Under Valentine’s direction, the Symphony has earned 14 Grammys and 27 nominations, produced more than 40 recordings, commissioned and premiered dozens of innovative works. - Music Row
The second quarter of the current fiscal year marked Imax’s best quarter in terms of domestic movies ticket sales as it stays on course to achieve guidance of $1.2 billion for the full year. - The Hollywood Reporter
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth of the District of Columbia gave the administration until Aug. 13 to explain how it will get VOA working again. The outlet that dates back to World War II has been largely dark since March. - AP News
“While sales of such seemingly prescient novels as 1984 by George Orwell (1949) and Parable of the Sower by Olivia Butler (1993) (have) surged …, backlist nonfiction titles that explore and explain authoritarianism and fascism are also drawing readers to their local independent bookstores, despite a general downturn in nonfiction book sales.” - Publishers Weekly
Once you understand how your reward system works, you can consciously redirect it toward the things that actually matter to you. Let’s explore the connection between slot machines, social media, and the secret to a more curious, fulfilling life. - Big Think
“The computer has been trained to reflect back at you what you tell it, so if it shows you as a billionaire, it doesn’t mean you are going to be a billionaire. It just means you told it you want to be a billionaire.” - The New York Times
Farah Nayeri: “Powered by the tech giant OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, an audio tool lets visitors (on or off site) converse with 20 outdoor statues in three languages. On that summer afternoon, I put the chatbot to the test.” - The New York Times
“With the stress of federal and local funding cuts, as well as the January fires, many L.A. dance organizations are scaling back their programming and outreach. While small nonprofits and underserved communities have been impacted the most, larger companies are feeling the pain as well.” - Los Angeles Times (Yahoo!)
For instance, The Philadelphia Inquirer includes access to the NYT Cooking app with its premium subscription, while The Minnesota Star Tribune does something similar with NYT Games. - Nieman Lab
The city’s Arts Relief Fund will offer grants between $10,000 and $25,000 to Chicago arts organizations who had their announced NEA grants withdrawn by the Trump administration. - WBEZ (Chicago)
Due to the recission of Corporation for Public Broadcasting funds by the Trump administration and Congress, WQED is facing a $2.5 million budget shortfall and has laid off 19 employees, mostly in marketing, membership, and production. - Axios
When director Joanna Burton revealed last week that she’s going to ICA in Philadelphia, she said she’d stay at MOCA through late October. On Wednesday, however, MOCA announced that it has appointed an interim director, Ann Goldstein, and a source said that Burton’s last day is this Friday. - Los Angeles Times (Yahoo!)
“A federal judge says Russian soprano Anna Netrebko can move forward with her case claiming national origin discrimination by the Metropolitan Opera, which dropped her after she refused to repudiate President Vladimir Putin over Russia’s campaign against Ukraine.” - AP
Chief Justice John Roberts is, ex officio, the Smithsonian Institution’s chancellor (the equivalent of board chairman). When Trump up and decided to fire National Portrait Gallery director Kim Sajet, Roberts led the board to state publicly that only they can hire and fire Smithsonian museum directors. - ARTnews
At his first appearance at San Diego’s Comic-Con International, the legendary filmmaker and museum cofounder offered a glimpse into what he called “a temple to the people’s art.” - Artnet
