The basic costs of running a festival have all risen sharply, while potential audiences have less disposable income. Festival organisers have been faced with the conundrum of how to keep afloat – programming celebrity speakers at the expense of emerging literary talent, for example, raising ticket prices or seeking corporate sponsorship. - The Guardian
His mirthless laugh might have suggested Kafkaesque persecution, or Hardyesque inexorability of fate. Either way, he appeared determined to rewrite the ending. - The New Yorker
The current owner of the building, Price Tower in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, has sold a few of Wright's interior furnishings to pay for expenses. The Frank Lloyd Wright Conservancy claims an easement gives it veto power over such sales; the owner's lawsuit argues the easement is no longer valid. - The New York Times
"(The franchise) conveys a vital message about Earth’s creeping environmental catastrophe. Few survivors are left to warn humanity about the effects of nuclear weapons, but Godzilla remains eternal." - The Conversation
"On Friday, for the first time in some 30 years, (the RSC) will open a show in Chicago — William Shakespeare’s Pericles, now in previews. … There are plans for more collaborations between the two companies. RSC co-artistic director Tamara Harvey ... spoke to the Tribune about the production and future plans." - Chicago Tribune (MSN)
"Polanski, who fled the U.S. decades ago after admitting to the statutory rape of a 13-year-old, will no longer face trial over an alleged assault of another minor after reaching a settlement. … (This case) had been due in civil court in Los Angeles next August, but has now been withdrawn." - France 24
"Mehretu, who is internationally known for her swirling abstracts that have sold for up to $10.7 million at auction, has contributed $2.25 million to the nearly $5 million initiative, alongside trustee Susan Hess." - The Wall Street Journal (MSN)
"Nearly a month before Danielle SeeWalker was slated to paint a mural in Vail, town staff told her that a social media post featuring a different painting she created — one comparing the violence in Gaza to the genocide of Native Americans — was 'too polarizing.'" She and the ACLU are suing on First Amendment grounds. - Rocky Mountain...
From its origins (as the Anti-Graffiti Network) in 1984, working with graffiti artists to engage them in public art, the organization has evolved. ... Mural Arts has placed thousands of murals across the city, giving Philadelphia the unofficial moniker 'mural capital of the world.'" - The New York Times
Ed Park, who spent 12 years there in various editor positions before Craigslist destroyed its business model, recalls some of the many impressive writers, articles, controversies, feuds, and even a fistfight at the enormously influential, breathtakingly dysfunctional alt-weekly. - Harper's
It takes children longer to understand and use zero than other numbers, and it takes adults longer to read it than other small numbers. That’s because to understand zero, our mind must create something out of nothing. It must recognize absence as a mathematical object. - Quanta
“I was at the forefront of CGI over three decades ago, and I’ve stayed on the cutting edge since. Now, the intersection of generative AI and CGI image creation is the next wave,” says director James Cameron. - The Conversation
"All of these media insiders have watched up close as the business that undergirds journalism (has) changed dramatically. ... We wanted to understand not just what this new state of media looks like but what the future of getting reliable news out in the world might actually be." - New York Magazine (MSN)
In contrast, ordinary Portland cement must be baked in a kiln at around 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit. “It’s a huge saving” in energy, she said, leading to “a 70 percent reduction in carbon footprint.” - The New York Times
Critics argue that the new museum, which would be spread across two sites – one in Guernica and one in Urdaibai – will ruin the 22,068-hectare biosphere reserve by bringing at least 140,000 visitors a year into the protected natural space. - The Guardian
