in...
“Dolly Parton” Producers Strike Back Against Homophobic Audience Outbursts
The homophobic incidents come as a new bio-musical about Parton, titled Hello, I’m Dolly, is prepping for a bow on Broadway in 2026, with the country...
How Spotify Is Dulling Our Musical Taste
AI is, obviously, kind of cool. But in their insistence on sameness and comfort, these tools remind us of the value of good old-fashioned...
You’re A Scientist. You’re Describing Your Work. Now You Can’t Use The Words “Diversity,”...
Among them are terms that Trump and others might dislike, such as diversity, inequities, or multicultural. But there are also words that almost certainly get caught in...
How To Make Sense Of Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Show?
Was this the political subversion America needed? A protest performance force-fed to no one as influential as the reinstalled aspiring dictator, Donald Trump, who...
Some Recourse For Traditional Copyright Abuse
Many creators of important cultural works sell (or give away) their interests early on, when the value of their efforts is still unknown and...
Glorifying Ignorance. What Could Go Wrong?
Someone who knows more, is more successful, or who seems to be smarter than you is often seen as a threat, and so in...
What Hollywood Wants From AI
Here reflects an aspiration of Hollywood executives and some above-the-line talent to wield AI to create big films on (relatively) small budgets and help them...
Is Hollywood Making A Fatal Wrong Turn?
In focusing on how AI might disrupt existing workflows, Hollywood is missing a far more profound shift: AI is not just a tool—it is...
What Trump Portends For The Arts (Starting With The Kennedy Center)
Trump, who has shown little interest in or knowledge of the arts before, has indicated that he wants to be more than an advocate...
Trump Names New Kennedy Center Chief
“So we took over the Kennedy Center. We didn’t like what they were showing and various other things,” Trump told reporters in the Oval...
Who Would Want To Run The Kennedy Center Now?
“As a headhunter for large performing arts centers, don’t you think it will be difficult recruiting the next CEO to the Kennedy Center now...
Strad Sells At Auction for $11M
Sotheby's said it could not share information about the identity of the buyer. The auction house had expected the instrument to sell for $12...
Study: Music Has Become More Simplified
The team's first discovery was that classical music has always been more complex than modern pop. However, they also discovered that all of the...
The End Of Our Algorithm Overlords?
Let’s just say it: Algorithms are officially uncool. Remember when they were the ‘it’ thing – those mysterious forces that seemed to know what...
NEA Announces Shift In Priorities
“Under the updated guidelines, the NEA continues to encourage projects that celebrate the nation’s rich artistic heritage and creativity by honoring the semiquincentennial of...
What A Major New Prize Says About Dance Right Now
The new biennial competition with a £40,000 bounty for the victor is initially guaranteed to run for 10 editions, by which time it hopes...
People Can No Longer Tell What Art Is AI-Created
Studies show that humans tend to perceive AI-generated paintings as human-made more often than actual human-created paintings. Similarly, AI-generated humor is found to be...
The Painfully Self-Conscious World Of The Alt-Fiction World
They’re trying to carve out their own space, away from the prissy bullshit of the mainstream literary world, where they can write something real. They’re...
Scrappy Melville House Publishes Jack Smith Reports
Founder Dennis Johnson said such “crash publishing” required hard work and help from printers, retailers and more. But the Jack Smith Report, he said,...
What’s Your Writing Worth To An AI Company?
“They’re trying to establish the idea that the rights to train on books are worth $5,000. You can’t do that by going to the...
Trump Seizes Control Of The Kennedy Center
Trump plans to announce the dismissal of multiple members of the Kennedy Center board as soon as today, a group likely to include recent...
How Machines Have Supported Creativity. A History
David Hajdu strives to refute the ages-old criticism that art made with machines is cold, soulless and artificial. In fact, he argues, machines have...
India’s Giving Few Details On The World’s Largest Museum It’s Building
While India’s grandest state museum project of the 21st century forges ahead, crucial details remain unknown to both the public, as well as some...
How The Trump Administration Is Impacting Artists And Arts Institutions
These changes won’t necessarily stop artists from making work or museums and galleries from showing work, but they could be forced to rethink how...
