Today the wealth gap is just as significant as it was in Gatsby’s time, but now everyone has a phone. No matter our background, we can observe decadent lifestyles via celebrities and influencers. Social media allows us all to understand Gatsby’s very particular form of envy and social climbing. - The Guardian
It’s never been easy or cheap for global acts to tour here, but visa fees are up and wait times have risen substantially over the last year. Under the new Trump administration, anecdotal stories of foreign tourists, scientists and activists being denied entry or taken into federal custody have rattled outspoken acts. - Los Angeles Times
Global sales of art and antiques have fallen for a second consecutive year, declining by 12% in 2024 to an estimated $57.5 billion, according to the latest annual Art Market Report by Art Basel and UBS. - CNN
Bryan Burroughs: “For sheer cushiness, there’s a case to be made that there has never been a more palatial home for writers than Vanity Fair during Graydon Carter’s twenty-five-year run as editor. … If I share my part of its story accurately, you will probably hate me.” - The Yale Review
“The U.K. version, produced with Sky Studios, will have a British cast of comedians — to be announced later — and follow the same format with famous guest hosts and star musical acts. SNL creator Lorne Michaels will be the executive producer.” - AP
“At first, these outlets seemed good for dance. … They could expose dance to larger mainstream audiences. They could help democratize an industry infamous for subjectivity and selectivity. … (Yet these benefits) became less potent over time. ... And social media’s negative effects can hit dancers with particular force.” - The New York Times
Philip Kennicott on the administration’s attitude toward the Smithsonian's African-American and Indian Museums: “Simply put, Trump would like the actual practice of history — a complex process of research, interpretation and ongoing revision — to resemble the more limited, and often distorted, sense of history offered by statues, monuments and memorials.” - The Washington Post (Yahoo!)
“As part of its programming to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States next year, the NGA has launched ‘Across the Nation,’ which will see major works from its permanent collection loaned to partner institutions in (ten states). Each institution selected between one and ten works to borrow for its display.” - ARTnews
“The Fillmore Jazz Festival has been saved days after organizers decided to cancel the annual event thanks to a nonprofit organization helmed by San Francisco crypto billionaire Chris Larsen.” - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)
Ksenia Karelina, also identified in the media as Ksenia Khavana … was arrested in the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg in February 2024 and convicted of treason on charges stemming from a donation of about $52 to a charity aiding Ukraine. - AP
Archaeologists have finally found physical evidence for something they had long suspected: the temple complex included an educational institution, likely for training scribes and priests. They have also discovered a collection of tombs dating from several centuries after Ramses, indicating that the site was in use long after he died. - Artnet
Paul Tillich defines “the courage to be” as “the ethical act in which man affirms his own being in spite of those elements of his existence which conflict with his essential self-affirmation.” In other words, it is not simply an attitude or disposition. The courage to be is a deed. - The Conversation
“As a 10-year-old in Philadelphia, I experienced Dance Theatre of Harlem much in the same way that (today’s children) are experiencing it now. ... What I got from that was that Dance Theatre of Harlem met me where I was, and then took me to another place.” - Pointe Magazine
Only one museum in Mexico, with comparable material, didn’t make me feel culturally exhausted or embarrassed by my ignorance in this way. - 3 Quarks Daily
Sarah Boardman won a nationwide “call for artists” by the Colorado state government to paint its official portraits of Obama and Trump. At the unveiling of Trump’s in August 2019, Boardman said she painted in the style of artist Lawrence Williams, who created 43 of the presidential portraits in the state building. - ARTnews
