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Choreographer Nai-Ni Chen, 62, Dead In Swimming Accident

For 30 years her dance company performed both traditional Chinese styles and contemporary works. She had been on vacation in Hawaii last week; her body was spotted by a passerby at an Oahu beach. - The New York Times

Main Theatre At Jacob’s Pillow Will Be Reopened For Festival’s 90th Season

The renovated Ted Shawn Theatre will have a new ventilation system and stage housing. The festival's other indoor venue, the Doris Duke Theatre, burned down in November of 2020; this past summer's performances were outdoors and/or online. - The Berkshire Eagle (Pittsfield, Mass.)

Piet Mondrian’s Heirs Sue Philadelphia Museum Of Art Over Painting They Say Was Looted By Nazis

The suit by the descendants of Harry Holtzman, the artist's heir and executor, argues that Composition With Blue (1926), having been seized from a German museum as "degenerate art" in 1937, should be returned to them. (No mention of returning it to the museum in Germany.) - Artnet

Louvre Agrees To Undo Renovation Of Room With Cy Twombly Ceiling Mural

When the museum changed the color of the walls and floor of its Salle des Bronzes, the Cy Twombly Foundation sued, arguing that the remodeling altered the character of the mural (designed specifically to be seen against the original colors). The Louvre caved. - ARTnews

“Belfast”, “The Power Of The Dog”, “Succession”, “Ted Lasso”, “The Morning Show” Lead Golden Globe Nominations

In the film categories, Belfast and The Power of the Dog got seven nominations each; on the television side, Succession received five nods, with four each for Ted Lasso and The Morning Show. - CNN

The Making Of Tom Stoppard

The creation of Tom Stoppard, the man as well as the artist, began with a kind of extraordinary disappearing act. - The Nation

Dvorak Predicted Black And Indigenous Music Was the Future Of Classical Music. Why Didn’t It Happen?

In a depressingly familiar trope, Joseph Horowitz exposes a deliberateness in denying Black and Indigenous composers and musicians their role in America’s classical-music development. - Washington Post

New Yorker Writers Choose Their Favorite Books Of 2021

Nuff said. - The New Yorker

Is The Metaverse Inevitable?

It's said to be a “quasi-successor to the Internet,” with comparable impact and importance, that will give users an individual “presence.” - The Walrus

The Tangled Up Politics Of Post-Modernism

Regardless of whether we call our time “postmodern” or “neoliberal,” the present feels ripe for a more widespread understanding of the dialectical relationship between culture and politics—our lifestyles, beliefs, preferences, and tastes, on the one hand, and the material circumstances of our lives, on the other. - The Nation

The Politics Of Big Bird (And Sesame Street)

It is political not in a partisan sense but because the way we teach and protect children — and choose which children to teach and protect — is inevitably bound up in politicized ideas. - The New York Times

Peloton Wins The Internet With Viral Ad Featuring Mr. Big

Peloton bounced back in a big way: It resurrected Mr. Big for a commercial featuring none other than Peter Noth and Peloton instructor Jessica King. The dramatic advertisement quickly blew up online, amassing more than 45,000 likes on Twitter and spurring a slew of headlines. - Los Angeles Times

Why Would Vladimir Putin Be A Sponsor Of An Art Show About European Unity?

The message is clear: We are all made up of the same fundamental parts. Biologically, that might be true. Yet, Russia has never quite fit into Europe’s politics and culture. - The New York Times

Could You Live A Meaningful Life In A Virtual World?

"I think what happens in virtual worlds can, in principle, be very significant. You can build a meaningful life in a virtual world. We can get into deep social and political discussions and decisions about the shape of society in a virtual world." - The New York Times

Groundbreaking Critic Robert Farris Thompson, 88

He spoke and wrote of African civilizations as infinitely varied ethical, philosophical and aesthetic systems. To grasp their complexity and sophistication, he said, required a “guerrilla scholarship” that combined art history, anthropology, dance history, religious studies, sociology and ethnomusicology. - The New York Times

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