"Trace quantities of protein residue have long been detected in classic oil paintings, though they were often ascribed to contamination. A new study … found the inclusion was likely intentional." The protein came from egg yolks (yes, as in tempera paint), which mitigate some shortcomings of pure oil paint. - CNN
"With a presence in Milwaukee-Racine, Wausau-Stevens, Green Bay, and Appleton-Oshkosh and recent purchases in LaCrosse and Eau Claire markets, Civic Media's talk-formatted stations are offering an alternative to the conservative right-leaning talk formats that have a much larger presence in the state." - Inside Radio
A novelist and essayist who was for several years considered a likely Nobel candidate, "(she) found herself ostracized in the (newly-independent) country of Croatia for refusing to embrace its aggressive nationalism and spent the rest of her life abroad." - The New York Times
"Most chorus members … would be forced to leave their jobs if the company relocates outside London, because of ties that include children at school, caring responsibilities, and partners with jobs in the capital. More than two-thirds would leave the profession altogether." - The Guardian
"A spokesman said that in 'the present financial and planning environment' it was necessary to 'review the current model of delivery'. … Scottish involvement in this year's architecture showcase will go ahead," but planning for any Scottish pavilion at the 2024 art biennial is on hold. - BBC
That 141 million is double the number we recorded last year, and nearly three times that of 2020. But there is still some way to go before we regain the high watermark of 230 million visits in 2019, the last full year before the pandemic. - The Art Newspaper
Elephants tend to keep a steadier beat than humans do, a study by the neuroscientist Aniruddh Patel later found, and Luk Kop’s sense of timing was uncanny. - The New Yorker
With more staff, local public radio stations could help fill the information gap created by the decline of local newspapers. They could afford to assign a reporter full time to cover local government bodies like city councils and school boards. - The Conversation
For the past few years, social-media platforms have used creator funds to lure content creators from their rivals with the promise of money to be made on top of the usual sponsorship dollars. But they seem more and more like empty PR stunts. - Variety
In 21st-century culture, knowingness is rampant. You see it in the conspiracy theorist who dismisses contrary evidence as a ‘false flag’ and in the podcaster for whom ‘late capitalism’ explains all social woes. It’s the ideologue who knows the media has a liberal bias – or, alternatively, a corporate one. - Psyche
The traditional construct of the intellectual has produced and reinforced bigoted ideas of group hierarchy—the most anti-intellectual constructs existing. But this framing is crumbling, leading to the crisis of the intellectual. - The Atlantic
The culture editors at El País had been considering starting a reading group for several years, but they only went ahead and launched the project in late 2022. In five months, the club had grown to over 1,100 members in Spain and Latin America. - Nieman Lab
The Met was not alone among New York’s major institutions in experiencing a drop in attendance compared to 2019, with the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (down 42%), the Whitney Museum of American Art (down 19%) and the Brooklyn Museum (down 17%). - The Art Newspaper
"According to a summary of the (Governor's) executive budget released by the state Senate, the proposed fiscal year 2024 (arts) budget is $42.8 million, a 54.8 percent decrease 'primarily due to the expiration of pandemic relief for arts and cultural organizations.' Cultural capital projects funds were cut entirely." - Albany Times-Union
M+ reported 2,034,331 visitors for the whole of 2022, placing it 18th on our table of the world’s most visited art museums. If visitors come at the same rate, then M+ could exceed 3 million visits in 2023. - The Art Newspaper
