“It is the first major museum in D.C. to shutter because of the shutdown. The Smithsonian Institution, which runs an array of museums in D.C. and beyond, is using its own funds to remain open at least through Monday.” - ARTnews
Portland is very clearly not “hell,” and just as clearly not a war zone. But also: "Although the number of events and the amount of ticket sales have not yet recovered to pre-pandemic levels, they have increased significantly ... and are now getting close to pre-2020 levels.” - Oregon ArtsWatch
Andrea Bartz “was furious that the writing she had labored over for years got vacuumed up and fed into an algorithm, without her permission.” Then she (and others) did something about it. - The New York Times
One artist who removed his music: “Spotify is going to have to make Herculean efforts to roll back tons of damaging choices they’ve introduced to their platform over the years. I don’t see that happening.” - The Verge (Archive Today)
At the V&A East Storehouse, “visitors have the option to choose up to five via the ‘order an object’ service and have them delivered to a study room for a private viewing.” - The Guardian (UK)
"If The Best American Poetry captures ‘the zeitgeist of the current attitudes in American poetry,’ we should be asking: Why are those attitudes so fucked up?” - The Defector (Archive Today)
“Two lighting technicians and a video operator bring the opera to its full pyrotechnic life. Hunched over banks of consoles, screens and keyboards, they execute a tight script as they manipulate videos, lights, scrims, screens, stage panels and dry ice.” - The New York Times
The Smithsonian museums and National Gallery will remain open for as long as leftover cash-on-hand lasts, which will be at least through Monday. Kennedy Center events are privately financed and should proceed as scheduled. As for the monuments, it depends … - The Washington Post (MSN)
Denis Raisin Dadre, 69, a recorder virtuoso and specialist in Renaissance reed instruments, founded Ensemble Doulce Mémoire in 1990 and developed an impressive array of programs in performance and on disc. His lifeless body was discovered in his apartment in Tours; drugs were found at the scene. - RTBF (Belgium) (via Google Translate)
“Jonathan Church, known for his work as a director and producer on multiple hit shows in London’s West End, and as the leader of several major regional houses in the U.K., will succeed Antoni Cimolino next fall.” - Toronto Star
In July, as part of a widely-reported sweep which affected high-profile critics in three other disciplines as well, the newspaper removed Green as chief theater critic. In his new position, Green will cover classical music and visual art as well as theater, writing “news and news analysis, features and multimedia pieces.” - Playbill
“A lot of gen AI supporters see it as a tool that’s ‘democratizing’ art by lowering traditional barriers to entry like ‘learning how to draw,’ ‘learning how to play an instrument,’ or ‘learning how to write a story.’” - The Verge (Archive Today)
How huge? “About 60 per cent of professional violinists and violists experience some form of playing-related musculoskeletal disorder (known as ‘PRMDs’) that prevents them from playing their best.” - Sydney Morning Herald
“Sinclair and Nexstar may be potent media players, but they would have run into serious problems if they had preempted Kimmel’s show for an extended period of time.” Also, there’s Monday Night Football. - The Atlantic
Tstisi Dangarembga, novelist and filmmaker: “We are never completely free; we have moments of freedom. Freedom is a desire. Achieving it requires us to move towards it.” - El País English
Hurray for research! “The archivist led her into a reading room and handed her a cream-coloured box. She lifted the lid, hands shaking, and opened the volume. There, professionally typed, were revised versions of the NYPL stories, with hundreds of stylistic changes.” - The Guardian (UK)
831 Books truly, deeply understands its audience (you know, the audience whose dollars fund all other publishing?). “You love holding a book that almost feels like an accessory, like a fashion piece and statement.” - NPR
“The union says more than 97 per cent of its members voted in July in favour of job action after its last offer to the employer.” Then there are some accusations of a “communications breakdown.” - Vancouver Sun
“Two Disney insiders insist the company's decision, announced Monday afternoon, to bring Kimmel back wasn't influenced by growing Disney+ boycotts, the FCC, affiliates or the open letter signed by 400 celebrities. … It was, they told TheWrap, guided by ‘what's the right thing to do.’” - TheWrap (MSN)
If their heirs or estate is lucky, there’s enough money to simply keep the studio as is. “In Europe these spaces are often accessible landmarks,” but in the U.S., they’re more likely private - and accessible to family, staff, and a very few scholars. - The New York Times
