“There was this idea that, OK, industry and maybe some people left this city, so now it’s our playground." (the city’s population declined from about two million in the 1960s to about 1.5 million in 2021). “If you leave a building abandoned, it’s going to get filled with art.” - The New York Times
"State-of-the-art imaging technology has enabled the British Library to read hidden pages of William Camden's Annals for the first time. … Those pages had been either over-written or concealed beneath pieces of paper stuck down so tightly that attempting to lift them would have ripped the pages and destroyed evidence." - The Guardian
An artificial intelligence company in Delaware boasted, in a press release, that it had created 100 million new songs. That’s roughly equivalent to the entire catalog of music available on Spotify. - The Honest Broker
"Hungary’s right-wing government has fined a bookstore nearly €32,000 (12,000,000 forints) for displaying the award-winning young adult graphic novel Heartstopper in the children's section of the store." - Euronews
The reasons for the delay are being attributed to unexpected construction and redesign challenges that have emerged as the nearly 100-year-old hall undergoes a $125 million renovation. - San Diego Union-Tribune
For their US debut, Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theater and stage director Kuho Jung have adapted the "il mu" dance from the royal Jongmyo Shrine, combining it and other ritual movement with contemporary dance to create the stage work One Dance. - The New York Times
Both the Armory Show, which is led by executive director Nicole Berry, and Expo Chicago, led by founder and president Tony Karman, will operate as separate divisions under Frieze with their existing teams but will share business services. - ARTnews
"The cultural nonprofit Mizhvukhamy is documenting these findings in Wall Evidence, an open archive created for future research (on) the Russian invasion." Some samples: "It was an order. Sorri." "I'll burn other people's villages with a smile." "Sorry for the mess, but it’s okay, Americans will help with cleanup." - Hyperallergic
Watts made his national concert debut when he was 16 years old with Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic. Shortly after, he was asked to substitute in place of Glenn Gould with the Philharmonic. That performance is credited with launching Watts’ career. - WFYI
"The Renaissance painter Albrecht Dürer took revenge on his patron" — Jacob Heller, a wealthy Frankfurt merchant — "after a bitter row over pay by placing his own self-portrait in a 1500s altarpiece that he painted for him." - The Guardian
Says artistic director Oskar Eustis, "Our audience is down by about 30 percent, we have expenses up anywhere from 30 to 45 percent, and we have kept our donor base, but it's static. Put that all together, and you get budget shortfalls — big budget shortfalls." - The New York Times
"Disney is going to be 'expansive' in its thinking about the traditional TV business, leaving the door open to a possible sale of the networks. 'They may not be core to Disney,' Iger said. … Cable TV channel ESPN is in a different bucket, however. - CNBC
"The Charles River Jazz Festival started (in 2021) as a slapdash (post-pandemic) passion project with a $2,000 budget, four local acts and 500 attendees. … Now the all-day festival touts major sponsors, local vendors, food trucks, a lineup of Grammy- and Emmy-nominated artists and a board of directors." - WBUR (Boston)
"SAG-AFTRA members will not be able to attend premieres, do interviews for completed work, go to awards shows, attend film festivals or even promote projects on social media while the strike is in effect. They are also not allowed to attend conventions such as Comic-Con or 90s Con." - Variety
