ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

Stories

Two Climate Activists Are Charged After A Protest At Stonehenge

The climate activists sprayed orange powder paint on some of Stonehenge’s monuments in June. The English Heritage chief claimed that despite there being no permanent visual damage, the act caused distress “to those for whom Stonehenge holds a spiritual significance.” - Salon

Why More Women Than Men Enjoy True Crime

True crime, also known as “murder shows” and “murder podcasts,” really appeal to more women than men. Why? “Most of the true crime I watch reflects a black and white moral universe where victims ultimately get justice, even if it is delayed.” - The New York Times

What It’s Like To Be A Queer Artist Under Turkey’s Increasingly Repressive Regime

It’s not that easy. “A government ban on a trans rights exhibition at Depo in Beyoğlu this summer, coming in the wake of anti-LGBTQ+ protests at a separate art show last year, has rattled artists and cultural workers in Turkey.” - Hyperallergic

Let’s Take A Deeper Look At Those So-Called Brain Training Games

Turns out playing a game makes you smarter - but only at playing that game. - The Conversation (Fast Company)

Russian Dancer Vladimir Shklyarov Has Died At 39

Shklyarov, a principal with the Mariinsky Theatre, fell from the fifth floor of a St. Petersburg building, “while on painkillers.” Federal authorities in Russia are investigating the death. - BBC

World Of Warcraft Has Changed The Ways Humans Relate To Each Other

Yes, even if we don’t play, or know anything about it. The massive game has been a campaign tool, an academic study subject, one of the first social networks, and a test run for subscription services and micropayments. - The New York Times

The Importance Of A Great Editor

How Jeanette Winterson sold Oranges Are not the Only Fruit: Randomly, because she met at editor at a job interview. "Philippa said: ‘If you can write it the way you tell it, I’ll buy it.’” - The Guardian (UK)

The Musical Tammy Faye Feels Like A True Redemption

Tammy Faye "is getting perhaps the gayest tribute a person can have: a Broadway musical,” one composed by Elton John. - The New York Times

Trying To Rebuild The Oregon Shakespeare Festival After Some Extremely Rough Years

What worked in the past, that is, pre-pandemic, is coming around again - more marketing, more membership drives, more discounts, more repertory theatre. Can it work? - Oregon ArtsWatch

One Of Frank Sinatra’s Mansions Comes With A Whole Lot Of History

"Sinatra celebrated his return to bachelorhood by turning Farralone into the official headquarters of the Rat Pack’s poker games. During these alcohol-fueled gatherings, huge fortunes changed hands in the blink of an eye.” Then there’s the guest house, where Marilyn Monroe may have hung out with JFK. - El País

Yes, We Can Save Opera In The United States

And everywhere - by making it feel new again. Peter Gelb: “The solution to sustaining opera is through artistic reinvention, both with new operas by living composers, and reimagined productions of classics that can resonate with audiences of today.” - The New York Times

How To Select Ten Books To Represent A Quarter Of A Century

“Once we got back about ten years, I had a much better sense of what had lasted, what was really lastingly good and not just shiny. … The closer we get to the present the less perspective we have.” - Reactor Magazine

A Perennial Sidekick Gets Her Own Movie, Sort Of

Judy Greer “was just another victim of Hollywood’s tendency to stick accomplished actresses in so-called personal roles, playing the wives and mothers of the people who actually the drive the action in the story.” Now she’s a mom in a Christian family movie. Is this progress? - Slate

How You Leave The Christian Music Industry Without Losing Your Career

“Gungor still sees a desire for ritual and for communal gathering. He recognizes the power of the collective — and aims to write non-dogmatic music for corporate, if not religious, worship.” - Seattle Times (AP)

If You Look At Them Right, Every Oscar Film Is An Anti-Trump Experience

“If I can’t get my mind off current events even in a movie where acclaimed character actor Simon McBurney bites the head off a pigeon, what hope is there for any other Oscar contender?” - Vulture

Our Free Newsletter

Join our 30,000 subscribers

Latest

Don't Miss

function my_excerpt_length($length){ return 200; } add_filter('excerpt_length', 'my_excerpt_length');