This seems transparently foolish. After all, it wasn't Jada Pinkett Smith or their adult children up there smacking Chris Rock. Yet: "Public relations specialists who focus on crisis management warned that the incident could erode the good will that the Smiths have built up." - The New York Times
First, physical books get banned for transparently hysterical "reasons." Then e-readers might be provided for free - with content that is outrageously expensive. But incarcerated people, say advocates, desperately need, and want, the tools that will keep their minds engaged. - Publishers Weekly
There is abundant evidence to show the government’s financial support for the arts and culture has been significantly reduced over many years. Today the arts don’t even rate a mention in the title of the government department responsible for them. - ArtsHub
Sarah Kaufman talks to performers who've been expatriates for decades but sometimes work in Russia (such as conductor Vladimir Jurowski) and one (theater director Dmitry Krymov) who happened to be traveling to a gig in Philadelphia when the war started and won't be going back. - The Washington Post
Even as the annexation of Crimea faded from the media, Signerbusters kept showing up to concerts, draped in Ukrainian flags, equipped with signs and spirit. Sometimes there were just two or three of them present. Still, for eight years, Signerbusters say they have never missed a show. - Washington Post
"Based on responses from 2,128 D.C. area theatregoers from March 14-17, significantly more audience members responded negatively than positively about ending these requirements in theatres." - American Theatre
In short, the letter Z (which doesn’t actually exist in the Cyrillic alphabet used in Russia) has been transformed and made toxic; it’s a remarkable example of how swiftly and decisively the meaning of a symbol can be completely reinvented, seeming at random. - Fast Company
With so many venues losing earned income by closing their doors as COVID spread, individual donors and foundations increased their giving, but government emergency funding made the biggest difference. - SMU Data Arts
Change is an act of creation, and that’s what artists do: Through a process of imagining, trying and building, artists create experiences that connect us to our own agency and power. We are in a moment when we urgently need these artists, culture bearers and creative workers. - Bloomberg
In February "the mayor released a preliminary budget for fiscal year 2023 that proposes slashing one-third of the city's culture budget. So how does the mayor's grandiose rhetoric about New York's cultural comeback match up with his budgetary policy?" (Poorly.) - Hyperallergic
After Bolshoi director Vladimir Urin signed a petition for ending Russia's war in Ukraine and one of the Bolshoi's star ballerinas abruptly emigrated, the Russian president reportedly asked Gergiev, artistic director of the Mariinsky and longtime Putin friend, to consider bringing both houses under his management. - MSN (The Washington Post)
The case will test fair use defense to copyright infringement and how to assess if a new work based on an older one meaningfully transformed it. The black-and-white image that Warhol used was taken in 1981 by Lynn Goldsmith, whose work has appeared on more than 100 album covers. - The New York Times
Researchers looked at 39 studies of play and included 17 in a meta-analysis that found when children ages three to eight engage in guided play, they can learn just as much in some domains of literacy and executive function as children who receive direct instruction from a teacher or adult. - Hechinger Report
Baryshnikov, the actor and ballet star, launched a fundraising drive to support Ukraine. But he also said Russian stars who do not speak out should not be targeted by the west. In contrast, Ratmansky, an admirer and friend of Baryshnikov, believes there is no excuse for not actively opposing the war. - The Guardian
