"There is no sense that Labour has yet grasped the delicate interconnected forces that underpin the arts. It is not OK to shove everything together, from ballerinas to florists, into a thing called “the creative industries”. The arts are different, and they need attention." - The Guardian
The embattled French prime minister, François Bayrou, is struggling to limit the budget deficit to 5.4% of GDP this year. Museums and cultural heritage are destined to become the main victims of the cuts. On the whole, the culture ministry has lost €150m in government funding. - The Art Newspaper
"We charge tourists to visit Westminster Abbey, a West End musical or the National Theatre. What’s so different, morally or culturally, about charging for entry to the Tate galleries — especially when they are millions of pounds in the red?" - The Times
"Architect and philanthropist Fernando Romero purchased La Cuadra San Cristóbal, a historic, hot pink estate on the outskirts of Mexico City last year though his nonprofit, Fundación Fernando Romero, and will open it to the public this fall." - Artnet
"Digital subscriber revenue is expected to cover the costs of Le Monde’s entire editorial staff within the next two years, according to chief executive Louis Dreyfus. The French daily newspaper and online newsbrand ended 2024 with 660,000 subscribers, of which 580,000 were digital." - Press Gazette (UK)
A team of researchers in Mexico worked with 36 pregnant women, playing them "The Swan" from Saint-Saëns's Carnival of the Animals and Arpa de oro ("Golden Harp") by Mexican composer Abundio Martínez. The result: the music instantly calmed fetal heartbeats. - Classic FM
"The National Endowment for the Arts said Thursday that it will alter its 2026 grant guidelines, eliminating a fund for underserved communities and prioritizing projects that honor the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence." - The Washington Post (MSN)
County commissioners on Wednesday rejected calls to undo their reduction of their arts and culture budget from the previous $3 million to $1.3 million. - Atlanta News First
The painting, which depicts the martyrdom of St. Sebastian, had been in the collection of the Romanian monarchy. The country's postwar government "allegedly" had "transferred" the work to the deposed King Michael, who sold it in 1976; Romania's current government maintains that it is still national property. - Artnet
Following criticism from Emilia Pérez director Jacques Audiard (who called Gascón "self-destructive"), she posted on Instagram, "I decided … to let the work talk for itself, hoping my silence will allow the film to be appreciated for what it is, a beautiful ode to love and difference." - Deadline
That would be the late Pauline Oliveros, great American maverick and pioneer of "deep listening." The company: Long Beach Opera, for which an all-Oliveros season may be risky but is more or less on-brand. Mark Swed talks to LBO's leadership troika about how and why they're doing this. - Los Angeles Times (MSN)
If vinyl is supposed to be the best-sounding format, then why are so many modern pressings disappointing right out of the sleeve? Many modern records are pressed on cheap, recycled vinyl, arriving warped, noisy, or even defective right out of the shrink wrap. - Headphonesty
Realize that some of the statistics you’ll see online are nonsense, and vinyl sales are likely much bigger than the announced estimates. Ignore the clickbait headlines. The RIAA (Record Industry Association of America) stated that 43.5 million records were shipped in 2023. This doesn't make any sense. - PS Audio
A range of tiny galleries have opened in Downtown New York since the onset of Covid, filling basement spaces, dingy storefronts, and one-room units in office buildings. It feels like an experimental spirit has finally begun to return to a city whose scene has felt overly safe as of late. - ARTnews
