"In 2019, thieves infiltrated the Fort Knox–like vault at the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden and stole more than 4,300 diamonds that once belonged to the kings of Saxony." While some of the treasure is still missing, much of it was recovered when five suspects were arrested in December 2022 and later imprisoned. - Artnet
"Staff cuts at New York Public Radio, which operates news/talk WNYC-AM/FM, classical WQXR, WNYC Studios, New Jersey Public Radio, and the Gothamist online news publication, will affect 8% of the public media group’s workforce … (due to) a $10 million budget deficit." NYPR laid off 12% of its staff last September. - Inside Radio
He had a career both before and after as a musical-theater star, but from 1966 to 1981, he was emcee/straight man on one of the most beloved game shows in American TV history, a cross between tic-tac-toe and Laugh-In, with gifted comedians and the occasional major star as panelists. - The Washington Post (MSN)
Why was the museum without a director? Now that is a long story involving the Denver Art Museum, possibly questionable antiquities, and what seemed to some board members like a sudden, surprise firing. - Catalyst
That is to say, in Chile, artists use murals to communicate ideas. One longtime political muralist says, “In the streets, anonymity is important. … It’s the message that is interpreted by the viewer that I care about.” - The Guardian (UK)
“During the Renaissance, no translator had to apologize for following her instincts to champion the work of one of the most extraordinary, under-recognized writers of her time. Oh how the mighty have fallen?” - Three Quarks Daily
We work on them, refine them, and change them, perfecting them forever. “Our self, built on our memories, is our psychological anchor in a turbulent world. Turns out it’s a castle made of sand. That’s unsettling, no?” - Nautilus
Of course he enjoys being the new artistic director of the Ruhrtriennale Festival of the Arts, which produces shows “in former industrial sites, like power stations or coal plants, among cities in the Ruhr region of northwestern Germany.” - The New York Times
“The new city of Nusantara, on the island of Borneo, will replace Jakarta as the national capital, moving the seat of government about 800 miles away. The decades-long project covering hundreds of square miles” is far from finished - but will be inaugurated on Saturday. - The Atlantic
"Written by Swiss and Taiwanese creators and produced in Switzerland, This Is Not An Embassy deals with Taiwan’s lack of global recognition as a country and the diplomatic challenges it faces as a result." It premiered in Switzerland, had a sold-out run in Taipei, and will tour Europe this fall. - The Guardian
Podcasting, TikTok algorithms, and the GOP’s ability to motivate angry young men - they all play a part. But “while the ideas of Gamergate may live on in the far right and the GOP, the aggressive, harassing fandom behaviors are not limited to a political party.” - Wired
"William Henry Joseph Cutter Brown, better known as Doc Brown, was born into slavery in Arrow Rock, Missouri. After emancipation, he moved to Kansas City and gained wide renown as a performer. He took his cakewalk to Washington, and won the world championship at Madison Square Garden in 1893." - KCUR (Kansas City)
Or so Spain is telling Katy Perry, whose production company apparently didn’t bother to get permission to film near environmentally sensitive, and protected, sand dunes. - CBC
"Bridges across dry riverbeds in the Atacama desert are daubed with slogans demanding the equitable distribution of Chile’s water, and graffiti on rural bus stops demand the restitution of Indigenous lands from forestry companies. Every inch of the bohemian port city Valparaíso is plastered with paint and posters." - The Guardian
That is, they fear both for their jobs and for the profession of animation itself. As one striker says, “How many artists do you think the company wants to hire five years down the line? Zero.” - The Ankler