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
A judge in New Mexico issued a warrant for his arrest. "Busfield was charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse after two child actors said he had touched them inappropriately over a period of years.” - The New York Times
“This year marks a decade of measurement. In celebration, we’re releasing our most comprehensive analysis yet: rankings for the top 100 communities nationwide and all 50 states.” - SMU DataArts
Charlotte Higgins: “’The goal,’ as one senior employee of the Smithsonian told me, ‘is to reframe the entire culture of the United States from the foundation up.’” - The Guardian
“After a monthslong lull in tensions, the Smithsonian is facing an ultimatum from the White House to comply next week with a demand” to produce a very long list of internal documents for “a comprehensive review of the institution’s content and plans — or risk potential cuts to its budget.” - The New York Times
“The National Weather Museum and Science Center in Norman, Oklahoma, the only US museum dedicated to weather artifacts, said late last month that it is at risk of closing. The nonprofit, launched in the early 2000s, has relied completely on donations, grants, and partnerships for funding, and receives no federal funding.” - ARTnews
After a string of fresh lawsuits and a landmark settlement in 2025, the new year promises to bring a wave of rulings that could define how U.S. copyright law applies to generative AI. - Reuters
“A bipartisan spending package released Monday by House Speaker Mike Johnson includes $32 million for operating expenses at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts through Sept. 30, 2027.” - AP
Despite the reported skepticism of higher education, enrollment in four-year colleges and universities is growing. These institutions awarded 2 million bachelor’s degrees in 2023, compared with 1.6 million in 2010, and the fraction of 25-year-olds with a bachelor’s degree has steadily increased for the past 15 years. - The Atlantic
