Independent filmmakers “need the real curators, the festivals, academies, critics. We need producers who will fight for a voice that is unique, rare, ambitious and challenging.” - The Hollywood Reporter
Alexis Soloski considers four of them currently running (if that's quite the word) in New York City, suggesting that they can be a good post-lockdown reintroduction to the experience of being an audience member. - The New York Times
Since the program was created with the passage of the Save Our Stages Act in December, the grant been plagued by glitches and delays. - San Francisco Chronicle
In a column co-written with artist Yinka Shonibare, Ed Vaizey, culture minister under David Cameron and now in the House of Lords, argues for a 1%-3% per device tax on electronics manufacturers that would go into a "Smart Fund" to support arts throughout the UK. – London Evening Standard
Scholarly consensus regarding cultural appropriation has long accepted that the lines between cultural appreciation and appropriation may be difficult to clearly determine in real time, and especially within the contemporary social media-driven zeitgeist. - The Conversation
Even as institutions are merging and closing due to the pandemic, Danny George and Ricky Loftus George are planning to receive students at the Norwalk Conservatory College in Connecticut, 90 minutes from New York, next year. Then they have to get accredited. - Inside Higher Ed
Colette Maze was born in 1914, began picking out melodies on the keyboard by age three, released her first CD at 84, and recorded Debussy at age 103. She still practices four hours a day. - Classic FM
If we accept that cult members have some degree of volition, the job of distinguishing cults from other belief-based organizations becomes a good deal more difficult. - The New Yorker
Over three decades he published more than 1,000 witty single-panel cartoons in The New Yorker and other magazines, with characters ranging from cats and monkeys to Lassie and Batman. But he spent his final year under a serious cloud. - The New York Times
As Jeff Bezos bluntly put it in 2016, "When we win a Golden Globe, it helps us sell more shoes." But isn't Amazon's own studio enough? No, it is not. - Wired
Both the dealer himself and the White House say this will prevent even the appearance of influence-buying by purchasers of paintings by the President's son. Transparency advocates say it's exactly the wrong move. - The Washington Post on MSN
When Kristen Roupenian's New Yorker story went viral in 2017, Alexis Nowicki got a flood of text messages from people she knew asking if it was about her. Turns out it was, even though Nowicki had never met the author. Here's how she figured that out. - Slate
Once the drawing was identified as a da Vinci, the Culture Ministry put an export ban on it and offered to buy it for €10 million. The current owner has an independent valuation of €15 million. He won't sell for less; the government won't pay more. - Artnet
