ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

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The Circus That Bought An Old West Town In The Desert

Spiegelworld, an entertainment and circus company based in Las Vegas, bought the entire town in 2022 for $2.5m. This isolated plot of land, roughly an hour’s drive from Vegas and the same distance from the nearest grocery store, is now known as Spiegelworld’s “global headquarters” or, more simply, the “circus town”. - The Guardian

Study: UK Artists Earn Average Of £12,500 Per Year

Visual artists in the UK take home a median annual salary of only £12,500 a year, a 40% decrease since 2010, a new survey commissioned by the Design & Artists Copyright Society (DACS) has found. - The Art Newspaper

The Google Empire Is Under Assault From All Sides

"For many years, Google’s sprawling empire has faced little legal scrutiny, allowing the company to freely build up its search engine, browser, operating systems, and line of hardware products that all intersect to bolster one another.” But all empires must fall. - The Verge

How Public Libraries Can Prepare Themselves For The Incoming Administration

Well, this is a cheery article. “There are fewer than two months—and honestly, about one month with the holidays—to shore up your institutions to make them as strong and solid for the community as possible.” - Book Riot

Should We All Toss Our Phones Now, Or What?

Ronan Farrow’s new article argues that we’re all at risk of being hacked - by our own government. “When it happens in a democracy … , it creates a sense of disorientation: ‘Could this happen to me? Here? Really?!’ And yet it can, and it does.” - The New Yorker

When A TV Series Production Devastates A Town, Who’s To Blame?

“Small communities roll out the red carpet for filmmakers, but there’s not always a happy Hollywood ending.” Take this devastating fire on the set of HBO’s I Know This Much Is True. - Los Angeles Times

Why Black Americans Should Give Up Trying To Claim Ancient Egypt As Their Heritage

"Black America tracing itself to Egypt makes as much historical sense as would Czechs deciding to … favor tartans as an expression of being European. … The abiding fondness for the Egypt idea tends to sideline the astonishing history of the empires that enslaved Americans actually emerged from." - The New York Times

Talk Of Decolonizing Is Everywhere. But What It Means Is Uncertain

In contrast to the seeming clarity of colonialism (however much it elides that process’s own complications), current discussions of decolonisation can seem amorphous and slippery. This is not surprising since so many different people and groups are using the concept, at times at cross purposes. - Aeon

Portland Oregon Changed How It Funds The Arts. Small Arts Organizations Aren’t Happy

The city argues that its new method of funding organizations creates a more equitable process to sustain the city’s myriad creative centers. But many of Portland’s smaller arts organizations say the shift in who decides their funding has led to the exact opposite result, leaving them less money for the following year than expected. - Willamette Week

A Weapon To Crush Uppity Arts Non-Profits?

"This is a troubling turn of events, particularly for the arts, where nonprofit organizations are prominent players in the form of museums, alternative art spaces, galleries, and even some publications, not to mention institutions of higher education. If it passes, will this bill muffle artistic expression? My guess is yes." - Hyperallergic

US House Passes Bill That Would Let Administration Strip Any Nonprofit As “Terrorist-Supporting”

This legislation would allow the Secretary of the Treasury to designate section 501(c) nonprofits as “terrorist supporting organizations” at the Secretary’s discretion, without requiring the Secretary to share their full evidence or reasoning with accused nonprofits. - Non-Profit Quarterly

How Popular Culture Might Change During A Second Trump Term

In many ways the cultural legacy of the first Trump administration was more visible in backlash and protest. But it’s possible the second time around, the impact will be an affirmative one. - The New York Times

Berlin Announces Major Cuts To Its (Substantial) Arts Funding Budget

"Overall, Berlin is slashing its cultural funding budget by around €120 million ($127 million), or about 12%. The budget for 2025 will now be around €1.2 billion. For weeks now, theatres (and other organizations) have been warning of insolvency, restrictions in operations and job losses." - DPA (Yahoo!)

How Thirty Years Of The UK National Lottery Has Changed Culture

“Without the profound impact of National Lottery funding for the arts, heritage, charity and tourism sectors, introduced by the Conservative government in 1994, survival of even the fittest would have been nigh on impossible." - The Art Newspaper

TKTS To Open Discount Ticket Booth In Philadelphia

The outlet, near Independence Hall, will offer 30% to 50% discounts, up to three days before curtain, to select music and dance performances (including the Philadelphia Orchestra and Philadelphia Ballet) as well as theater. This is the first TKTS booth in the US outside New York City. - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)

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