Stories

Michael Sheen’s Welsh National Theatre Takes On A Subject That, Shockingly, No One Has Done Until Now

That subject is the Welsh nobleman Owain Glyndŵr, who led a major rebellion against the English in the 15th century. Despite his fame, Sheen says, Glyndŵr’s story wasn’t taught in Welsh schools and nobody had ever staged it on a large scale before. - The Guardian

Enormous Hoard Of Viking Silver Found In Danish Guy’s Garden

“The anonymous homeowner was planning to build a new terrace in his garden when he found … a trove of 700 Viking Age silver objects and fragments. … The hoard contains numerous silver bars, as well as bracelets, 47 whole coins and fragments, a small Thor’s hammer, and various cut silver objects.” - ARTnews

CEO Who Turned Around Joffrey Ballet’s Finances To Step Down

“Since joining the Joffrey in 2013, (Greg) Cameron has brought financial stability to the organization, eliminating a budget deficit and establishing its first-ever endowment, which has grown to approximately $30 million. During his tenure, the operating budget more than doubled from $13 million to about $33 million.” - WBEZ (Chicago)

Just What Exactly Was Going On With Yayoi Kusama During Her Final Decade?

Those years seemed to be productive and were certainly profitable: she became the highest-priced living female artist, famous all over the world. At the same time, she stopped seeing visitors, fired longtime assistants and was reportedly bedridden. How, and with whom, was she producing her late work? - The New York Times

Trump Officials Threaten To Withdraw All Aid If Smithsonian Doesn’t Drop “Ideological Agenda”

“Administration officials ‘cannot in good conscience continue to support the Smithsonian under current leadership,’” said a letter from a key policy director and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. “citing artifact loans, procurement assistance and discretionary grants as examples of federal support that could be at risk.” - The Washington Post (Yahoo!)

How Is Adult Swim Still Prospering When Most Cable TV Is Fading Away?

“It feels like a wicked joke that Cartoon Network's late-night programming block — already an aberration when it launched in cable's heyday in 2001 — is somehow thriving, ... even as the rest of cable slowly slides into oblivion. Even the folks behind Adult Swim don't really understand it.” - TheWrap (Yahoo!)

What Replaced The World Trade Center Should Have Been So Much More

The twin towers were a product of their time, the mid-1960s, and what has replaced them is still, sadly, in too many ways a product of that same time. We have learned a lot about building cities since the World Trade Center went up, and we did not put nearly enough of that knowledge to use. - The New York...

Is The Berlin Philharmonic Really The Very Best Orchestra In The World?

Tom Service: “What does being the ‘best’ mean? And how and why have the Berliners acquired, and held on to, their globe-topping orchestral reputation for so many decades, through changes of conductor and personnel, political upheaval and technological transformation?” - The Guardian

There’s A Difference Between Celebrating Innovation and Trying To Understand It

Journalist Nicholas Carr called the online world “the shallows” for the way it erodes concentration. But the paradox is that its depthlessness arrives as immersion. - The Walrus

Why There Are Fewer English Majors In Universities Today

The decline of the English major offers a lesson in what young people want. Teenagers in the 2020s have a spiritual thirst that is unmet by a curriculum without order and greatness and charm. A field without a bible like the Norton doesn’t satisfy them. - Portico Quarterly

Americans Are Fascinated With Art Heists. Not So Much Fascinated By Art?

If you are a fictional character and you happen to be stealing art, odds are excellent that you’re in a heist movie. At this point, the genre is so famous, and mocked, that plumbing it for serious lessons about art and the art market may seem quixotic. - ARTnews

Thanks To New Tourist Tax, Edinburgh Arts Organizations To (Probably) Get 25% Increase In City Funding

“The distribution of funds raised by the Scottish capital’s new visitor levy, which is expected to raise up to £50m annually, has been the subject of intense debate in recent weeks. ... (Organisations now) face a ‘deeply frustrating’ delay until the uplift is confirmed.” - The Stage

Bookshop.com Has Directed $50M To Indy Bookstores

The company launched in 2020 to offer shoppers a way of buying books online that supported independent bookstores and to divert sales away from Amazon and competing platforms. It operates both as a proprietary sales channel and offers affiliate sales for independent stores and influencers. - Publishers Weekly

US Government Agency Weakens Protections For Cultural Heritage Sites

Proposed federal rule changes would eliminate the requirement for public feedback and consultation with key parties like Tribal Nations and ultimately lead to the destruction of much of our cultural heritage. - Live Science

A Deal To Save Philadelphia’s Academy Of Natural Sciences

The announcement comes one day after Drexel and the Academy said they would close the Academy’s museum effective Sept. 30 and that Academy CEO Scott Cooper would be stepping down immediately. Sept. 27 will be the last day the museum will be open to the public. - Philadelphia Inquirer

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