Good morning. This week we collected 126 stories from across the arts. Here are a few highlights. Full list below.
- Cultural Tourism in Australia Becomes a Billion-Dollar Industry Cultural tourism, once almost nonexistent in Australia, has evolved into a billion-dollar industry over the past 40 years. This growth includes active participation from Indigenous communities and expansion beyond big cities. Read more in ArtsHub.
- Christopher Wheeldon Brings Same-Sex Love into Classical Ballet With a new work for the Australian Ballet, choreographer Christopher Wheeldon brings explicit same-sex love to the classical story ballet, a narrative rarely explored in this form. Read more in The Guardian.
- Museums Embrace Digital Artifacts, But Are They Ready? Museums are increasingly collecting digital artifacts such as NFTs and interactive online art, but this shift comes with challenges around preservation, authenticity, and public engagement, raising questions about how institutions archive culture in the digital age. Read more in The Art Newspaper.
- Booker Prize Longlist Features Debut Novelists The 2024 Booker Prize longlist includes several debut novelists, showcasing a range of diverse voices and literary styles. Read more in The Guardian.
- AI-Created Avatars Replace Journalists in Venezuela Amid a crackdown on dissent, Venezuelan news agency Connectas has turned to AI-generated avatars to deliver news, protecting real journalists from political retaliation – a growing role of AI in safeguarding press freedom under authoritarian regimes. Read more in The Hollywood Reporter.