Following last year's outcry over an even-larger-than-usual mismatch between the supply of and the demand for arts funding, the government has given Creative New Zealand a one-time boost of NZ$22 million (US$13.87 million) — on top of the agency's regular grant budget, most recently NZ$17 million. - The Big Idea (New Zealand)
No, it's not a matter of left-wing bias — on the part of the software (which is not alive and cannot think) or of the programmers. There may have been bias involved (that isn't clear), but if there was, that bias isn't political, writes Reed Albergotti. - Semafor
Frazer has expressed little or no interest in the UK’s creative industries publicly. One of her few interventions came in 2021 when, as Financial Secretary to the Treasury, she heralded the success of UK’s high-end tax breaks. - Deadline
Mark Harris: "The fact that these have even become urgent questions has to do, in large part, with the collision of Gen Z's approach to sexuality, which is very flexible, and its approach to culture, which is not." - T — The New York Times Style Magazine
In the so-called concern about the left ruling the campuses, what we actually have is an onslaught by the right wing to control what we read, who we talk to, and what we talk about. - The New Yorker
"Should they be returned to the streets, or destroyed? Should they be contextualized and put on display? Or perhaps the bronze should be melted down, with the hundreds of tons of marble and granite put to use for better purposes?" - El País
What's the issue? A demand to return to in-person work ... for no real reason. "The contractors are paid as little as $19 an hour, making it difficult to afford the relocation, travel, or childcare costs that they didn’t have to pay when working remotely." - The Verge
"Work by the UK Trade and Business Commission found that ... had Brexit never happened, the UK's creative industries would have received an additional €184 million (£164 million, $201 million), based on the total funds they received last cycle." - The National (Scotland)
"Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events on Thursday announced $11 million in grants for nonprofit arts organizations, including via a new Chicago Arts Recovery Program." - MSN (Chicago Tribune)
Whereas Madison Square Garden is using face recognition to deny entry to people previously expelled from the venue—and certain lawyers—many stadium and entertainment center operators are testing the technology to let people inside. - Wired
The report, citing data from analytics firm Similarweb, said an average of about 13 million unique visitors had used ChatGPT per day in January, more than double the levels of December. - Reuters
$22.5 billion budget shortfall. However, the loss of that $1.2 billion) block grant money can be largely offset with the nearly $1 billion earmarked for arts education through Proposition 28." - EdSource
In the decades that followed, totes have grown from a journeyman staple to a ubiquitous literary trophy on the streets of many major cities as well as on Instagram and TikTok. - The Walrus
