As elsewhere in the world, the US museums that struggled the most in 2021 were the big names: the world-famous museums in the big cities that have been gutted by the evaporation of international tourism. - The Art Newspaper
In 1965, KYW-TV debuted Eyewitness News, followed in 1970 by WPVI's Action News, creating many of the local newscast conventions still in place today. Soon those formats were copied all over the country. Yet the "if it bleeds, it leads" mentality made some longstanding American problems worse. - The Philadelphia Inquirer
Many researchers say things like Instagram and TikTok probably aren’t entirely bad for all adolescents. They’re not entirely good, either, and can cause documented problems with body image, but the impact varies. - The Verge
"Spot is agile enough to inspect narrow passages and traverse uneven surfaces, and will collect terrain data alongside a laser-scanning drone released to fly over the site and conduct autonomous 3D scans. The robot will also be used to sniff out underground tunnels made by tomb raiders." - Artnet
Before the battle over the mural became a symbol of the nation they would call New Belarus, there were just three nondescript buildings in the middle of a city of two million, a courtyard set around a children’s playground: swings, a seesaw and a roundabout, surrounded by benches. - The New York Times
Cassie Beck: "I started to make choices in my mind and see where my sense of humor might infuse it a little differently. I realized (Heidi) didn't write just a performance piece for her to perform. She ultimately wrote a very well-structured, amusingly laid-out and emotional play." - Forbes
The total number of followers on TikTok for all 100 museums is 1.3 million. That is compared to a total of 55.3 million followers on Instagram, 47.3 million on Twitter and 33.6 million on Facebook. Startling when you consider that the platform was the most popular website in 2021. - The Art Newspaper
"I don't know how we lived to see this," said the 84-year-old of the Russian invasion. As ensembles all over are performing his works in solidarity with Ukraine, he can't help being upset "that this misfortune needed to happen for them to begin playing my music." - The New York Times
Experimental archaeologists Rick and Laura Brown have reconstructed the human-powered cranes that lifted huge objects during the Middle Ages and replicated the timber-framed roof of a destroyed 14th-century synagogue. Now they're leading a team using medieval tools and techniques to help repair the fire-ravaged Paris cathedral. - Smithsonian Magazine
When dancer Sybley Wozmak put up an Instagram post about her experience with a well-connected Salt Lake City choreographer, she got 250 responses in just a few hours. And the consequences began ... - The Salt Lake Tribune
"Chain box stores were big businesses, sure, but they were also a crucial third space for casual hangouts and serendipitous run-ins that metro suburbs, smaller cities and rural places often lack." - Bloomberg CityLab
With so many venues losing earned income by closing their doors as COVID spread, individual donors and foundations increased their giving, but government emergency funding made the biggest difference. - SMU Data Arts
"In a deal valued at $16 billion, Nielsen has agreed to sell itself to a consortium of private equity firms led by Evergreen Coast Capital Corp. and Brookfield Business Partners. The $28-per share offer includes the assumption of the measurement giant's debt." - Inside Radio
Topping the list as usual is the Louvre, followed by the State Russian Museum (Mikhailovsky Palace) in St. Petersburg. (Where's the National Museum of China, generally no. 2 if not no. 1? The PRC hasn't yet provided figures for 2021.) - The Art Newspaper
