"The art of drag has firmly entered the mainstream, turning some performers into global celebrities. But go back half a century and the picture was different. On the fringes, performers' lives were often strewn with difficulties. ... Five veteran drag queens share their experiences from decades on the scene." - The Guardian
We go straight to “amazing”. Or “awesome”. In both cases, as usual, I think we’re on safe ground blaming the Americans. They too, surely, are behind “thank you so much”. It’s now used so often that the “so much” adds nothing; it’s just a standard thank you. - The Guardian
"People in bayou country have long learned to live under adverse weather conditions. But things have gotten much worse in recent years. Rising sea levels, erosion and storm after storm have flooded entire communities. For some French speakers, Hurricane Ida was the last straw, and now many are moving away." - PRX's The World
Known at its 2008 opening mainly for its building, one of the last major designs by I.M. Pei, the MIA has completed an 18-month "reimagination and reinstallation of its permanent collection galleries," with which it means to re-establish itself as one of the Mideast's most important museums. - The Art Newspaper
"Choreographers for major network TV shows are getting paid less than the dancers. The entertainment industry needs a lot of education about how vital choreographers are, because ... they have no idea of all the things we do behind the scenes just to make a shootable dance scene." - Dance Magazine
Theresa May first proposed the festival in 2018 to showcase the liberated UK as a creative powerhouse. Yet, by 2022, nobody was in a festive mood, many of the artists (mostly Remainers and fiercely anti-Tory) considered themselves Robin Hoods, and most people don't even know Unboxed exists. - The House (UK)
After starting out in New York theater, Michael Schultz directed the classic PBS documentary To Be Young, Gifted and Black and made over a dozen films in the '70s and '80s, including Cooley High and Krush Groove. Now 83, he's worked steadily in television ever since. - The New York Times
One of the reasons that Rudin's extreme mistreatment of his employees went unreported for so long was his insistence on having everyone he worked with, including Equity members in his productions, sign NDAs. So the actors' union is now reviewing how and when they're used more generally. - Dance Magazine
Since the domestic Ukrainian market is in, er, a difficult spot just now, there's a raft of initiatives to aid Ukrainian creators with grants for script development, education on post-production techniques and marketing, and buying or co-producing Ukrainian content for the likes of the BBC and Netflix. - The Hollywood Reporter
Research shows that humans are born with an inherent sense of numbers, known as numerosity.5 The concept of numerosity is one of the only high-level cognitive functions that is mapped to a specific region of the brain. In other words, we are primed to do basic math, but culture gets in the way. - Nautilus
Aiming to bring younger and more ethnically diverse listeners to public radio, the urban alternative format has spread to cities from Denver to Milwaukee, thanks to financial support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. - Inside Radio
Several public museums and universities in Germany have become embroiled in criminal investigations into the widespread trafficking of Middle Eastern antiquities. - The Art Newspaper
Set to be 550-metres tall and 3,000 metres in circumference, the skyscraper would be composed of two interconnected main rings that will house residential, public, commercial and cultural spaces. - Dezeen
Historically, songs were employed by labor unions to create a sense of solidarity and move labor rights forward against overwhelming odds. If music can be a salve and a rallying cry, is the opposite true? - 3 Quarks Daily
Jason Allen did not paint “Théâtre D'opéra Spatial,” AI software called Midjourney did. It used his prompts, but Allen did not wield a digital brush. This distinction has caused controversy on Twitter where working artists and enthusiasts accused Allen of hastening the death of creative jobs. - Vice
