ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

ISSUES

New Zealand’s Creative Sector Is Becoming Financially Unviable

A Creative New Zealand report in 2023 revealed creatives earn considerably less than other wage earners: $37,000 a year compared to a general median of $61,800. This will no doubt get worse. - The Big Idea

The Kind Of Job “Most Artistic Leaders Only Dream Of”

"The support (Barry) Diller has pledged to Little Island’s programming, millions of dollars with no end in sight, is the kind most artistic leaders only dream of. (Zack) Winokur does not have to spend his days courting (funders) or securing residencies; instead, he can provide money and space." - The New York Times

The Arts Are Being Strangled By Increased Costs

Last year, data released by audience research company Patternmakers showed somewhat of a rebounding of audience numbers from COVID levels, which was promising. But it also revealed the stark effect cost of living pressures were having on audiences, the majority of whom identified finances as the biggest factor limiting their ticket purchasing. - The Conversation

Philadelphia’s University of the Arts Owns Important Downtown Buildings. Now What?

The collapse of a major art school, which has operated and invested in Center City since the 1800s, will also put a large real estate portfolio featuring some of downtown Philadelphia’s most recognizable buildings on the market. - Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN

Faculty Sue Philadelphia’s University Of The Arts Over Abrupt Shutdown

"The plaintiffs — a group of professors, department heads and administrators — say the school did not give them 60 days' written notice of its plans for mass layoffs, as required under federal law. … The lawsuit could be just the first in a wave of messy court battles to come." - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)

Temple University Is Considering Merger To Save Philadelphia’s University Of The Arts

“I’m working with their chair to see if we can put this genie back in the bottle,” said Temple board chair Mitchell L. Morgan. “Can we somehow figure out some type of potential merger? If it’s a win-win, we are interested.” - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)

Now That Ron DeSantis Has Stopped Picking Fights With Them, Disney Plans To Invest $17 Billion In Disney World

"During the next decade or two, Disney would be approved to build a fifth major theme park at Disney World and two more minor parks, such as water parks. The company could raise the number of hotel rooms on its property from almost 40,000 rooms to more than 53,000 rooms." - AP

The Delicate Politics Of Firing Your Funder

Under pressure from activists, both Hay and the Edinburgh international book festival have sacked their main sponsor, the investment fund Baillie Gifford, blowing a mighty hole in their finances. Why? The anti-capitalist group Fossil Free Books has started a campaign against it… - The Observer

Alternatives to Higher Education Are Proliferating

"Programs that address this discontent exhibit a remarkably consistent set of characteristics. They are interdisciplinary, integrating methods and perspectives—from, say, engineering and the social sciences—that are normally kept apart." - Persuasion

Edinburgh’s Arts Community Up In Arms As One Of Its Favorite Venues Is Put Up For Sale

"Summerhall, … (a) complex of galleries, theatres and a cinema … housed in the city’s former veterinary school, has earned a reputation as one of the UK’s most innovative and critically acclaimed venues since it was set up 12 years ago by a wealthy benefactor, Robert McDowell." - The Guardian

Ticketmaster Was Hacked, Exposing 560 Million Accounts

According to a screenshot of the post shared by Mr. Callow, the group posted that it had the identifying information of 560 million Ticketmaster customers, including credit card numbers and ticket sales. - The New York Times

A New Generation Of Online Culture Curators

 We are in a transitional phase of digital culture, and thus more in need than ever of friendly faces, personable human guides to help us navigate this treacherous ground. Such guides go by many names—call them influencers, or content creators, or just “this one guy I follow.” - The New Yorker

How Artists Go From Unknown To Famous

Hugo McCloud, 44, offers a recent case study of one path from obscurity to recognition. In just over a decade, he had gone from fabricating metal fountains in Northern California to this month opening his fifth show at the prestigious Sean Kelly Gallery in New York. - The New York Times

Libraries Are About So Much More Than Books

Take Minneapolis, for instance. “What separates Minneapolis’s library from the rest is their intensive approach to serving people who are homeless and frequent the library” and that includes books, safe places to sleep, snacks, and more. - MPR

The Best Actress Winner At Cannes Sues A Far-Right French Politician Over ‘Sexist’ Comments

Karla Sofía Gascón, who is trans, filed a complaint against Marion Maréchal, granddaughter of National Front founder Jean-Marie Le Pen, who posted on Twitter/X: "So a man has won best actress. Progress for the left means the erasure of women and mothers.” - Agence France-Presse (The Guardian UK)

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