A New York-based nonprofit called the Restitution Study Group is asking a US federal court to undo the ownership transfer of the Smithsonian's 29 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria, arguing that the repatriation "denies the descendants of enslaved people in America the chance to experience their heritage." - ARTnews
Outgoing president Jair Bolsonaro dissolved the Ministry of Culture on his first day in office, slashed arts funding by half or more and politicized much of what remained. President-elect Luiz Inácio da Silva says that he will undo this damage, though he hasn't yet nominated a culture minister. - The Art Newspaper
"Oleksandr Tkachenko argues that such a 'cultural boycott' would not amount to 'cancelling Tchaikovsky', but would be 'pausing the performance of his works until Russia ceases its bloody invasion'." - The Guardian
"Russia isn't just physically attacking Ukraine; it is also trying to destroy our culture and memory. ... The Kremlin (has) made clear that culture was a tool and even a weapon in the hands of the government." - The Guardian
"I’m a scientist myself, but I find it a bit unsettling that a brain scientist or computer might accurately predict whom I’ll fall in love with. At the same time, I admire the spectacular progress of science in understanding human beings and where we fit in the grand scheme of things. - The Atlantic
The condemnation of the history of the American library, by its own gatekeepers, has done more than bring “Drag Queen Story Hour” to every children’s reading room. It has also upended the traditional role of the library as an organization primarily dedicated to the acquisition, preservation, and circulation of books. - New Criterion
Its short existence offers insight both into what is possible for a literary magazine to accomplish and into the tenuous place such publications occupy in the American publishing landscape. - The New York Times
Although it was never publicized, the two institutions were to have jointly presented next year’s exhibition After Impressionism: Inventing Modern Art, but the arrangement was abruptly terminated following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. - The Art Newspaper
"We quit on the theatre much more readily than the theatre quits on us. I am aware now—as a working artist in my 60s—that the theatre has outlasted all my teachers and mentors and heroes; that the theatre will outlast me, and all my students; everyone I’ve ever known, and everyone I am yet to meet." - American Theatre
The color company used AI to create an "endless new ecosystem to be explored, called 'the Magentaverse'." Well. As the subhed puts it, "Say hello to Viva Magenta, the color no one asked for, coming to a world where no one lives." - The New York Times
The incident was reminiscent of recent climate actions at European museums, however the prosecutor’s office announced on Tuesday that it has been deemed an isolated attack unconnected to any climate protection group. - ARTnews
"The brutal material horrors of the struggle, might make any cultural reading of the conflict seem fantastical or glib. But at its core, and from its origin, this Ukrainian conflict has been a war over language and identity. And Ukraine's libraries are the key." - The Observer (UK)
We have to collect the stories and inspire people, rather than fighting hipsters and fighting people who are gentrifiers—people don’t really understand how gentrification works. It’s not about white people coming in; Latinos can gentrify too. - American Theatre
"For all the clouds of publicity, moviemaking is an artisanal business with a craft base. How you light, shoot, edit, even make deals — all these things have more in common with candle-making and knitting than they do with creating art in the romantic, visionary sense." - The New Yorker
