ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

Stories

Judge Rules For Arbitration In Philadelphia Museum Director Firing

A judge has ruled that the messy conflict between the Philadelphia Art Museum and its former director and CEO, Sasha Suda, who was dismissed in November, will go to arbitration, not to a jury trial, as Suda had requested in a civil suit. - ARTnews

Glasgow’s Centre For Contemporary Arts Goes Bankrupt And Shuts Down

“The venue and office space, on Glasgow’s Sauchiehall Street, fell into the hands of liquidators on Friday, with the building immediately shut down and all staff laid off. It had temporarily closed its doors in September as it worked to secure its long-term future - however, had planned to reopen in March.” - The Scotsman

French Museums Would “Empty Out” Under Proposed Repatriation Law

Restituting artefacts will be crucial to improve France’s relations with its former ­African ­colonies, many of which have broken off military co-operation with Paris. “This is a really important issue for young Africans and for my generation.” - The Times

Kennicott: What’s At Stake At The Kennedy Center

It certainly seems possible that the 1971 building, designed by architect Edward Durrell Stone, could be partially or completely erased. And with it, the center’s basic function, as a venue for the arts, along with its history, its distinguished legacy and its last remaining audience. - Washington Post (MSN)

Essa-Pekka Salonen Gets A New Job

The Boston Symphony Orchestra announced Monday, Feb. 2, that the Finnish conductor and composer will serve as director of the Tanglewood Festival of Contemporary Music in 2026, curating five programs July 23-27. - San Francisco Chronicle

Disney Reveals Bob Iger’s Successor As CEO: Theme Parks Chief Josh D’Amaro

“The appointment marks the second time in six years that Disney has selected a successor to Iger — his previous pick in parks boss Bob Chapek devolved into a public spectacle of corporate governance that saw Iger reclaim the CEO spot and restart the clock on retirement.” - CNBC

New Federal Theatre Founder Woodie King Jr. Is Dead At 88

King launched the Off-Broadway company in 1970 to produce work by Black playwrights and give employment to Black theatermakers. Playwrights Ntozake Shange, Charles Fuller, and David Henry Hwang launched their careers there; NFT gave early boosts to performers Denzel Washington, Phylicia Rashad, Debbie Allen, Morgan Freeman, Chadwick Boseman, and Samuel L. Jackson. - AP

Was Alexei Ratmansky’s New Ballet Inspired By Trump? Not Exactly.

The choreographer had the idea for The Naked King, based on the old fable “The Emperor’s New Clothes” and premiering this week at New York City Ballet, after watching one of last year’s “No Kings” protests. - The New York Times

The Kennedy Center Closure Announcement Is An Even Bigger Mess Than You Thought

Many people who should have been apprised of Trump’s plans before they were announced were not, including several Kennedy Center board members. And evidently little thought was given to either the National Symphony or touring Broadway shows booked for this summer. - The Washington Post (MSN)

The Real Reason Trump Is Closing Kennedy Center Next Season? No Programming, Says Source

“The Kennedy Center does not have a 2026-2027 season,” a source told CNN Inside Politics host Dana Bash. “There would not have been any programming to announce.” (video) - CNN

Trump Promises He Won’t Tear Down The Kennedy Center — But …

… he said that about the East Wing of the White House, too. And what Trump did say sounds worrisome: “I’ll be using the steel. So we’re using the structure.” - AP

Here Are The 2026 Winners of Grammy Awards For Classical Music

The biggest winner was composer Gabriela Ortiz, who took three prizes — Best Choral Performance, Best Contemporary Classical Composition and Best Classical Compendium — for works performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Gustavo Dudamel. - Gramophone

Surprise! “Melania” Did Great Box Office Its Opening Weekend

It was expected to generate in the region of $5m (£3.7m) in its first weekend, but its actual takings are "a huge start for a documentary", Variety said, and "no one saw that coming", according to the Hollywood Reporter. - BBC

So You Can Make An Audience Cry. Not Necessarily Good.

Is the direct representation of emotion to provoke emotion in fact a turn-off? - The Conversation

People Fear That Reading Is Dying. Don’t Believe It

All serious intellectual work happens on the page, and we shouldn’t pretend otherwise. If you want to contribute to the world of ideas, if you want to entertain and manipulate complex thoughts, you have to read and write. - Persuasion

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');