The sculptures dating from the second or third century were smuggled into Switzerland in 2009 or 2010, before the outbreak of the Syrian war. Customs officers discovered them, along with one looted piece from Libya and five from Yemen, during a routine check at the freeport in 2013. - The Art Newspaper
The gift represents an important leap forward for the Met project, which is now expected to cost about $500 million and calls for creating 80,000 square feet of galleries and public space with an architect to be announced this winter. - The New York Times
"The online world should not be a wild west where bots and bigots and trolls and others are anonymously going around and can harm people. That is not what can happen in the real world, and there is no case for it to be able to be happening in the digital world." - Reuters
The changes are the result of a yearslong effort by performers and activists to draw attention to Asian stereotypes in “Nutcracker.” - The New York Times
He became a star in his home country playing the lead in Nicholas Roeg's Walkabout and familiar internationally for his role in Crocodile Dundee. He won acclaim and awards for other film and TV performances and helped end the use of blackface in Australia. - The New York Times
“We discovered early on that if you could make someone who disagreed with you laugh, then you had a hook inside their brain. Once you were in there, you just might be able to change their minds about things.” - Glass Tire
King Mohammed VI's government says it's making art accessible to more ordinary people and promoting Morocco as an island of stability; some artists and critics argue that it's all just attempting to artwash the image of a repressive regime that keeps its censors busy. - Bloomberg CityLab
Because taping a goddamn banana to a wall was not enough, no, the art world needed to do something even more stupid involving food. At sea! - Hyperallergic
More than 250 media outlets have closed since the takeover; those that remain are losing their audience because people are scared of being caught listening to music or watching anything unapproved. A few brave TV stations are still employing women. - The Guardian
The pandemic has created a labor shortage of plant workers and drivers that has clogged up supply chains in the face of rising demand for paint, especially for construction and home improvement projects. - Hyperallergic
"The drama behind the scenes … would make several people's heads melt like the Wicked Witch of the West." Margaret Hamilton caught on fire, the Tin Man's makeup sent Buddy Ebsen to the hospital (that's why Jack Haley replaced him), and the snowflakes were pure asbestos. - /Film
Jill Lepore: Of course, there is such a thing as society. The question now is how the pandemic has changed it. Speculating about what might happen next requires first deciphering these statements, and where they came from. - The Guardian
65% of respondents said they preferred in-person to online cultural activities. Only 9% favored online experiences, while a more significant 26% is defined as “digitally agnostic,” either preferring the two about equally or opting to make decisions based on content. - Hyperallergic
There's no established procedure, alas, so the fate of the archives depends on the particular location and owner. (We're looking at you, News Corp.) But there are some defunct newspapers whose archives have been saved, an excellent example being Denver's Rocky Mountain News. - Tedium
Natalia Osipova of London's Royal Ballet is selling specially-filmed of three duets with fiancé Jason Kittelberger, who says they hope to fund a new dance company with the proceeds of the sales. - The Guardian
