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Knopf Names Sonny Mehta’s Successor As Editor In Chief

Arguably the most prestigious division of the Penguin Random House conglomerate, Knopf has been without a leader since Mehta, who held the job for 32 years, died in late 2019. The new boss is Jordan Pavlin, whose current title at Knopf is editorial director. - The New York Times

With Sydney Back In COVID Lockdown, Arts Promised Millions In New Aid

The New South Wales state government announced $75 million (Aus) in funding to compensate arts organizations that have had to close their doors again. - Limelight (Australia)

Prospect’s List Of The World’s Top Fifty Thinkers

When we turn to the world of ideas, this is a year for people who are individualists by temperament, if not intellect. - Prospect

Australian Thinktank Proposes New Model For The Arts (We Have Our Reservations)

ANA pushes the sector further towards a policy model where it delivers ‘returns on investment’ via quantifiable targets. It’s a form of technocratic neoliberalism wildly out of touch with the current COVID-cum-post-COVID reality. - ArtsHub

Speedrunners: The Players Racing To Beat Classic Games

Beating a classic video game might sound like a fun hobby, but Fowler’s years of speedrunning have ballooned into a full-time gig. - Maclean's

Can The Arts Lead A Green Recovery?

"Many people working in culture have been forced to take a time out of the day-to-day and reflect on the big stuff. And there is no bigger stuff than the environmental crisis." - BBC

The Fascinating Political History Of Dubbing Movies

Dubbing is a brilliant tool for film censorship. Sound films began to appear in the early 1930s, a time when many countries were falling under the sway of totalitarian regimes. - The Conversation

Why It’s So Easy To Ridicule The Art World

The contemporary art world is, more often than not, represented as a ridiculous shell game in which empty provocation is propped up by canny marketing and rampant financial speculation. - ARTnews

“An Outsized Image Forged From Undersized Gifts” — How Did Eugene Ormandy Do It?

His baton technique was, er, idiosyncratic; he couldn't conduct complex meters; he could be cruel. And after 44 years as music director, seemingly everyone was relieved to see him retire. Yet he and the Philadelphia Orchestra became worldwide legends together. - Classical Voice North America

The Serendipity Of Almanacs

Almanacs are an anomaly in the 2021 literary landscape, a choose-your-own adventure of print culture. So much of reading, especially online, is about seeking: looking for a fact, an image, a bit of information. - Los Angeles Review of Books

The Italians Who Dangle From Ropes To Repair Historic Sites

"EdiliziAcrobatica's team has rock-climbed up and abseiled down some of Italy's most significant historic monuments. … Suspended from ropes, the acrobatic technicians can perform a whole range of tasks, from the waterproofing of roofing to welding." - Apollo

Washington’s Signature Theatre Picks A New Leader

Matthew Gardiner takes over the 32-year-old company, which operates two performance spaces in Arlington’s Village at Shirlington, at a tumultuous inflection point. - Washington Post

Remember Waacking? It’s Back

The kinetic, flamboyant, arm-waving dance style was born in the Black and Latino gay nightclubs of L.A., spread via the TV show Soul Train, faded away after the 1980s, and found a long-term home in East Asia. - The Guardian

Mapping The Reopening: A TRG Report

55% of U.S. organizations plan to host performances before October 2021. U.K. arts and culture organizations are even more optimistic, with 83% planning a return to performance before September 1. - TRG

Donald Pippin, San Francisco’s Pied Piper Of Opera, Dead At 95

For 40 years, he and his resourceful company, Pocket Opera, used young singers, small instrumental groups, and librettos in English to bring unfamiliar works to thousands of new audience members. His dozens of libretto translations are still in use all over the globe. - San Francisco Classical Voice

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