"The Environmental Protection Agency will assign artists to treasured bodies of water in the United States under a new program announced Tuesday at a White House-sponsored conference on exploring ways to use the arts and humanities as another instrument for problem-solving." - AP
"Mass tourism has turned the Italian city of Florence into a 'prostitute,' the director of Galleria dell’Accademia" — home to Michelangelo's David — has said, sparking anger and calls for her to step down. Although Cecilie Hollberg has apologized, Italian politicians have slammed her comments this week as offensive to Florentines." - CNN
The office has suddenly found itself in the spotlight. Lobbyists for Microsoft, Google, and the music and news industries have asked to meet. Thousands of artists, musicians and tech executives have written to the agency, and hundreds have asked to speak at listening sessions hosted by the office. - The New York Times
"'This case is not just about AI,' Josh Schiller, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said in a statement. 'It’s about the humans that use AI to violate the law, infringe on intellectual property rights, and flout common decency.'" - Washington Post
Ukraine says so, and has footage of Milos Bikovic accepting an award from the Russian president in 2018. But "the day after the invasion began, Bikovic said on Instagram that he wished the war had not happened." - The New York Times
Wow: "U.S. politicians have called for new laws to criminalise the creation of deepfake images, after explicit faked photos of Taylor Swift were viewed millions of times online." - BBC
"Why would you scrap a movie that is all but finished before anyone except studio suits have had a chance to see it? The answer, for Hollywood bigwigs, is a tax write-off." - The Guardian (UK)
Even now, after mask and vaccine card protocols have abated, most theatergoers rely upon proof of purchase displayed on a screen. Will call is increasingly the domain of blue-hairs; the young and tech-savvy use apps like SeatGeek and TodayTix. - Public Books
Over the last five years, many arts organizations in the US and UK stopped accepting the (previously generous) donations of the Sackler family because of its role in the opioid crisis. Records indicate that the Sackler Trust has recommenced its donations, but the recipients remain unnamed. - The New York Times
"Culture Pass Dallas was created by the Office of Arts and Culture and the Dallas Public Library in 2019. Six months after launching, the pandemic hit and put the program on hold. Now, the Office of Arts and Culture is prioritizing rebuilding (the free-admission program)." - The Dallas Morning News (MSN)
The impacts of the arts go beyond annual operating expenses, data shows. The $751 million in capital investments since 2015 have generated an additional $842 million in indirect economic impact. - WCPO
Prof Vikki Locke, the director of undergraduate studies at Loughborough business school, said students “absolutely love” the technology and have been begging for selfies with the gadget. They would prefer “a guest speaker from industry beaming into a classroom to a 2D person on the wall”, she added. - The Guardian
"One way ..., perhaps, is to turn competition into cooperation. Maybe a path forward for theater is to write new rules of decorum — or to be the first to violate them. If theater goes viral, it should be on behalf of the artists’ intentions, not in spite of them." - San Francisco Chronicle
