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Leavers Are Raising Funds For A Museum Of Brexit

"Although all those involved in the project are keen Brexit supporters and the museum has had no public endorsements from pro-Europeans, the trustees said they were only able to secure charitable status by persuading the Charity Commission that it would be neutral." (No doubt that's why it's no longer called the Museum of Sovereignty.) Organisers are also asking the...

In Hong Kong, Fears That Beijing Is Coming After The Arts

"Decisions in Hong Kong not to display a politically sensitive photograph in a museum exhibition and not broadcast the annual Academy Awards for the first time in decades have prompted concerns that Beijing's crackdown on dissent in the city is extending to arts and entertainment." - AP

Karen Kain On Turning 70 And Steering The National Ballet Of Canada Through COVID

"Planning and executing a virtual season in the midst of a pandemic presents many challenges, not least how to stream or record original programming at a technically polished standard without going beyond the confines of the studio. That problem has now been solved with the retrofitting of the largest studio, called Prima, as, in effect, a well-equipped television studio."...

“Medium” Was A Hot New Publishing Experiment. Now It’s A Mess And Laying Off Staff

"Medium in all its complexity: a publishing platform used by the most powerful people in the world; an experiment in mixing highbrow and lowbrow in hopes a sustainable business would emerge; and a devotion to algorithmic recommendations over editorial curation that routinely caused the company confusion and embarrassment." - The Verge

Paul Theroux At (Almost) 80

“I was once a hot shot, I was once the punk,” Theroux said. “And anyone who has once been a punk, eventually you’re older, and you see the turning of the years as it is. We all feel it, every writer. They might deny it. But they do, they all feel it.” - The New York Times

Have We Been Traumatized By The Proliferation Of Therapy-Speak?

"Around every corner, trauma, like the unwanted prize at the bottom of a cereal box. The trauma of puberty, of difference, of academia, of women’s clothing. When I asked Twitter whether the word’s mainstreaming was productive, I was struck by two replies. First, overapplying the term might dilute its meaning, robbing “people who have experienced legitimate trauma of language...

What Will Happen To NYC’s Thriving Burlesque Scene?

Many burlesque entertainers pull together a living in New York through a variety of performance gigs, while others use it as a release from more conventional day jobs. The city had been a hub for burlesque for more than a decade; before the pandemic, you could find a show on almost any given night in both Manhattan and Brooklyn....

What Powered The Enlightenment

There was no single Enlightenment message: instead it was a cacophony of voices, speaking and writing in all the languages of Europe. There were great figures, many of whom are still familiar today, whose names were honoured in salons from Portugal to Austria and France to Sweden. Diderot, Voltaire and Kant were household names, but Ritchie Robertson argues for...

How The Oakland Symphony Built Its Record Of Social Justice

Michael Morgan believes the power of the symphony orchestra lies in its ability to be harnessed for a diversity of musical styles and genres. As such, he views the orchestra as a way to bring people together in community, especially groups that have historically been excluded from these kinds of arts and culture spaces.  “Our primary question is ‘who’s...

Fans File BBB Complaints Over Confusion in Multiple “Immersive” Van Gogh Shows

Nearly 200 complaints have been filed on the BBB site against Fever, the ticketing company for the event, with at least two dozen about this specific exhibit. Customers have cited their frustration over mistaking Fever’s version for a similar exhibit from a different company, called “Immersive Van Gogh” and wanting a refund, but not being able to get one...

A New “Golden Era” For The Arts When Things Reopen?

Antonio Pappano, music director at the Royal Opera House, said he expects “an explosion of desire” from audiences when they return to theatres, concert halls, museums and galleries. - The Evening Standard (UK)

HarperCollins Buys The Trade Division Of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Narrowing Publishing’s Ownership Again

And, in this case, narrowing it to give more power to Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. "The acquisition will help HarperCollins expand its catalog of backlist titles at a moment of growing consolidation in the book business. Houghton Mifflin publishes perennial sellers by well-known authors such as J.R.R. Tolkien, George Orwell, Philip Roth and Lois Lowry, as well as children’s...

The Queen Of England’s Houses Cannot Be Searched For Looted Cultural Artifacts

Wait, are palaces like Sandringham likely to host stolen cultural artifacts? We'll never know - at least not from the police, who are barred by a 2017 law from searching the royal residences. - The Guardian (UK)

Merry Clayton’s Unstoppable Voice

Mere months after her star turn in 20 Feet from Stardom, the singer was in a car accident so terrible that she spent five months in the hospital and years undergoing rehab. "Clayton said her family sat by her bedside crying profusely while a team of doctors came into the room. 'I wondered, ‘What the heck is going on?’'...

Charlotte Rampling Is 75 And Still, As She Says, Pinging

The actor started performing when she was 14, feeling like most 14-year-olds - awkward and unlovable ... until she got onstage. "I felt so great on stage. We wore fishnet tights, macs and berets, and sang a series of sweet French songs. I knew I was good, because I was absolutely in tune with myself at that moment." -...

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