ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

Stories

How Steppenwolf Theatre Reimagined Its Educational Mission

It seemed that the education department functioned as a sort of nonprofit running within another nonprofit, having separate conversations about programming. - American Theatre

Meet The Organist For The Boston Red Sox At Fenway Park

"It’s (Josh) Kantor’s job to punch up the action when it’s going well on the field and soothe fans’ frayed nerves when it’s not. Through ... social media, he interacts with fans in real time, taking requests. … He’s made himself an integral part of the Fenway experience." - The Boston Globe (MSN)

For The Second Time Since 1987, Vinyl Records Outsold CDs Last Year

People bought 43 million vinyl records last year, according to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). That’s 6 million more than the number of CDs sold in 2023, marking the second time since 1987 that’s happened and reflecting the steady 17-year-running growth of vinyl sales. - The Verge

Michael Ondaatje On His First Poetry Collection In 25 Years

"The real question I had “was could I write poems anymore? … I didn’t want to miss out on a certain pensiveness, and a certain relationship with language, that only poetry can demand." - Literary Hub

There Are Lots Of Music Subscription Experiments Going On. How About This One?

The term “blockchain” has dropped out of the public consciousness since the calming of the NFT frenzy of the early 2020s. But the technology – essentially data hosting by verified authors – offers a simple solution for fans wanting to demonstrate their investment in a musician’s work. - The Guardian

Making Dementia-Friendly Theatre

"Designed in collaboration with people living with dementia and their carers, these performances are specifically adapted for their audience, allowing them to have a rollicking night out in a safe, tailored environment, free of the fear of disturbing a standard show." - The Guardian

Can This Record Producer’s Book Really Turn You Into An Artist?

The Creative Act is three books in one, really: a how-to for aspiring or faltering artists, an opening-up of Rubin’s own bag of tricks as a producer/cosmic facilitator, and an account of the spirituality that defines his method. - The Atlantic

Algerian Officials Rebuke TV Stations For Too Many Ads And “Immoral” Programming During Ramadan

The communications minister's complaints were about some of the prime-time soap operas that draw massive viewership as people break their Ramadan fasts in the evenings. (One serial, for instance, showed characters using alcohol and cocaine,) He also griped that ads take up more time than programming does. - AP

AI Translators And The End Of Language Instruction

Total enrollment in language courses other than English at American colleges decreased 29.3 percent from 2009 to 2021, according to the latest data from the Modern Language Association, better known as the MLA. In Australia, only 8.6 percent of high-school seniors were studying a foreign language in 2021—a historic low. - The Atlantic (MSN)

“Information Is Power” — Dance Data Project’s Founder Talks About Five Years Of Collecting Information About Gender Inequity

"We are here to provide data and analysis which journalists, funders and advocates can deploy to create a more interesting dance world. Artistic-director candidates have used our reports to demand pay equal to their male peers. Dancer representatives say they negotiated a 40% salary increase based on our work." - Classic Chicago Magazine

Richard Serra Made Modern Sculpture Exciting — By Creating The Feeling That It Might Fall On You

Sebastian Smee: "As an artist, he was no bully. Rather, he was a physicist. He wanted you to know, and to feel in your bones, that weight isn’t just a thing — it’s a force. It’s mass times acceleration. As such, it carries an inherent threat." - The Washington Post (MSN)

Smithsonian Misused Federal COVID Relief Funding, Finds Internal Audit

"The Smithsonian’s internal Office of the Inspector General last month released a report saying that the institution misused a portion of the $7.5 million it received in COVID relief funds from the 2020 CARES Act." - ARTnews

Ohad Naharin On Ballet Ireland’s Cancellation Of His “Minus 16” Because He’s Israeli

"From the abyss of my sadness witnessing the ongoing catastrophe ... I am writing to you. If the act of cancellation would have helped the Palestinians' cause I would boycott my own show. It is obvious that this cancellation does nothing to reduce the suffering of people in our region." - The Irish Times

Boston Public Radio Station WBUR Is Offering Staff Buyouts

As management looks to cut 10% of the budget, it "hopes the plan will help reduce some expenses, but … the station expects to still cut more jobs or freeze hiring. Anyone hired at least three months ago can take the buyout." - The Boston Globe (MSN)

Arts Funding In Hawaii Is Saved By State Senate Committee

The state's percent-for-art law, the oldest in the US (1967), requires 1% of the construction or renovation costs of state buildings to go to Hawaii's arts agency. A bill from the state House would have removed renovations from that requirement, reducing the agency's income by two-thirds. - Hawai'i Public Radio

Our Free Newsletter

Join our 30,000 subscribers

Latest

Don't Miss

function my_excerpt_length($length){ return 200; } add_filter('excerpt_length', 'my_excerpt_length');