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Keeping Traditional Japanese Dance Alive In Mexico City

Naoko Kihara, the daughter of Japanese-Brazilian immigrants to Mexico, has been practicing hanayagi dance in the Mexican capital for nearly a quarter of a century and is passing the art along to students in the Japanese diaspora community there. - AP

How Portland Lost Its Creative Vibe

There are still plenty of creative people in Portland, of course, but many left during the pandemic, and no doubt many potential newcomers have been priced out. When money is tight, artists do not make things just to make them, things that might bring joy to those around them but will not put money in their pocket. - Portland Monthly

“Weird And Depressing”: Watching The Maria Callas Hologram Concert

"The hologram – which uses projectors and motion capture technology to create a 3D image of Callas – interacts with the audience without speaking directly to us; she motions to conductor Daniel Schlosberg, who motions back. She pauses for applause even after any real applause has died off." - The Guardian

Seattle’s Iconic Hugo House In Danger Of Closing

What happens next with Hugo House won’t just impact Seattle’s literary ecosystem but could be a blueprint, or cautionary tale, for the scores of other organizations grappling with similar issues in today’s uncertain arts economy. - Seattle Times

Why On Earth Do So Many U.S. Prisons Ban Fantasy And Sci-Fi Lit?

"Is the banning of fantastical literature in prisons just carceral paranoia — or is it indicative of a larger cultural attitude that simultaneously denigrates and fears imagination? After all, prisons are part of U.S. culture which, despite a thriving culture industry that traffics in magic and fantasy, nonetheless degrades it." - Literary Hub

James Gaffigan On The Need For A Different Programming Philosophy For Orchestras

I think the future is versatility—a mixtape. I really believe that if a piece is put next to the right piece, even if it’s Schubert and Taylor Swift… they’ll shine light on each other. I see that working perfectly. - Van

When A Small, Underfunded Theater Company’s Show Misfires, Should A Critic Review It Honestly? Yes.

"A year and a half ago, when I wrote a critical review of a show by (a) small company, a theater colleague asked me why I’d persisted with the project. … Whom does such a review serve, especially for a show that draws such small audiences?" Lily Janiak offers an answer to that question. - MSN (San Francisco Chronicle)

The Typewriters Of Legendary Authors, Now Up For Sale

"After 20 years of assembling what may be the greatest typewriter collection in the world," — owned by the likes of Ernest Hemingway, Maya Angelou, Joe DiMaggio, John Lennon, Shirley Temple, and the Unabomber — "(Steve) Soboroff is putting all 33 of his beloved machines up for auction." - The New York Times

Finding Ways For Researchers To Combine Science And Arts

"It’s not art-at-the-service-of-science. … It’s a collaboration of the two that can generate a vision for the future, to explain complex information, both theoretical and hard big data. And all in a way that’s accessible to scientists and the wider community. … But the road to this future isn't clearly paved. Yet." - Nature

Vera Molnár, A Pioneer Of Computer Art, Is Dead At 99

"Long before many others did so, Molnár embraced computers, which she used to create spare, minimalist drawings that were made according to sets of rules that she engineered. These drawings flirt with the points where order breaks down into chaos and chaos coheres into order." - ARTnews

Yahoo Makes Major Job Cuts For The Second Time This Year

"Layoffs affected a number of verticals including the website’s 'Originals' teams, with affected staffers told of their status in a meeting with their manager on Tuesday. The company will also be shutting down its 'In The Know' vertical, which curated news for Generation Z and millennial audiences." - The Daily Beast

Artforum, Noticeably Slimmer, Tries To Regroup After The Israel-Hamas Letter And The Top Editor’s Firing

"A skeleton crew of editors needed to take a hacksaw through the December issue of Artforum magazine. There were only a few weeks between the sudden firing of its editor-in-chief and a print deadline for the glossy’s annual 'Year in Review' issue." - The New York Times

Despite The Backlash, “Oppenheimer” Will Be Released In Japan

"The choice to have the film address, but not explicitly depict, the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the U.S. — which killed tens of thousands of people and left many with lifelong injuries — (had been) hotly debated in the (Japanese) media. - AP

The Top 25 Most-Viewed Wikipedia Articles of 2023

Celebrity deaths were top of mind, as they are most years on Wikipedia. The list of notable deaths was the second most viewed page. - NPR

Why Community Is More Important Than Ever

Being alone is bad for you—and it’s not all about close family and friends. “Talking to strangers,” says Robert Waldinger, who leads the longest-running study on human happiness, at Harvard, “actually makes us happier. - The Walrus

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