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Bettie de Jong, Paul Taylor’s Factotum, Still Working At 92

For decades she has been Taylor's star dancer, muse, buddy, rehearsal director, and choreographic reconstructor.  (He was never particularly interested in the details of reviving his older works.) Even now, she speaks lucidly and clearly, with her signature blunt forcefulness, about her work both over the decades and today. - The Brooklyn Rail

Just Whom Are We Calling A Genius?

You can tell what a culture values by who it labels a genius—and also what it is prepared to tolerate. The Renaissance had its great artists. The Romantics lionized androgynous, tubercular poets. Today we are in thrall to tech innovators and brilliant jerks in Silicon Valley. - The Atlantic

Has Branden Jacobs-Jenkins Become Our Best Playwright?

 “Obviously, I’m very neurotic. I’m always trying to understand what’s happening and why. My friends every day talk about what they’re anxious about, and yet no one’s asking for the theater to address that anxiety — but that’s what it’s supposed to do.” - Washington Post

We’re About To Be Able To Translate Animal Languages. Then What?

The prospect of speaking dolphin or whale is irresistible. And it seems that they are just as enthusiastic. In November last year, scientists in Alaska recorded an acoustic “conversation” with a humpback whale called Twain, in which they exchanged a call-and-response form known as “whup/throp” with the animal over a 20-minute period. - The Guardian

Idris Elba Wants To Build An “African Odeon” Of Cinemas Across The Continent

“There’s a crazy number across the entire continent: less than about 3,000 cinemas, actual cinemas,” said the actor. “I would love to be able to tackle some of that, because I believe that the cinema experience that we all have gone through should be experienced by a new generation.” - Variety

Ai-Generated Music Is Flooding Streaming Services

Fraudsters are flooding Spotify, Apple Music and the rest with AI-generated tracks, to try and hoover up the royalties generated by people listening to them. These tracks are cheap, quick and easy to make, with Deezer estimating that over 20,000 fully AI-created tracks – that’s 18% of new tracks – were being ingested into its platform daily. - The Guardian

How Florida Inmates Incredibly Made A HipHop Album, Despite The Challenges

County jails are incubators for hip-hop, especially in Broward county, which cultivated “legends like Kodak Black and YNW Melly … but the diversity of voices on Bending the Bars is a natural extension of the eclectic mix of detainees that can be found in almost any urban jail”. - The Guardian

Four Takeaways For Galleries From This Year’s ArtLogic Report

Even as technology opens new doors, the daily realities of operating a gallery have never been more daunting. - Hyperallergic

The First Authorized Stage Adaptation Of James Baldwin’s “Giovanni’s Room” Makes Its Debut

“There have been many efforts to adapt Baldwin’s works since he died in 1987, nearly all unsanctioned or unsuccessful in earning approval from his estate. … Giovanni’s Room in particular has been attempted several times” (including an abortive screenplay by Baldwin himself) — making this world premiere in Philadelphia an event. - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)

UK House Of Lords Rejects New AI Copyright Rules. Wants More Protections For Artists

The Lords, who are looking for more protections for artists from AI, rejected the latest amendment to the Data (Use and Access) Bill on Monday. Peers backed calls for greater transparency after musicians such as Sir Elton John warned of the threat to creative industries. - BBC

New EU Regulations Will Hold Art Importers Accountable For Provenance

 Importers will be required to identify an object’s country of origin and the date it left the country, as well as the hands the work has passed through, to secure a license. - ARTnews

The Science Of Visual Learning

Feeling baffled by a work of art is similar to the experience of many chemistry learners. In both scenarios, viewers might ask themselves: What am I looking at, where should I look and what does it mean? - The Conversation

With Their NEA Grants Rescinded, Nonprofit Publishers Contemplate Their Prospects

“Many of the grants were meant to partially reimburse nonprofit publishers for projects they’ve already paid for and completed, leaving them with surprise shortfalls. And while most expect to be able to cover the immediate deficits, they worry about what the move augurs for the future of the literary arts.” - Publishers Weekly

Pompeii, Like Venice, Has Become A Victim Of Its Own Success

“Rising visitor numbers to the UNESCO site … have placed the archaeological park’s three entrances under growing strain. Now guides who make a living leading tours of Pompeii’s ancient homes, eateries and brothels say the introduction of named tickets and visitor caps is aggravating bottlenecks.” - The Art Newspaper

Dead Sea Scrolls Are Far Older Than Previously Thought, Say Researchers

“Researchers from the University of Groningen combined AI and carbon dating to find that many of the scrolls are older than scholars previously estimated. Some, it seems, could date to the time of the biblical authors themselves, not centuries after.” - ARTnews

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