The Putin regime has dealt Russian culture a crushing blow, just as the Russian state has done to its artists, musicians, and writers so many times before. People in the arts are forced to sing patriotic songs or emigrate. The regime has in effect “canceled” culture in my country. - The Atlantic
"Known as K11 Ecoast, the forthcoming complex" — to be built by Hong Kong real estate mogul and art collector Adrian Cheng — "is located in Prince Bay in Shenzhen's Nanshan district and covers more than 2.4 million square feet, the equivalent of 50 football fields." - Artnet
The six artists in Kherson wanted to tell the truth about life under Russian occupation - and to continue making art. "The results, which they have named Residency in Occupation, offer a harrowing insight into the horrors endured by millions of Ukrainians living under the Russian invasion." - The Guardian (UK)
Sure, the players might ride truncated broomsticks, and some of the images will look familiar, but the game played in 40 countries with 600 teams is now called quadball. The impetus was the Harry Potter author's anti-trans stances, but the move will also help with trademark issues. - NPR
She should be - but she's spoken out against the Chinese government. Still, Western film companies could do something. "Yan’s campaign, and the muted response, highlights how an apparent censorship decision in China can quietly ripple through the art-house film world." - The New York Times
Knowledge (including arts administration) workers might improve the world when they work from home. Why? Knowledge workers say they use their phones to make calls, plan events, and read - and reply to - emails ... while driving. - Fast Company
The pandemic "significantly damaged San Diego’s arts and culture organizations last year, costing them more than $77 million in revenue and donations, shrinking their economic impact by 47 percent and prompting nearly 700 layoffs and lost freelance contracts." And that's better than 2020. - San Diego Union-Tribune
"'The circle of people who have to act like they’re in a spy movie is getting bigger and bigger,' says Cindy Cohn, executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation." And state or national governments may decide to act. - Wired
The U.S. Copyright office, contrary to the approach taken in Europe, has declined to add an ancillary copyright for publishers to protect them from use of their content by aggregators. - MediaPost
211 large-scale cultural infrastructure projects were completed in 2021 - $11.2 billion – the highest annual volume and value of completed projects since 2016 (and by some margin). Last year only 104 projects were completed with a value of $5.7 billion. - AEA
Plantation workers there earn twenty or thirty dollars a month; as artists, they make much more. The collective has brought in more than a hundred thousand dollars since its creation, and it has had shows in cities including Berlin, Warsaw, Amsterdam, Tokyo, New York, Copenhagen, and Jeddah. - The New Yorker
After 1945 a new form of artistic patronage arose, reflecting the rise of that icon of midcentury capitalism, the American corporation, and creating a new genre: what Alex J. Taylor calls “corporate modernism.” - The Wall Street Journal
The Wollongong Art Gallery needed to make some big calls after it was discovered that one of its prominent donors, who passed away 30 years ago, was last month confirmed as a Nazi intelligence officer during the Second World War. - Big Idea
"That beauty is subjective and all of our interests are conflicted. What if we replaced this arbitrary system that we pretend is rational, with a true lottery? One that embraces the chaos of distributing a small pool of resources to a vast ocean of creativity." - The Big Idea (New Zealand)
Some of the most easily offended university students in America have become adept at characterizing any speech they dislike as if it creates an unsafe, discriminatory, or hostile climate, or else constitutes harassment or even violence. - The Atlantic
