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Book Bans Are Hurting Indigenous Authors And Books, And Everyone Else Too

“Books that are getting published today are not just for Native kids. They're important to Native kids because they affirm our existence as Native people in the present day. But they're also for non-Native kids, because those kids are being shaped by the information in the book.” - NPR

Cal Shakes, Not Yet Successful At Its Emergency Fundraiser, Extends Over The Weekend

The company is really hoping to make enough money to produce As You Like It in September. "The 50th anniversary performance ... is supposed to mark its return to self-produced Shakespeare after operating exclusively as a rental house for other companies.” - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)

Buffalo, Desperate For Money, Decides To Add Taxes To Music And Arts Tickets

Surprised "venues received letters saying that going forward the city would require a paid license for every event that 'falls into the category of an Amusement.” … These events ‘include but are not limited to lectures, exhibitions, theatre, sports, comedy, music and other shows that charge a fee.’” - Investigative Post

Orchestras With Outdoor Summer Home Bases See Revenue Boosts

But the Pittsburgh Symphony doesn’t have an outdoor venue. Could that change - and could it help the symphony survive? - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Founder Of Collapsed American National Ballet Convicted Of Shooting Her Ex-Husband

Ashley Benefield was acquitted of second-degree murder but convicted of manslaughter in the 2020 death of her ex-husband in Florida. The Benefields were the founders of the highly-publicized American National Ballet, which, in 2017, fell apart for lack of funding just as it was about to start rehearsals. - The Washington Post (MSN)

No, The Olympics Opening Ceremony Did Not Refer To Leonardo’s The Last Supper

“A depiction of Greek gods partying atop Mount Olympus at the Olympics opening ceremony spurred conflicting public reactions as primarily conservative critics erroneously claimed that the performance parodied Leonardo da Vinci’s famous fresco The Last Supper (1495–98) and, by extension, mocked Christian beliefs." - Hyperallergic

Ukraine’s Badass Art Rescuers

"With the help of a motley group of intrepid friends, (Leonid) Marushchak has achieved something quite extraordinary. He has organised the evacuation of dozens of museums across Ukraine’s frontline – packing, recording, logging and counting each item and sending them to secret, secure locations away from the combat zone." - The Guardian

Hollywood Actors May Have Some Protection From AI, But What About Editors And Artists?

Editors are, rightfully, worried - and they’re unhappy with their union, which they believe sold them out on AI - perhaps out of necessity. One member: “If a 70,000-member union like IATSE can’t protect workers, what does it mean for everybody else? … For society going forward?” - The New York Times

Lewis Lapham’s Secret For Great Editing? “Steal”

"Many of Lapham’s innovations at Harper’s and LQ were elegant systems of thievery. (Copyright holders were always paid for the republication of their poetry or prose.) The Harper’s Index and Readings Section and every issue of Lapham’s Quarterly were exercises in the arts of collage and anthology." - The Washington Post (MSN)

John Eliot Gardiner Is Completely Repentant — Isn’t He?

"I was very dehydrated. … I didn’t strike him too hard. I did nonetheless cuff or biff a young singer. … There is no excuse. Provocation yes, but not an excuse. … There has to be a degree of forgiveness and tolerance." Not entirely convinced? Neither is the interviewer. - Financial Times

After 25 Years, Mass MoCA Is A Great Museum. But Has It Been Great For The Old Factory Town It’s In?

"One 2017 study put its annual lift to Berkshire County at just more than $50 million. But the numbers tell a less convincing story when it comes to the museum’s economic impact on the people of North Adams." - The Boston Globe (MSN)

A High-End Jeweler Has Become A Major Worldwide Supporter Of Contemporary Dance

Van Cleef & Arpels has sponsored a months-long festival called Dance Reflections in London, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, New York, and, this year, Kyoto. And it supports residencies, revivals, new productions and touring through a network of partnerships with theaters, festivals and dance companies in 16 countries so far. - The New York Times

The University Of Iowa Paves A Path For Restitution With Benin Bronzes

Representatives from the U of I's Stanley Museum of Art met with the ceremonial leader of the Edo people "and officials of the Benin Royal Court earlier this month to officially restitute two artworks that have been in its collection since 1986 and 2001.” - Hyperallergic

Why Local Indie Bookstores Might Never Have Hillbilly Elegy In Stock

And it's not because indie bookstores hate Republicans. - LitHub

Did The New York Times Books People Forget The Existence Of An Entire Continent?

Sure seems like it. But “the meteoric rise of African publishing is one of the most remarkable stories of the last 25 years. If you want to capture how the 21st century has reinvented what it means to read, write, and publish, go to African literature.” - LitHub

Jeremy O. Harris Says He’s A “Theater Supremacist,” But …

"… more fitting might be a theater proselytizer. ... In his eyes, theater should be as much a part of the American story as music is: 'Music has figured out a way to really brand itself as necessary, because people can see the tangible links to profit.'" - The Washington Post

What’s The Real Innovation Of The Paris Olympics? Temporary, Recyclable Venues

"Erector-set arenas have sprung up like crystals in the city’s traffic circles and parks, often with Parisian landmarks as backdrops. There are temporary pools, temporary television studios, and temporary bleachers to watch the swimming events in the Seine, where there is a temporary floating halfpipe." - Slate

Some Old Books Can Be Literally, Physically Toxic. Some Collectors Think That’s Exciting.

The pigments used in bookbinding cloth in the 19th century gave book covers some vibrant colors — hues attained with lead (blue), chromium (yellow), mercury (red), and, most poisonous of all, arsenic (green), which flakes off onto your hands. And yes, this attracts some purchasers. - The Washington Post (MSN)

Alleged Victim At Center of New York Philharmonic Rape Scandal Reveals New Details

Cara Kizer, the horn player who was denied tenure after reporting an alleged rape by associate principal trumpet Matthew Muckey, says now-former CEO Gary Ginstling was the only orchestra executive ever to reach out to her since the 2010 incident. And there's a chance she could return to the Philharmonic. - Vulture (MSN)

John Eliot Gardiner Fired By The Board Of The Choir And Orchestra He Founded

While the conductor issued a subsequent statement maintaining that he had resigned, the announcement by the board said it had "made the decision that Sir John Eliot Gardiner, founder of the Monteverdi Choir, the English Baroque Soloists and the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, will not be returning to the organisation." - The Guardian
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