Stories

Cable TV? Never Heard Of Her

Other than live sports rights, which may keep around 50 million people subscribed, cable certainly looks cooked. - Axios

As The Olympics Showed, Women Can Break

“Some observers view breaking’s evolution as most apparent in the development of its female athletes, a far cry from the early days when male gatekeepers sidelined women who wanted to throw down.” - The New York Times

Artists And Activists Both Have A Purpose, But Not The Same One

“We seem to be torn between two approaches to the role of the arts in American life — whether we need a narrowly political approach at times of crisis, or whether we have faith in the chaotic, democratic possibilities of unrestrained speech and art.” - The New York Times

AI Music Production Is Getting Easier, But Is It Getting Better?

“Music appears so much earlier in human history than money, let alone the music industry. We’ve found all sorts of other reasons to make music anyway.” - Vox

A Remodel Gets The University Of Texas’ Art Museum Back In The Thick Of Campus – And The Art World

A new director came in 2011, and has “since helped shape a museum that stands out on campus, in the city, and in the art world.” - The New York Times

Despite Huge Cash Infusion, Australia’s Most Prestigious Arts Festival Loses Money

“Adelaide festival management confirmed on Friday it will post a deficit, just a week after the unexpected departure of its artistic director.” The good part? They say the loss was due to free events - and the festival has enough in reserves to make it up. - The Guardian (UK)

The Dallas Black Dance Theatre’s Dancers Joined A Union – And Then The Organization Fired Them All

The most recent post on DBDT’s Instagram is an audition call. “All of it comes after filed unfair labor practice charges last weekend against DBDT, Dallas’ oldest continuously operating professional dance company.” - Dallas Morning News (MSN)

The Knockdown, Drag Out War For Laughs On Streaming

“Before the rash of streamers elbowed in, the landscape had been dominated by HBO and, later, by Comedy Central.” Then Netflix opened its bankbook. - The Hollywood Reporter (MSN)

The Chicago Artist Who Believes Art Can Help Communities, And Individual Artists, Heal

For vanessa german, “one of the threads that connects her varied interests is a belief that art can restore our capacities to love ourselves and our communities — but only after we confront traumas and injustices.” - The New York Times

The Voynich Manuscript Is A 500-Year-Old Mystery

“Why riddle a puzzle? And yet that’s what the Voynich did, over and over again. The moment you felt you were getting somewhere, it coiled in on itself, retreating from your grasp, into another disguise.” - The Atlantic

The Paris Olympics’ Hostile Architecture Is Just Another Way That Cities Hate Unhoused Folks

And Paris isn’t trying to hide it. “'I haven’t seen anything quite like this,’ says Jules Boykoff, a professor and former professional soccer player who studies the impact of the Olympics on marginalized communities. ’Typically, hostile architecture is more subtle.’” - Wired

All The News That Was Fit To Inscribe In Babylon

It wasn’t good news - or rather, it wasn’t good astronomical divination. “The futures foretold were almost uniformly bad news for the empire, though some signaled destruction for Babylon’s enemies.” - Artnet

One Of The Best Dance Exports From The United States Is Having Its Spotlight In The Olympics

"Hip-hop first landed in France in 1982, when an elite group of ambassadors from New York City, including ... popular breakers the Rock Steady Crew, toured the country. Crowds were often small, but by the time they had left, a contingent of French fans was hooked.” - The New York Times

How Michelangelo’s Dome Has Survived For Centuries

He had some (postmortem) secret weapons at St. Peter’s Basilica: A team of mathematicians … and the Pope. - Hyperallergic

How Norway’s Public Broadcaster Figured Out The Algo

If you build it (in this case, climate coverage), they will come. “In 2023, stories produced by the organization’s climate teams outperformed the average story on the website in 11 months out of 12, often dramatically.” Could they do the same with, oh, say, the arts? - Nieman Lab

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