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James Harithas, Museum Director And Founder Who Brought Activism To His Work, 90

"He looked outside the art world and its hierarchies to a much larger pool of artists. ... It was his commitment to social justice, political change, the representation of minority artists that really made him stand out." - The New York Times

Jane Austen, But Make It Muslim, South Asian, And Martial Arts

"Potential financiers would ask if she could make the central family a white one. Others would have preferred something a little bit less action and more art house. Later, the emphasis on comedy became a problem." - The New York Times

The Ways We Must Change The ‘Nonprofit Industrial Complex’ For Artists

"Dignified wages and sufficient financial resources are the two most pressing areas of concern for artists," but arts organizations "overestimate the extent to which they provide critical income and support to artists." - Hyperallergic

Is It Time To Rename The Audubon Society For This Bird Artist?

Rex Brasher, who left "almost 900 large-scale watercolors documenting American bird life and habitat," was not a self-promoter. He preferred to learn from birds in the wild "by boat, bicycle, canoe and on foot," rather than kill them, as Audubon did. - Washington Post

Ukrainian Sisters Staying In the UK Celebrated As Musical Prodigies

The 17-year-old and 12-year-old "have now received scholarships to two of the UK’s foremost music schools, less than a year after fleeing their home near Kyiv to start new lives." - The Observer (UK)

The Potential Writers Strike Isn’t Just About Wages

It's also about artificial intelligence in the writers' room, and whether writers will be replaced by programs - the so-called Nora Ephron problem: "Hollywood writers have grown increasingly anxious as ChatGPT has become adept at mimicking the style of prolific authors." - The New York Times

Opera Ebony Turns Fifty This Year, But Can It Survive?

When Opera Ebony was founded, the Black Arts Movement was underway. "Spirituals, work songs, jazz and gospel, all were included in Opera Ebony's repertoire, highlighting often neglected Black composers." But after changing the repertoire, it's down to one performance a year. - NPR

French Actress Wins A Lawsuit For Her Salary In A Film That Never Got Made

Eva Green won her $1 million fee after she "sued White Lantern Film, saying she was owed the sum after the film collapsed amid a bitter dispute with producers" - who claimed it was her fault. - BBC

A Dancer Retires Young, But With A Plan

Harrison Ball was promoted to principal dancer at City Ballet last year, after years of being wild, getting sober, and living through the pandemic. But, at 30, he says his foot injuries have gotten too bad to continue. - The New York Times

The Value, Joy, And Community Of Local Libraries

When you can't find a place to just sit down in the middle of a city, the library is there, with books, newspapers, community meetings, and more. "You won’t get this anywhere else and you can do it all for free." - Irish Times

Writers And Producers Meet Again To Try To Avert Monday Night Strike

"After talks Saturday in the AMPTP’s Sherman Oaks offices, the two sides have scheduled further negotiations for Sunday in hopes of sealing a deal to avert a potentially devastating strike next week" - but the sides still aren't close. - Deadline

How Strong Is Disney’s First Amendment Case Against DeSantis?

It looks like "Disney’s retaliation claim is a strong one because corporations have substantial rights to express their views under the 1st Amendment, just as individuals do, and DeSantis seems to have targeted the company for doing just that." - Los Angeles Times

We Need To Remember Not Just What We Listened To And Watched, But How

And that how is together. "The very idea of collectively tuning in to history as it happens has been altered, as the profusion of channels and platforms now funnels audience members into self-segregated affinity groups." - Nieman Lab

The Joys And Perils Of Staging Don Giovanni

The opera is a work "of slippery psychology, frank humanity and, crucially, crystalline construction that punishes any mistake onstage or in the orchestra pit." - The New York Times

When One Actor Ruins A Whole Show

David Choe's acting isn't bad. But "instead of being able to enjoy its cathartic portrayals of Asian American rage, I found myself disturbed every time Isaac appeared onscreen, wondering how much of the character’s aggression was a performance and how much of it was channeled from Choe’s documented misogynoir." - HuffPost

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