In the latest university rankings from Times Higher Education, the top two schools for arts and humanities in the world are, perhaps surprisingly, Stanford and MIT. TES Chief Knowledge Officer Phil Baty explains why, and why it matters. - World Economic Forum
According to this manifesto, it's "a tool for reimagining the past, present, and future. It makes scenarios real enough to feel possible, inspiring dialogue, interaction, and even policy changes." Actually, it's speculative fiction focusing on sustainable design ideas that aren't (yet) practicable. - World Economic Forum (Neste)
Xi’s use of history projects the message that the struggles of the first century of Communist Party rule have been buried by the need to cohere around Xi’s pursuit of strength, dignity, and obedience—what he calls “the great rejuvenation” of China. - The New Yorker
Ireland will launch a basic income guarantee program for artists and arts workers in 2022. The three-year initial plan will have a budget of €25 million. - The Irish Times
The external review, which interviewed 35 people, identified “a lack of diversity in the organisation, an absence of confidence in HR systems and in the handling of complaints and in managers to deal with or take seriously concerns of racism”. - The Guardian
Those of us who were fortunate to be undergraduates in the 1980s remember the exhilarating combination of intellectual freedom and ambition to which all this gave rise. Yet, in the past decade, exhilaration has been replaced by suffocation. - Washington Post
"The construction industry is responsible for nearly 40 percent of global carbon emissions, and it must be part of the solution, says museum president and executive director Aileen Fuchs, … (who believes) the museum is the perfect space for hashing out solutions." - MSN (The Washington Post)
Glasgow nightclub SWG3 is set to trial technology that captures body heat from dancers to create renewable energy to heat up or to cool down the venue. - BBC
Charlotte Higgins, The Guardian's chief arts writer, comments on how the current Tory administration is applying loyalty tests and generally interfering with every single decision and appointment it can make — and is doing so with remarkable shamelessness. - The Guardian
Tourists from outside the U.S. comprise about 15 percent of Broadway’s audience during a traditional season, said Charlotte St. Martin, the president of the Broadway League. Across the last five seasons at the Metropolitan Opera, international ticket sales have averaged about 20 percent of the total box office. - The New York Times
The threats are widespread. PEN says, "These bills appear designed to chill academic and educational discussions and impose government dictates on teaching and learning. ... The efforts amount to a sweeping crusade for content- and viewpoint-based state censorship." - The New York Times
But that's not the point: "Pushing media companies to live up to their ideals about inclusion and equality is a long game, requiring sustained pressure and constant scrutiny — a much different notion than so-called 'cancel culture.'"- NPR
The shutdown introduced many ordinary people to the precarity that gigging artists have always faced, and the expanded unemployment benefits — with fewer restrictions than usual — may offer an example of how to make sporadic gig work more tenable. - The Brooklyn Rail
A recent study found that a person living in the South received only $4.21 in arts and culture funding from philanthropy, compared to the national average of $8.60 per person. If you’re reading this in New York or Boston, know that Northeasterners receive about $16. - Artnet
