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Kazuo Ishiguro On Whether Literature Really Deserves To Have A Nobel Prize

"I want to say, of course literature is just as important , but this is something in the dead of night I kind of worry about. … I've been saying for years, if you take away reading, take away literature, you take away something very, very important in the way we human beings communicate with each other. … We've...

As Viewers Flock To Streaming Video, One Cable Channel Keeps A Devoted Audience: Turner Classic Movies

"The Atlanta-based TCM has long been the sanctuary of classic film on TV, presenting mostly pre-1980 movies commercial-free with a deep respect for moviemaking history going back to the silent film era. … TCM also appeals to an older audience that is more likely to hold onto its cable subscription than younger viewers who quickly adapted to streaming platforms....

Here’s What It Takes To Move A 60,000-Pound Fresco By Diego Rivera

"After a four-year, multimillion-dollar undertaking involving mechanical engineers, architects, art historians, fresco experts, art handlers and riggers from the United States and Mexico, the 30-ton, 74-foot-wide-by-22-foot mural" — titled Pan-American Unity, painted in 1940 and installed at City College of San Francisco in 1961 — "has been carefully extracted and moved across town to San Francisco Museum of Modern...

Pennsylvania Ballet Changes Its Name To Philadelphia Ballet

"I by no means want anyone to think we're abandoning Pennsylvania," said executive director Shelly Power. "but it's about our identity as one of the most important cities in America." - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Soprano Pretty Yende Says She Was Strip-Searched By French Customs Agents

The South African coloratura, who is currently starring in Bellini's La Sonnambula at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, says she was detained by authorities at Charles de Gaulle Airport who took her cell phone and other belongings, strip-searched her, and held her for more than an hour. A French government source says she attempted to enter France on...

Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui To Direct Geneva’s Ballet Company

Since 2015, the Moroccan-Belgian choreographer, one of Europe's most prominent contemporary dancemakers, has been artistic director of Ballet Vlaanderen in his hometown, Antwerp. At the end of next season, he will step down from that job to move to the Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève. (in French; for a Google Translate version, click here) - Le Monde (Paris)

Australia’s Largest State Pours Money Into Culture

"A funding bonanza of more than $1.3 billion" — roughly $980 million US — "will create jobs and will place New South Wales as a cultural heart of Australia, with a raft of high-profile projects in the pipeline funded, including two new museums and a blockbuster fund to bring attractions to NSW." - ArtsHub (Australia)

Lessons About Learning From Failure

Many workplaces now lionise (whether sincerely or not is another matter) the importance of learning through failure, and of creating environments that encourage this. - 3 Quarks Daily

What If You Were Unable To Form Any Mental Images?

Aphantasia is a recently-identified variation of human experience affecting 2-5% of the population, in which a person is unable to generate mental imagery. Can you still be an artist? - The Conversation

Leaked Letter: Artists And Former Directors Lobbied To Close Kneehigh Theatre This Year

“Without its creative leadership in place, we believe that Kneehigh’s chapter in history has come to an end. - The Stage

Made Up Places For Real Interactions

What if cultural endeavors, particularly the public and the performative, are themselves a form of political action? - 3 Quarks Daily

Is It Okay To Resell An NFT Artwork If You’re The Artist?

Part of the problem with NFTs is that there is not yet any shared culture around reproductions or derivative works of short video, animations, or audio-visual works that derive their primary profit potential from NFT sales. - Slate

Why John Newbery Is Considered The Father Of Children’s Books

Beginning in 1744, he published about 100 storybooks for children, plus magazines and “ABC” books, becoming the leading children’s publisher of his time. - Washington Post

Book Blurbs Have, In Fact, Existed For Centuries

"The word 'blurb' was coined in 1907 by the comic writer Gelett Burgess but they have been around a long time. ... One of the first major carnivals of blurbery came in 1516, when, ahead of the publication of his satire Utopia, Thomas More wrote to his friend Erasmus, urging him to make sure the book 'be handsomely set...

Motion Picture Academy Elects Most Diverse, Gender-Balanced Board In Its History

The elections increase the number of women on the organization’s 54-member board from 26 to 31, marking the first time in the group’s 94-year history that its board has been majority female. The number of governors from underrepresented racial and ethnic communities increases from 12 to 15. - Los Angeles Times

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