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What Phylicia Rashad Brought To Howard University

It’s still “newsworthy that a veteran artist — one who’s still working steadily as a stage actress and is increasingly one of the go-to directors of the Black theater canon — took on rebuilding a fine arts college.” - Washington Post

Alice McDermott’s Writing Mantra

“It is a piece of sage advice, a writer’s mantra, that I have made good use of through the years and that I now pass on to you: Ah, fuck ‘em.” - LitHub

Vice Is, Sort Of, Saved

“Vice Media and Nashville-based Savage Ventures announced Thursday the formation of a joint venture and strategic partnership to “relaunch and grow” properties including Vice.com, Munchies, Motherboard and Noisey” - but, crucially, not Vice News. - Variety

The Choreographer Of Bridgerton

"I’d rather take people to a place where they have to be very brave through a terminology that they’re used to, rather than a terminology that scares the pants off them. I would ask them what would they like to nonverbally portray to the audience." - Dance Magazine

The 500-Year History Of English Dictionaries

The earliest were Renaissance glossaries. “These forerunners did not set out to define every known word. Instead, they set a narrower goal of annotating technical terms circulating in particular professions.” Then things heated up. - Hyperallergic

Are Commercial “Third Places” Going Away?

Coffee houses are one of the earliest examples of ‘Third Places,’ a term popularized by urban sociologist Raymond Oldenberg, who described them as “public places on neutral ground where people can gather and interact. - Spacing Toronto

Academy Of Motion Pictures Announces $500M Fundraising Campaign

More than $100 million has already been pledged to the campaign, with significant contributions from Rolex, a long-time academy partner. - Los Angeles Times

Apple Apologizes For Horrifying Art-Crushing Ad

The advertisement titled "Crush" has over a million views on Apple's YouTube channel and was shared by CEO Tim Cook on social media platform X. It shows a variety of creative tools and objects such as a camera, guitar, piano and paint being destroyed by an industrial crusher. - Reuters

Towns In Sicily Offered Abandoned Homes For €1. But Can You Rebuild A Town This Way?

Were once-sepulchral towns reinvigorated by newcomers eager to put down roots? Were the new residents integrating into small-town life, or was an influx of new blood bringing unintended side effects? And did a town that drew enough newcomers lose the qualities that had attracted said newcomers in the first place? - Afar

Trying To Find Paths Through Art And Authoritarianism

Maybe this is a time to look for something else in art, to look at art that resonates with this moment on the precipice of authoritarianism, and to learn from it. What can be gleaned by reconsidering art made in similarly dangerous situations in the past. - Brooklyn Rail

Book Bans Were Gaining. So Lauren Groff Opened A Bookstore

“This store would probably still be a pipe dream if the book bans hadn’t happened,” said Groff, who has lived in Gainesville since 2006. “I want this for me too. I don’t want to live in a place where we stifle free expression.” - The New York Times

The $20 Million Art Auction That Was Decided By Playing Rock-Paper-Scissors

In 2005, the Maspro Denkoh Corporation of Nagoya decided to sell its European art collection, which included Cézanne, Gauguin and Picasso, to fund further acquisitions of Japanese ceramics. But the CEO couldn't decide whether to go with Sotheby's or Christie's. And so … - Artnet

Rio National Museum Destroyed By Fire Gets A Major Donation

The fire, caused by an electrical short-circuit, destroyed about 85% of its archive of 20m artefacts. Losses included Egyptian and Greco-Roman relics acquired by the Brazilian imperial family, a large dinosaur named Dinoprata, and invaluable records of Indigenous life and culture in pre-colonial times. - The Guardian

As These Medieval Tibetan Monasteries Began To Crumble, Local Community Members Learned How To Restore Them

Heavy rains brought by climate change have caused serious damage to the 14th-century rammed-earth monasteries and temples of Lo Manthang in far northern Nepal. With the help of Western art conservators, Lobas have relearned traditional crafts and restored wall paintings, statues and even roofs. - BBC

What Made Beethoven Stand Out

What did make Beethoven stand out from the crowd was his personification of the Romantic revolution, which coincided more or less with his lifetime. In the popular imagination, Beethoven was the quintessential romantic hero. - History Today

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