The first budget proposal the governor made suggested a 58% cut to California’s state arts programs. Among those cuts is a $10 million reduction from $26 million to $16 million to the California Arts Council (CAC), the state agency that supports local arts infrastructure. - CultureOC
DeSantis said the cause was Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival, which he characterized as being overtly “sexual” and therefore an inappropriate recipient of state funds. While it’s unclear if the Orlando festival was slated to receive any money from the grants, the state of Florida awards money for cultural projects based on a ranked list. - ARTnews
Thangam Debbonaire, 57 — a former professional cellist who danced at raves in her college days and has lines of poetry tattooed on her forearm — was in charge of developing Labour’s election promises on the arts. Those include more art, drama and music classes in schools, and a crackdown on ticket scalping. - The New York Times
"First of all, the legislature had already reduced the budget from $60 million to $30 million. But $30 million in the budget of the state represents 0.03 percent. So it's negligible for the state economy, for the budget, but it makes a huge impact for (the arts programs). - CBS News
At the Gardner, it’s not easy to meet the city’s climate goals: “The building is strictly governed by Stewart Gardner’s will, which requires each gallery to remain exactly as it was at the time of her death.” - Boston Globe (MSN)
The 87-year-old actor, whose voiceover narrations are popular among a movie crowd trained on March of the Penguins, also thanked his fans for calling out AI fakes on TikTok. - Variety
“An open source approach, perhaps with the micropayment system Polosukhin envisions, might provide a way to resolve the tough intellectual property crisis that AI has triggered.” - Wired
Iowa’s censorship law has been suspended under appeal. And while there is no list “designated for schools to determine whether or not materials are in compliance with the law, Salmon has used state letterhead to inform some districts that there is” - a Moms for Liberty list. - Book Riot
Just a portion of the issues: “The library’s public computers have been unavailable for a month. So have its public Wi-Fi networks. Books are being checked out by spreadsheet. And librarians are asking patrons to not return books.” - Seattle Times
“Because of social media and dating apps, our generation has been spoon-fed in a lot of ways when it comes to meeting people. We’re realizing dating apps aren’t it, but there’s also a bit of shyness when it comes to, ‘OK, I deleted the app, but how do I even approach someone in person?’” - Bloomberg
These counties are all in the top 5% of SMU Data Arts' Arts Vibrancy Index, and all are classified as rural by the US Census Bureau. Among the characteristics many of these counties share are tourism destinations and wealthy residents (heading the list is Nantucket, Massachusetts). - SMU Data Arts
"The William Penn Foundation is instituting a broad set of changes — from the kinds of projects and organizations it is interested in funding, to how groups may apply for money. Some of these shifts are being influenced by a generational turnover playing out gradually on the foundation’s board." - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
Montreal’s role as a multilingual cultural hub—attracting talent from across the country and around the world in music, theatre, literature, dance, and even the videogame industry—has been due, in large part, to its lower cost of living. - The Walrus
Maybe you can relate to my mood: I want this election season over with. I have no more outrage left to give, yet there seems to be no bottom to Donald J. Trump’s authoritarian shamelessness. Thursday's debate between President Biden and Trump has me ducking for cover. - LA Times (Yahoo)
The downtown Calgary cultural hub has been raising funds for a $660-million transformation, which will see its existing facility upgraded, a new building added and the neighbouring outdoor Olympic Plaza redesigned. - The Globe & Mail
