Queer historian Hugh Ryan describes the scene in Manhattan's then-cheap East Village, which started in the early 1980s as scrappy do-it-yourself performance art, was almost wiped out by AIDS, and was reborn in the '90s as persona-driven comedy and cabaret — all in dingy rock-n-roll dives. - Curbed
The opera, symphony and several other organizations have new leadership. It's a changing of the guard familiar now in many American communities. - Oregon ArtsWatch
Retail companies do collect massive volumes of terrifically sensitive data. They do this not only to predict your future behavior, but to influence it. - The Atlantic
The UNESCO designation was a historical acknowledgment of the traditions of poor and rural communities that can often get left out of larger conversations about art history. It is precisely these communities that have maintained Marrakech’s architectural heritage for generations, but the earthquake has destroyed the workshops and residences. - The Conversation
Every time news breaks of one of these deletions, a refrain echoes online: Buy physical media! The internet is too impermanent, the argument goes: The real cultural cornucopia was in the outside world. - Reason
"(The briefing) by the NGO Blue Shield International has tentatively made the claim that the Putin regime has premeditatively, systematically — and provably — targeted heritage sites in Ukraine. If the report is correct, the critical legal threshold needed to prosecute Putin for a war crime is now significantly closer." - The Art Newspaper
"The prestigious award for books, drama and music, which had previously been open to just US citizens, will now consider permanent residents of the US and those who have made the US 'their longtime primary home', according to a press release on behalf of the Pulitzer prize board." - The Guardian
According to the survey, overall ticket sales are still well below pre-pandemic levels: down 23% across various art forms and venues. People also tend to decide much more last-minute, venues say, and pay more for that flexibility. In total, subscriptions are down 38%. - Seattle Times
How will cities grapple with the more difficult question of what to do with fraught landmarks that are more immovable than those statues—museums, train stations, and private houses, say—or whose connections to racism or slavery, while significant, are tougher to precisely trace? - The New Yorker
While soldier-led cross-dressing shows go as far back as the late 19th century, "drag in the military really took off during World War I and World War II when military leaders realized that it was a liability for their fighting men to be mired in conflict without any morale-boosting entertainment." - Slate
The cycle of outcry, removal and reflection seems to be repeating itself more frequently. Proponents of artistic freedom say the current political climate has made more topics than ever controversial and emboldened more people to voice their complaints. Cities are forced to reexamine how they choose art. - AP News
Now that Danny Masterson has been convicted and sentenced, former cast member buddies are feeling bad about their letters asking for leniency - in which they called him "a role model." - Variety
