Gao Zhen, who had moved to New York and was in Beijing visiting family, is the first artist charged under the 2018 "Heroes and Martyrs Protection Law." At issue are works (including one a Florida man tried to bomb, thinking it glorified Communism) from over a decade ago satirizing Mao Zedong. - Artnet
She is the fifth director of Tefaf in four years and arrives after a period of controversy at the fair brand. Her direct successor, Bart Drenth, stepped down in June 2023 less than six months into the role after controversial tweets, aimed at “leftists”, “Muslims” and “the woke”. - The Art Newspaper
Taking over ownership of Jujamcyn’s five Broadway venues, including the August Wilson and Walter Kerr theatres – a deal finalised in summer 2023 – pulled in £75.5 million in revenue and profit of £18.2 million. - The Stage
They're certainly difficult, especially since COVID. High school drama programs rarely prepare students well for conservatory work, including the audition process, and a small (and pricey) industry has developed solely in coaching young applicants for their auditions. - ArtsHub
I write today in praise of a third genre that few self-respecting intellectuals admit to reading regularly, though many do: the reference book. - Discourse Magazine
Perhaps one reason why she was a superb editor is because her personality so completely concorded with the wider cultural understanding of editing as belonging off-stage. And yet that view is entirely incorrect. - LitHub
The Boy Scouts of America is auctioning off the entirety of its 321-piece art collection, which includes works by Norman Rockwell, Walt Disney, and J.C. Leyendecker, and is valued at around $59 million. - ARTnews
Like her older colleagues Diébédo Francis Kéré (a Pritzker Prize winner) of Burkina Faso and Yasmeen Lari of Pakistan, Mariam Issoufou Kamara focuses on how traditional architecture is adapted to climate conditions, and her designs use materials abundant locally and made by local craftspeople. - The Guardian
While its repressive attitude towards women’s rights has remained consistent, the Taliban's stance on the preservation of historic sites contrasts sharply with its actions in 2001, when the group destroyed the monumental Buddhas of Bamiyan. - The Art Newspaper
For some, the delight of daydreaming can turn into a curse: The fantasies become such a successful form of escape that they take over the mind, becoming compulsive and preventing the dreamer from paying attention to important facets of reality—work, school, other people. - Nautilus
How do the offices, houses, hospitals, schools, neighbourhoods and spaces that we occupy day to day affect our health? Traditionally, our understanding of how architectural design affects the human body has centred around the transmission of communicable diseases. - Psyche
"U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman — the same judge who, in March 2023, ordered several books banned by Llano County officials returned to library shelves — denied most of the Texas county’s motion to dismiss librarian Suzette Baker’s wrongful termination suit." - Publishers Weekly
Never mind that Junko Hagiwara (stage name "La Yunko") has lived and studied in Seville for 20 years. Dance critics, fortunately, have been unanimous in their approval of her work. - AFP (MSN)
"The UK‘s accomplishments in the arts are something its public prides above all else, according to a new study, while fondness for British history has dropped dramatically. The findings come from the British Social Attitudes Survey, which shows stark changes ... since it was last conducted ten years ago." - The Art Newspaper
