It was not clear which section of the park the White House is considering, but the southern tip of West Potomac Park — a short walk from the Jefferson Memorial — has largely been used for athletic fields. - Washington Post
CCA, which currently has 1,295 students, has long been in dire financial straits. Enrollment had fallen almost one third from its 2019 peak of 1,800, with the most recent class including only 207 undergraduate and 117 graduate students, according to the EDU Ledger. - Artnet
The project — a complete redesign of the streetscape of Broad Street, home to a number of the city’s leading arts institutions, from City Hall to the edge of South Philadelphia — will start modestly but will speed up after the America 250 celebrations this year. - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
A press release stated, “The decision reflects a changing global environment that is impacting major events, festivals and cultural programs worldwide. … SXSW Sydney worked … to explore potential pathways forward for the event; however, prevailing market conditions mean the Sydney edition will not be going ahead at this time.” - ArtsHub (Australia)
The risks of using generative artificial intelligence to educate children and teens currently overshadow the benefits, according to a new study by the Brookings Institution's Center for Universal Education. - NPR
“The deal, being announced Tuesday by San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, marks the latest development for the Nashville, Tenn., institution, sometimes called the Harvard of the South. … The new San Francisco location will host 1,000 full-time students and 100 faculty.” - The Wall Street Journal (MSN)
“The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly in favor of several funding measures, including … the bill that determines the annual allocations for the NEA, NEH, the Smithsonian Institution, the National Gallery of Art, the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA), and other cultural programs. … The Senate is expected to pass the bill.” - Hyperallergic
“Off-Broadway's Park Avenue Armory has named Deborah Warner its new artistic director, with the tenure to begin immediately. The theatre and opera director succeeds the group's most recent leader, Pierre Audi, following his sudden death last year." - Playbill
“The Smithsonian Institution on Tuesday submitted documents to the Trump administration including digital photographs of labels, placards and other texts on display in its museums … for the administration’s sweeping content review, which aims to rid the Smithsonian of what the White House has called ‘improper ideology’.” - The Washington Post (MSN)
The number of regular churchgoers in Germany has plunged over the past quarter-century, during which time roughly a thousand churches have been deconsecrated. Yes, some are torn down and the land repurposed, but others have been converted into apartments, cafés, medical offices, bicycle shops, soccer courts, and, of course, performance venues. - Deutsche Welle
“Disengagement” from institutions that uphold freedom of expression and artistic freedom “weakens the global protective frameworks on which artists and cultural workers depend.” - Artnet
The theme parks and cruise ships Vaughn’s team designs cost billions of dollars, dwarfing the budgets of movies that cost several hundred million dollars at most. When they succeed, they bring in revenue for decades and imprint Disney characters into children’s memories. - The Wall Street Journal
Ticketmaster is urging a federal judge in Los Angeles to throw out the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's case accusing it of working with resellers to gouge fans, saying the law it is accused of violating applies only to resellers, not ticketing platforms. - Reuters
Digital tickets fixed physical ticket counterfeiting, sure. But "digital tickets didn’t eliminate fraud. They just changed the face of it—and in the process, blew the doors open for a new generation of scammers.” - Fast Company
