The issue with the moment was the artist's "representation of a White soldier going off to fight on the Confederate side of the Civil War kissing his infant child held up by a Black woman, fashioned as a loyal and matronly 'mammy' figure, crying at his departure." - Hyperallergic
The University of Nebraska mascot no longer makes an OK symbol "because the universal symbol of approbation—curling the index finger to touch the thumb, forming an 'O'—had become associated with white supremacy and hate speech." - Fast Company
Karin Hindsbo, a Danish art historian who oversaw the revision and remodel of Norway's National Museum, was named director of the Tate Modern "at a potentially challenging moment: "Britain’s government ... has been cutting funding for some of London’s major arts bodies." - The New York Times
It's clear that "Thinking Out Loud" and "Let's Get It On" have some similarities - but how similar are they? The BBC breaks it down: "What they do share in common are some chords." - BBC
"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
"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
"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
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
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)
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
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
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
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
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
"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
