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A Literally Bacchanalian Frieze Is Uncovered In Pompeii

Found on three walls of a large banquet room and known as a “megalography,” the set of life-size frescos depicts bacchantes (female followers of Dionysus/Bacchus) hunting, drumming and dancing, along with satyrs playing flutes and drinking wine. The paintings date to the first century BCE. - Artnet

For First Time Ever, ASCAP Tops $1 Billion In Revenue

“ASCAP … delivered a record-breaking $1.835 billion in revenue in the 2024 calendar year, an increase of $98 million, or 5.7% over 2023, with $1.696 billion available for royalty distributions — up by $104 million, or 6.5%.” - Variety

National Ballet Of Canada Appoints New Resident Choreographer

Following the North American premiere of his ballet The Four Seasons, the company has engaged David Dawson as Resident Choreographer. He’s currently an Associate Artist with Dutch National Ballet and has served as resident choreographer with that company, Semperoper Ballett in Dresden and the Royal Ballet of Flanders in Antwerp. - Gramilano

Again, British Museum Defends Its Sponsorship Deal With BP

“The British Museum and the Science Museum … said the company’s decision to grow its investments in oil and gas by cutting back on green spending would not alter their relationship with it. The two museums have come under fire from campaigners for their ongoing association with the company.” - The Guardian

My Childhood Correspondence With Edward Gorey

“Like his stories and the little books he sent, they were florid and funny and full of deliberate effects. … But any letter from Mr. G was instructive, because he was never, ever lazy with language. Always reaching for the mot juste, he cherished terms like ‘habituated’, ‘diverting’ and ‘gelatinous’.”  - The Comics Journal

Behold The Portland Museum Of Art’s Restored Monet Waterlilies

“The canvas that is returning to the galleries is remarkably changed, thanks to a conservation project that has radically de-varnished its surface. The effort doesn’t just restore the work’s striking tonalities for the first time in 65 years — it returns the painting to Monet’s original vision.” - Artnet

Nine UK Book Festivals Band Together

 “In light of the common funding challenges that arts organisations face and an ever-evolving media landscape, the Edinburgh International Book Festival has united with eight of its peers to create a new platform for discussion and collaboration. - The Book Seller

Wealthy Foreign Nationals Are Leaving The UK. What Will Happen To The Art Market?

UBS’s 2024 Global Wealth Report predicts that 500,000 millionaires will leave the country by 2028. The new tax rules, according to Henley & Partner’s Peter Ferringo, “rob the UK of billions of investment capital, especially for Americans keen to leave the US.” - ARTnews

How Should Artists Respond To Trump’s Takeover Of The Kennedy Center?

"Taking diversity and inclusion out of art, that doesn't seem possible," Amy Austin, president and CEO of Theatre Washington, told TheWrap. "So I'm just not sure where this is going to lead." - The Wrap (MSN)

The Fight Over The Museum Of Failure

Colgate lasagna, spray-on condoms, the Fyre Festival, Theranos — all these and more are included in a pop-up exhibition which has appeared on three continents since 2017. Now the concept’s creator and the producing company are embroiled in legal conflict, not for the first time. - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)

A Scientist Explains The Cognitive Disconnect Of “The Dress”

A decade after the dress, we’ve learned a lot about how people could see a simple image so differently from one another. The dress is of particular interest to me as a researcher who studies differences in perception and cognition between individuals. - Slate (MSN)

Study: Nearly All UK Students Are Using AI In Their Studies

A new report from the UK's Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) found that 92 percent of students have used generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, for their studies. - Engadget

Why Does Blue Capture People’s Imaginations Like No Other Color Does?

Surveys show it’s by far the most popular color worldwide. Not only is blue beloved of artists and designers, it’s referenced in the titles of countless books, songs, poems, and essays.  (No one ever writes monographs, or even songs, about orange or green.) - T — The New York Times Style Magazine

Local Movie Houses Are Thriving

The nonprofit Art House Convergence, a group of cinephiles in Highland Park, Illinois, released a report last summer that revealed attendance at local independent theaters is nearly back to 2019 numbers. Their audiences are now younger, more diverse, and hungry for independent rather than big studio content. - Christian Science Monitor

Why The Pittsburgh Symphony Should Play For The Opera And Ballet

 Since these organizations are giving fewer performances than previously, this no longer seems prohibitive or unworkable. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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