ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

ISSUES

AI Chatbots Aren’t Great For Much, But They Might Know This One Weird Trick

That trick is getting people who believe in conspiracy theories to find some exits out of their internet-driven rabbit holes. Importantly, recent “studies suggest that, contrary to the common belief that people 'down the rabbit hole' are beyond rescue, they can actually be brought back." - Nieman Lab

Oxford University Press Has A Unionized Staff, But The Press Just Fired Thirteen Workers

Those remaining have filed a grievance. “These are the people who design OUP’s award-winning covers and graphics, do complex data work that sustains OUP’s digital products, and so much more. Together, they represent nearly two centuries of service and dedication to OUP’s mission.” - LitHub

Two Iranian Directors Are Still Under House Arrest For A Gentle Comedy About An Old Married Couple

“The couple never meant to make political movies, Sanaeeha . ‘But in Iran, everything is political.’” (The issue here? A 70-year-old woman character doesn’t wear hijab … inside her own home.) - The Guardian (UK)

Cultural Tourism Barely Existed In Australia 40 Years Ago. Now It’s A Billion-Dollar Industry.

Here's a look at the enormous development in the field since the 1980s, including the spread of cultural tourism far beyond the big cities, the increasingly active participation of indigenous Australians, and why the arts and tourism need each other and must work together. - ArtsHub (Australia)

How Grassroots Advocacy Remade Arts Funding In St. Petersburg, Florida

“We’re calling ourselves the ‘City of the Arts’ in St. Pete so it’s just the right thing for the city to contribute to that and not just leave it up to the free market economy because the free market economy does not necessarily provide for diverse programming." - 83 Degrees Media

Could A Proposed New California Law Rein In AI Development?

Critics have painted a nearly apocalyptic picture of its impact, calling it a threat to startups, open source developers, and academics. Supporters call it a necessary guardrail for a potentially dangerous technology — and a corrective to years of under-regulation.  - The Verge

Milwaukee’s Arts Organizations Are Dangerously Dependent On Philanthropy, Finds Study

For most groups, the proportion of their budgets coming from earned income (mostly ticket sales) has fallen by a third to a half from 2012 levels (let alone the levels of the 1990s). With the trend of philanthropy turning away from the arts, the outlook in the city appears grim. - Urban Milwaukee

Indianapolis’s Arts Agency Asks City Council To More Than Double Its Funding

For a decade until 2019, local lawmakers kept Indy Arts Council's budget stagnant at $1 million, and there were only small increases and some federal money added during the pandemic. From that budget, over 100 organizations must share grants. So IAC is requesting a budget increase from $1.3 million to $3 million. - WFYI (Indianapolis)

Juilliard Gets Big Gift To Span Arts Disciplines

Juilliard announced on Wednesday that it had received a $15 million gift to help expand creative work across music, dance and drama. An additional $5 million gift will go to the school’s jazz program to support scholarships, performances and teaching. - The New York Times

Is It Time To Change How Boards Work In Arts Organizations?

When the Orchestra needed to take decisive action amid a crisis, the CEO-Board relationship broke down very quickly and led to devastating outcomes for the company. - ArtsHub

Arts Workers In Slovakia Threaten National Strike

"The ultimatum follows the culture ministry’s firing the heads of the Slovak National Theater and Slovak National Gallery in August. … The movement, known as Culture Strike, is coordinated by Open Culture! Platform, an independent group formed in January to 'protect culture in Slovakia from the destructive actions of politicians.'" - ARTnews

After DeSantis Eliminated State Funding, Arts Organizations In Miami Face County Funding Cuts As Well

"The proposed budget cuts nearly $2.5 million from Miami-Dade County’s current $25.5 million budget for art grants. … As Miami bolsters its reputation as a global arts hub, local artists have felt the strain from a lack of affordable housing and affordable studio space." - Miami Herald (Yahoo!)

Italy’s Culture Minister Is Out After Giving His Ex-Mistress A Job

"Gennaro Sangiuliano, a 62-year-old former journalist, had faced a media storm since Maria Rosaria Boccia, a self-proclaimed fashion entrepreneur, said last month she had been nominated 'adviser to the minister for major events'." - Reuters

How To Keep A Community’s Soul While It’s Under Gentrification Pressure

In order to be successful, any urban regeneration has to tap into the local culture and heritage of a place. This means embracing what makes the area unique, whether it’s through traditional arts, music, local stories, or even something like baking bread. - The Conversation

What The Internet Archive Decision Means To All Of Us

The Internet Archive “is the only keeper of the internet’s first days, via the Wayback Machine. ... The archive is a huge source for Wikipedia citations, and makes a stand against publisher monopolies. Most of all? If it’s destroyed, millions and millions of cultural items could be lost to history.” - LitHub

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