Ever since the landmark building opened in 1973, its Concert Hall's acoustics have been notoriously bad — and resistant to improvement. Now, a 2½-year, A$150 million renovation has given the auditorium sound that is, says the Sydney Symphony's concertmaster, "better than anything we dared imagine." - The Guardian
This round of upheaval, sparked by the unexplained placing of the artistic director "on leave," has seen the last candidate for executive director withdraw, the acting managing director and resident playwrights and stage directors resign, and remaining staff criticize the board on the company's Facebook page. - MSN (Chicago Tribune)
The founder of the organization Whistleblower Aid says that the museum has "broken IRS rules, Michigan state laws; they've broken their employment policies, their own board policies, their own conflict of interest policies, their own whistleblower policies" and should not have its 10-year American Alliance of Museums accreditation renewed. - Artnet
"Accustomed to being seen as dedicated public servants in their communities, (they) have found themselves … labeled pedophiles on social media, called out by local politicians and reported to law enforcement officials." - The New York Times
"Recent data collected by Artnet from more than a dozen museums around the country suggests that attendance recovery has slowed, with some cultural institutions finding that audience levels have stagnated or dropped over the last year." - Artnet
"Hundreds of artists, performers, venues and promoters say it is becoming 'increasingly difficult' to justify the expense of taking part in the event, which will mark its 75th anniversary next month. More than 1,500 of them have called for 'immediate, meaningful action' to address a host of concerns." - The Scotsman
Experimental psychology and data science would be used to develop clearer (and sometimes counterintuitive) recommendations for improving users’ lives. Bestselling books were written in this genre. - Hedgehog Review
Irish writers have been dropped from the exam curriculum in British schools in favour of writers from more diverse backgrounds. Poets Seamus Heaney and Eavan Boland and playwright Brian Friel have been removed from both the GCSE and A-levels curriculums. - Irish Times
The portrait these documents convey is of resourceful workers who roamed from the country’s sacred core to some of its most remote precincts gathering the materials to create enduring monuments that furthered their leader’s ambitions and stand as a testament to their skill and dedication. - Archeology
Platforms often claim that they are not in the business of creating the content that appears on their platforms, and that’s usually true. But it doesn’t mean they are neutral in public debate. Far from it. Instead of making arguments themselves, they rank, sort and order the ideas of others. - LitHub
The ASO has announced a new three-year collective bargaining agreement with its musicians, and its eighth consecutive year with a balanced budget. The orchestra exceeded its Annual Fund revenue goals, and the symphonic world is abuzz over the appointment of Nathalie Stutzmann as the ASO music director. - Arts ATL
Admirers agree with you “even if you say something totally crazy.” And that’s bad: “You need people who can tell you what you don’t want to hear." Being admired for our accomplishments is pleasant, but it can also inflame our vanity and distort reality in ways that leave us worse off in the end. - The Atlantic
As a writer, the key is not so much assembling reams and reams of material, but finding the details that make a period or situation vivid for you and, eventually, for the reader – those few facts which make a sprawling and multi-faceted topic specific enough to relate to and empathise with. - The Conversation
"Current AI systems hold up a mirror to our online minds. Like Narcissus, we can get lost gazing at the reflection, even though it is not always flattering. We ought to ask ourselves: Is there more to these algorithms than mindless copy? The answer is not straightforward." - Nautilus
