The American Museum of Natural History will close two major halls exhibiting Native American objects, its leaders said on Friday, in a dramatic response to new federal regulations that require museums to obtain consent from tribes before displaying or performing research on cultural items. - The New York Times
"The Kyoto District Court found defendant Shinji Aoba mentally capable to face punishment for his crimes and announced the sentence … on Thursday. Aoba stormed into Kyoto Animation’s No. 1 studio on July 18, 2019, and set it on fire. … More than 30 other people were badly burned or injured." - AP
"I confess I still cling to the old faith that culture is vastly more important than politics or some pre-professional training in algorithms and software systems. I’m convinced that consuming culture furnishes your mind with emotional knowledge and wisdom." - The New York Times
"By the end of March, iHeartMedia plans to debut between five and ten podcasts, originally created in English, translated into new languages including Spanish, French, German and Italian using artificial intelligence." - Inside Radio
Over the last five years, many arts organizations in the US and UK stopped accepting the (previously generous) donations of the Sackler family because of its role in the opioid crisis. Records indicate that the Sackler Trust has recommenced its donations, but the recipients remain unnamed. - The New York Times
"Culture Pass Dallas was created by the Office of Arts and Culture and the Dallas Public Library in 2019. Six months after launching, the pandemic hit and put the program on hold. Now, the Office of Arts and Culture is prioritizing rebuilding (the free-admission program)." - The Dallas Morning News (MSN)
"Under the (three-year) deal, 17 objects from the V&A and 15 from the British Museum will go on show later this year at the Manhyia Palace Museum in Kumasi, the capital of Asante region. Many of the items have not been seen in Ghana for 150 years." - The Guardian
Last season, amid rising costs and still-lagging ticket sales and donations, the Met took $30 million from its endowment to cover its expenses; this season, it has withdrawn almost $40 million. Even so, general manager Peter Gelb says things are starting to move in the right direction. - The New York Times
In addition to giving its music director an automatically renewing contract, the BSO has appointed Carlos Simon to its composer chair (a new position expanded from the composer-in-residence role) and created the Boston Symphony Orchestra Humanities Institute, which will present lectures, film series, and other events.. - The Boston Globe (MSN)
"Portrait of Fräulein Lieser belonged to a Jewish family in Austria and was last seen in public in 1925. Its fate after that is unclear but the family of the current owners have had it since the 1960s. (One) auction house estimates the painting's value at more than $54 million." - BBC
Leading digital artists have claimed that some of the most popular commercial immersive experiences, particularly those based on the work of deceased artists, such as Van Gogh and Dalí, are a money grab that provide little reward to visitors beyond Instagrammable moments. - The Guardian
The drastic phase of the pandemic, with its restrictions, may have receded. But the landscape left in its wake is a panorama of compounding crises — and for artists, like everyone else, a period of high uncertainty and anxiety with the U.S. election looming. - The New York Times
Before joining Web Summit, she spent seven years as CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation, where she drove growth in global readership and impact while doubling fundraising income and raising an endowment to ensure Wikipedia's enduring sustainability. - NPR
Moving “Barbie” from the best original screenplay category — where it was the probable winner over films like “The Holdovers” and “Past Lives” — to adapted changed its Oscar chances. - The New York Times
