ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

Stories

Top College Art Museums In America (Per The Washington Post)

"With special connections to world-class research programs and academic expertise, college art museums can compete with the best of them. Here are five of The Post's critics’ favorites, based on the quality of their collections and programming." - The Washington Post (MSN)

San Francisco Opera Extends Music Director Eun Sun Kim’s Contract

The South Korean-born conductor, who began her initial five-year term at the company in 2021, is now contracted through the 2030-31 season. - San Francisco Classical Voice

When Edgar Allan Poe Was One Of Vietnam’s Literary Heroes

"(He held a) surprisingly major role in the early twentieth century, right at the dawn of Vietnam’s modern literature. For a period in Vietnamese history, Poe was 'America’s literary giant,' inspiring a generation of authors who would go on to take up arms and raise their voices in support of the struggle against imperialism." - Literary Hub

The Power Of Nobel Laureate Han Kang

This is the power of Han Kang: With little more than paper and ink, she acts as a conduit for the memories of generations that suffered state violence, passing them on to generations that inherited these traumas but not necessarily the long-suppressed facts beneath them.  - Yale Review

What Ángel Corella Has Achieved In Ten Years At Helm Of Philadelphia Ballet

"Since (a) contentious beginning, Corella has turned the company around with vivid dancing in a mix of newer works, lots more classical story ballets, and enough Balanchine to tie the company back to its roots. But he said that his own greatest talent is recognizing it in others." - Broad Street Review (Philadelphia)

The African Diaspora And Reclaiming Narratives

The central task of writers of the colonial or the Black experience is to claim back their humanity. This profound urge runs through the literature of Africa and the diaspora, from the 18th century to the present day. And it will continue for decades to come. - The Guardian

Illinois Town Becomes Home To America’s Fiberglass Giant Statues

“It’s just like any small town. So now, even though he is a 19-foot-tall statue of a guy holding a hot dog, he’s our 19-foot-tall statue of a guy holding a hot dog.” - The New York Times

What We Can Learn From The Letters Of Oliver Sacks

"In his 20s, 30s and 40s, his life and career had been not only unorthodox, but by many means, a disaster. … (For) the multitudes of readers who adored him and his work, there might be a message about what we think of as failure and the possibility of redemption." - The New York Times

Seattle Art Museum Security Guards Vote To Strike

VSO Union members said two-plus years of bargaining is too long, and that the museum hasn’t provided meaningful counters on its economic demands, including a $27/hour starting wage, scaling pay rates, health care expansion for part-time workers, and reinstatement of employer retirement matching. - Seattle Times

Theatre Is Facing A Crisis Of Theatre Workers

“The sector was one of the worst affected by the lockdowns and many, including BECTU, called for a post-pandemic ‘reset’ to address poor terms and conditions, modernise the industry and create fairer working conditions. Members tell us that little has improved." - The Stage

When The Stories We Tell Ourselves Hold Us Back

In some cases, narratives can hold us back by limiting our thinking. In other cases, they may diminish our ability to live freely. They also give us the illusion that the world is ordered, logical, and difficult to change, reducing the real complexity of life. - Psyche

Lydian String Quartet Dismissed By University Where It Was On Faculty For 44 Years

Facing declining enrollment and tighter finances, Brandeis University (near Boston) has — effective at the end of this academic year, and over the furious objections of the music department's chair — eliminated the ensemble's four positions, which constitute 25% of the department's faculty. - The Justice (Waltham, Mass.)

Thousands Of Artists Sign Statement Of Concern About AI

“The unlicensed use of creative works for training generative AI is a major, unjust threat to the livelihoods of the people behind those works, and must not be permitted,” reads the statement. Thousands of creative professionals from the worlds of literature, music, film, theatre and television have given their backing to the statement. - The Guardian

UK Literary Festivals Are Collapsing

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

A Rare Books Dealer Calls For A Rewrite Of His Own Story

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

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');