ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

ISSUES

“A Gonzo Ethnography of Academic Authority”: Tenured Princeton Professor Gets Fired And Goes Nuts (Or Goes Nuts And Gets Fired)

Alejandro Zaera-Polo, having been pushed out as dean of Princeton's architecture school in 2014, was dismissed from the faculty by unanimous vote of the relevant committee. He proceeded to compile an 813-page document and five hours of video making his case — and justifying Princeton's decision. - Curbed

Kennedy Center’s Backstage Workers Vote To Authorize Strike

The unanimous vote by members of the IATSE local comes more than a year after the expiration of their previous contract. Still at issue, say union reps, are staffing levels and pay, including overtime. Management claims the sides are not far apart. - MSN (The Washington Post)

Afghanistan’s Cultural Sector Goes Underground

“In Afghanistan, work in the field of arts and culture is probably one of the hardest jobs.. but we did it because we loved it. We had finally reached a stage where we were established and recognised... But everything is destroyed and we are stuck.” - The Art Newspaper

Composer Bright Sheng Removed At University Of Michigan After Showing Olivier Othello Film

“To show the film now, especially without substantial framing, content advisory and a focus on its inherent racism is in itself a racist act, regardless of the professor’s intentions. We need to acknowledge that as a community.” - Michigan Daily

Hip-Hop Does Not Owe Anyone Political Consciousness Or Moral Virtue

"To generations of listeners, Public Enemy were the ideal of a hip-hop group: fiery and politically engaged, marching through the streets to demand change. In fact, Public Enemy were an anomaly. Explicit political commentary has played a consistent but relatively minor role in the genre's evolution." - The Guardian

Art Pranks (With A Message) On The Rise?

Most of these prankster examples either take a jab at the art market. This intersection seems to have escalated in the last five years, with the impact of these artworks escalated by the capacity for social media to take their commentary viral in real time. - ArtsHub

Improv Comedy As The Vanguard Of Socialism?

"More than a year and a half into the pandemic, we've come to expect the unexpected. Perhaps the socialist revolution can start in an improv community? Enter the Comedy Co-op, a planned theater in the works by more than 30 local comedians." - Yahoo! (Los Angeles Times)

Biden Makes Historic Picks For New Heads Of NEA And NEH

Both selections are historic: Lowe will be the first Native American nominated to lead the federal humanities agency and Jackson will be the first African American and Mexican American nominated to run the arts endowment. - Washington Post

The Critical Question (Post-COVID)

Playwright Oscar Wilde once warned an age without criticism is “an age that possesses no art at all.” He never could have imagined an age when the arts are eager for resurgence, but there are few critical voices to herald their return. - CanvasCLE

Flash Floods Cause Closure Of Slovenia’s National Theater And Modern Art Museum

A total of nearly five inches of rain fell on Ljubljana on the evening of September 25, and among the many buildings to suffer millions of euros in damage were the theater SNG Drama Ljubljana and the Moderna Galerija. - The Art Newspaper

Afghan Art Is Going Underground

Now the Islamists are back in power, and Afghan artists and filmmakers — many who flourished during the past two decades — are scrambling to hide, protect or even destroy books, paintings and other works of art. - Washington Post

A Request: Please Don’t Let Amazon Eat The Film Industry

"There are eerie similarities between pre-1948 Hollywood and today’s streaming market. ... The top five streaming companies dominate." And Amazon would like to be more dominant. - The New York Times

Congress Is Looking At A Bill Designed To Help Arts Workers

And cultural workers need the money, and purpose: "Creative jobs dropped 53% between late 2019 and mid 2020, recovering only halfway since then, and the prolonged pandemic continues to threaten re-openings of art spaces." - Hyperallergic

A School Board Banned Hundreds Of Books And Documentaries Until Students Fought Back

York, Pennsylvania students, their parents, and authors around the country have won a temporary "freeze." But the school board's racism and homophobia seem entrenched and intransigent. One senior: "We know that they did not temporarily reverse out of the goodness of their hearts." - The New York Times

What Is The Solidarity Arts Economy?

Why should culture and economic innovation go together? Because, right now, we have a superstar system in which the winners take all and the rest are left with crumbs. Because, just like art, housing and dignified work are human rights. Because artists are the original gig workers. - Nonprofit Quarterly

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