“The Prado does not need a single visitor more. We are comfortable with 3.5 million,” (Miguel Falomir) said. ... “A museum can collapse due to success, like the Louvre, with some rooms becoming over-saturated. The important thing is not to collapse.” - The Times (UK)
“How does one spend 20 years training themselves not to be afraid, only to be reminded that they should have been scared all along? How to return to normalcy after that? High-minded principles, sure — ‘If you retreat, they win,’ etc. … It wasn’t principle that got him through this latest crucible.” - The Hollywood Reporter
The touring troupe Quarantine was to perform its midday-to-midnight piece 12 Last Songs this weekend as part of the Under the Radar festival of experimental theater. Thursday afternoon the company announced that US visas had been “paused” for 10 of its 13 members, and Citizenship and Immigration Services won’t say why. - The Stage
Composer Michael Gordon on the late Richard Foreman’s script for What to Wear: “It’s a piece with four Madeline Xs. They’re trying to find things to wear, they are undergoing analysis, experts are confused about them and there’s a duck. … And that’s really what the piece is about.” - The New York Times
South Carolina ETV/South Carolina Public Radio lost $3.2 million — 10% of total revenue — in annual funding when the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s grants were rescinded. A network spokesman says “We anticipated this shift and factored it into our planning and budget discussions” and no programming is affected. - Inside Radio
“Investigators say they have traced the thieves to an underground parking garage where they temporarily stashed the imperial jewels. The surveillance footage of the location marks the last confirmed sighting of the trove, which has now been missing for nearly three months.” - Artnet
That’s what Punchdrunk, the éminence grise of immersive companies, is doing at its southeast London headquarters. Lander 23 is an IRL multiplayer game in which teams of four audience members/players are split into two squads: "fields" who navigate an alien landscape and "drivers" who give them instructions on where to go. - The Guardian
It was not clear which section of the park the White House is considering, but the southern tip of West Potomac Park — a short walk from the Jefferson Memorial — has largely been used for athletic fields. - Washington Post
With period dress and steps learned from contemporary manuals (which include notation of the steps), historical dance societies in Britain gather in ballrooms to do The Triple Minor, the Duchess of Devonshire’s Reel, and the dance Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet did in the 1995 Pride and Prejudice adaptation, Mr. Beveridge’s Maggot. - The Guardian
Big Tech platforms didn’t just out-compete media organizations for the bulk of the advertising-revenue pie. They also cheated them out of much of what was left over, and got away with it. - The Atlantic
What did Picasso’s women have to say on passion and fame? Two left memoirs, others gave interviews, but their eyewitness testimony has been sadly neglected. - The American Scholar
The Canadian Anti-Monopoly Project warns automated tools are reshaping what Canadians are charged for essential goods and services, including groceries and fuel. Companies can now use software to tailor prices based on everything from our browsing patterns, location, loyalty history, device type, and operating system. - The Walrus
“When people met Capote, Bennett admitted, they often were inclined ‘to laugh,’ but ‘don’t let that first impression fool you.’ Nonetheless, even armed with McCain’s goodwill, Capote was well aware that a tense rural hamlet reeling from multiple murders might not take kindly to a high-pitched elfin outsider … nosing around.” - Literary Hub
On the heels of a record-breaking sale in November—which (briefly) set a new auction record for Bob Ross—American Public Television (APT) is sending another group of artworks by the late painter to the block. - Artnet
