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Voters In El Paso Veto Funding For Downtown Arena/Performance Venue

"With the approval of Proposition A, voters in El Paso have formally revoked the city’s authority to issue the remaining $128.5 million in bonds that had been allocated for a multipurpose performing arts and entertainment facility in Downtown El Paso." - El Paso Matters

King Tut’s Iconic Funerary Mask Was Probably First Made For Someone Else, Say Researchers

How could anyone tell this after all this time? The answer, say Egyptologists at the University of York, has been right in front of us. It's all about the ears. - Artnet

A Pulitzer Prize Winner Is Adapting “Fahrenheit 451” For The Stage

Martyna Majok, who won the Pulitzer for drama in 2018 with her play Cost of Living, will write the script. The project is in early development, and no director or marquee actor has yet been publicly attached to the project. - The Hollywood Reporter

It’s Only Been Three Days, And “The Handmaid’s Tale” Is Back On The Bestseller List

Since the presidential election results became clear early Wednesday morning, Margaret Atwood's novel has been high on Amazon's list of top-selling books, as are Orwell’s 1984 and Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. All three were popular during Trump's first term. - AP

India Lifts Ban On Import Of Rushdie’s “Satanic Verses” — For A Surprising Reason

And that reason is bureaucracy at its finest. - The Guardian

There’s No Water In The Fountain Of Trevi in Rome, And Tourists Are Bummed

"The city drained the fountain to clean it ahead of the Vatican’s Jubilee Year. ... Visitor access to the site is currently via a temporary walkway. But the real problem is the plywood-sided pool on the stairs in front of the fountain into which visitors are now instructed to toss coins." - Artnet

Well-Known UK TV Actor Comes Up With Scheme To Save Small Theatre

Funds would be raised by selling tickets to the performances of the winning entries, with the theatre’s president Suranne Jones giving an on-stage critique afterwards. "It will combine a search for community talent with being a money-maker," she said. - BBC

Sandra Cisneros Is Turning “The House On Mango Street” Into An Opera

The author of the beloved young adult novel is writing her own libretto, with music by composer Derek Bermel. The work just had its first performance, unstaged, at the University of Michigan; the fully staged world premiere is next July at Glimmerglass Opera in upstate New York. - Chicago Tribune

The Need To Be Right (It’s Seductive)

The background condition of this discussion is our current state of permacrisis: the collision of multiple critical problems whose conjunction renders effective response to any one of them impossible. Crisis demands a response, but too much of it strains our abilities. - The Walrus

How Quincy Jones Became The Ultimate Artistic Collaborator

Even when letting a singer loose, he knew that rhythm would always end up having its say. - The New Yorker

When Johnny Carson Animated American Late Night

His easygoing exterior belied a deft improvisatory mind that could take the temperature of the room, the guest, and the viewer all at once, course-correcting with breathtaking speed. - The New Yorker

Joseph Rykwert, Architectural Historian Who Fought Bland Functionalism And Pushed For Good Urban Design, Is Dead At 93

"His books and his teaching changed the understanding of his discipline and helped to move the design and planning of cities and buildings away from the functionalist mindset that dominated postwar building." The concept of "placemaking" might not exist if not for his work. - The Guardian

Why Is “American Gothic” Such An Enduring Image?

The painting’s essential elements—man, woman, pitchfork—have been referenced, reimagined, and parodied in everything from a 1942 photograph by Gordon Parks to a 2012 episode of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. - Artnet

Warhol Prints Damaged In Amateurish Attempted Heist

The gallery’s owner Mark Peet Visser has described the heist as “amateurish,” noting that explosives used to gain entry were “so violent that my entire building was destroyed,” and even damaged some neighboring shops. This was confirmed by local police in an official update. - Artnet

This Play Is Part Puzzle, Part Real-Life Video Game, Part Grief Ritual

"Great Gold Bird is set across three locations, (starting with) audience members' homes. Where to go next is revealed via the narrative — an address unlocked after perusing a website dedicated to a lost love, or a map uncovered in a locked chest after we discover its combination." - Los Angeles Times (MSN)

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