Sir James MacMillan "had not even heard a rehearsal of the piece, which he had written in secret, and until the night before the funeral was not completely sure it would be performed." - BBC
Mayer "rejected formalism for the avant-garde. She expanded the parameters of poetry by incorporating other elements into her work, including photography, collage, letters from friends, audio recordings and personal datebooks." - The New York Times
When Aline Louchheim took on Eero Saarinen, she "leveraged power dynamics and skirted journalistic ethics to get what she wanted: ... to champion Saarinen’s work and supercharge his career." - Hyperallergic
"Though the first Avatar was the world’s top-grossing movie not once, but twice, reclaiming the title from Avengers: Endgame after a 2021 rerelease in China, its most oft-cited claim to fame is its surprising lack of cultural impact." Why? - The New York Times
"Viva Magenta has taken the shape of a massive immersive exhibition during Art Basel—that’s 10,000 square feet and two floors dedicated to a single color meant to symbolize the 'unconventional time' we’re living in." OK, sure. - Fast Company
"For a long time, the Sackler name was a byword for almost unparalleled philanthropy and largesse towards the arts; it is now synonymous with shame and misery on an even grander scale." That's because the photographer decided to transform her life. - The Guardian (UK)
Michel Martin's uncles in the military "wrote letters to each other promising to take care of their future families or their families, ... in this beautiful cursive handwriting. And it never occurred to me that my children might not be able to read that." - NPR
"Most of the fair workers I approached during my visit ... spoke Spanish, a jarring realization that makes me think the on-the-ground staff makeup of the fair is different from the audience it seeks to welcome." - Hyperallergic
Trendy? Flat characters (yes, even more so than the straight characters in the heterocentric holiday movies)? Or something that shows networks' long-awaited embrace of Christmas movie equality? - Washington Post
According to Greek news sources, "British Museum chair George Osborne, the former chancellor, has been holding secret talks with the Greek prime minister." - BBC
Reichert, a documentarian, said, "I always wanted to understand how people worked because I often thought I was like a Martian. I was intensely curious about people because I felt so different from everybody else." - Washington Post
First, the new version sued the old; now it's reversed. "At stake is not only who will profit, long-term, from stage versions of the classic story, but also which dramatic interpretation will reach many audiences across the country." - The New York Times
No surprise, after decades of concerted campaigns to destroy the tribes and their languages. But there's a plan: "The Biden administration announced an effort to address this at the Tribal Nations Summit, putting forth a draft of a 10-year national plan to revitalize Native languages." - NPR
"Astra Magazine, Spiegelman said, was 'both unusual and exciting, a glamorous and subversive literary project, a breath of fresh air and hope.' And then it was over." - The New York Times
