Some of the most easily offended university students in America have become adept at characterizing any speech they dislike as if it creates an unsafe, discriminatory, or hostile climate, or else constitutes harassment or even violence. - The Atlantic
Hotels—grand ones, modest ones, inns, motels, and single-room occupancies—once filled a crucial niche in the American housing ecosystem. And now they should again. - Slate
Like any novel tool, generative models introduce significant changes in the process of art-making. In particular, AI art expands the multifaceted notion of curation and continues to blur the line between curation and creation. - Wired
A proposed change to the ornate Main Reading Room at the Library of Congress that critics say would remove the symbolic and functional heart of the 1897 Beaux-Arts masterpiece has landed the library on the D.C. Preservation League’s 2022 list of Most Endangered Places. - Washington Post
Not only is there the longstanding question of whether or not the actual English monarch was as evil as depicted, only a decade ago was it confirmed that he really did have a misshapen back. And now there's a debate over whether non-disabled actors should continue taking the role. - BBC
The notion of participatory creativity has major implications for any person or organization concerned with the creation of innovative ideas or artistic expression. It means recognizing and putting in place the means to foster creativity as a collaborative process. - The Conversation
Last week, when minister Nathi Mthethwa presented plans for the Mzansi National Philharmonic Orchestra, with an annual budget of 30 million rand (about $17.6 million), comparing the new band to a national sports team, he did not get the ovation he'd hoped for. - Sunday Times (South Africa)
Indeed, they were often required to keep watch at city gates and were sometimes required to show skill at swordsmanship. This isn't just because musicians could raise a loud alarm when necessary. In fact, European cities often made their paid musicians a point of civic pride and ceremony. - Ted Gioia
Many people draw lines in the sand when it comes to what they believe. If a narrative doesn’t fit their worldview, it’s deemed untrue, worth ignoring and sometimes re-framed entirely. - The Conversation
"(He) is firmly woven into the fabric of French cultural identity. As such, to condemn Depardieu amounts to a kind of self-harm. ... 'He is like a symbol of France, even the way Depardieu disregards and criticises his own country is so French.'" - The Guardian
More than ever before, people are identifying less and less with a religious tradition. This leads some people to look for meaning and identity in the things they love most. My goal here isn’t to argue against those who consider Disney their religion. - The Conversation
Every other summer since 2004, composer Delf Maria Hohmann has been visiting the vessels docked in the harbor at St. John's to learn about their horns' sounds — which he then mixes-and-matches into a composition called a "Harbour Symphony." - Yahoo! (Canadian Press)
"In conversation with (several) artistic directors, one trend seems abundantly clear: more equitable access to better opportunities for fewer people. ... Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily." - American Theatre
The Forbidden City Cultural Relics Museum, which opened in 2020 in a restored Yangtze River-front warehouse complex in Chongqing, had a large number of roof tiles slide off, leading to the collapse of one of the museum's several buildings. - Artnet
