Some HBC records have provided a window into Canada’s climate history and ecology, offering valuable long-term data to environmental researchers. Others show evidence of Indigenous trade, land occupation and cultural presence relevant to genealogical research, band membership documentation and land claims. - The Conversation
On Capitol Hill, Democrats said Tuesday they did not believe that Blanche was the acting librarian — and Republicans, who have repeatedly deferred to Trump even as he has wrested control of federal spending from authorities, indicated that they wanted to maintain their power around the library. - Washington Post
The project — “Canal Café” by Diller Scofidio + Renfro — filters water from Venice’s notoriously polluted canals and lagoon through a series of filters that mimic the natural cleansing effect of a tidal wetland. Once the water is made drinkable, it’s used to make a classic shot of espresso. - Artnet
Harvard quickly responded Tuesday evening, filing an amended complaint in its lawsuit against the Trump administration, objecting to numerous actions federal officials have taken in recent days and adding multiple agencies that have cut funding to the university. - Washington Post
Probably the most searing impact of the takeover has been the exclusion of small, local groups for whom the Kennedy Center gig was the pinnacle of success, welcome recognition of the good they’ve done for people who live here. - Washington Post
An amendment to the data bill requiring AI companies to reveal which copyrighted material is used in their models was backed by peers, despite government opposition. - The Guardian
“Berkeley’s Aurora Theatre Company plans to ‘suspend’ producing shows (next season), taking a possible step toward closure. The company hopes to continue to exist in some form, Artistic Director Josh Costello (said, noting) a $500,000 operating deficit and a 50% decrease in the company’s subscriber count compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic.” - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)
Ben Davis: “I think it’s important for NEA advocates to actually understand the spectrum of arguments ranged against them, and not rely on dated or off-target counter-arguments. So I thought I would put down, here, replies to each of Heritage’s “Ten Good Reasons to Eliminate Funding for the National Endowment for the Arts.” - Artnet
The German conductor, currently Generalmusikdirektor of the Theater Freiburg, succeeds Martyn Brabbins, who resigned in 2023 to protest ENO management’s proposed elimination of 19 orchestral positions. While he starts immediately as Music Director Designate, de Ridder fully assumes the job in September 2027. - Opera Now
Of the nine films he wrote and directed, the best-known are the two for which he won Academy Awards: Kramer vs. Kramer (for screenplay and direction) and Places in the Heart (screenplay). Among the other films he co-wrote are Bonnie and Clyde, What’s Up, Doc? and the 1978 Superman. - Deadline
“A class action lawsuit was filed Monday by the Authors Guild, along with independent scholars and writers, against the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and officials within the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for terminating millions in committed grants from Congressional funds.” - ARTnews
“Today, Audible announced it would begin offering AI-powered narration to select publishers. AI translation services will launch in beta later this year.” CEO Bob Carrigan pointed out that only between two and five percent of all books are available in audio and that the company’s goal is to expand the audio content available. - Publishers Weekly
“Included in the $254 billion budget is an expansion of the New York City Musical and Theatrical Production Tax Credit, known colloquially as the downstate tax credit. The new budget increases the program’s allotment to $400 million (up from $300 million in the preceding budget) and extends the program into 2027.” - Broadway News
“Liz Roche, Artistic Director of Luail, Ireland's all-island dance company, (writes) about the beginnings of the company, as it prepares to make its highly anticipated debut this May with Chora, a triple bill of new dance works.” - RTÉ (Ireland)
Public radio had been explicitly understood as an empathy machine since the dawn of This American Life in 1996. If we allow synonyms for empathy, radio has been understood this way since long before that. - Current
