Douglas McLennan
Doug is the editor of ArtsJournal
Seattle’s Iconic Hugo House In Danger Of Closing
What happens next with Hugo House won’t just impact Seattle’s literary ecosystem but could be a blueprint, or cautionary tale, for the scores of...
James Gaffigan On The Need For A Different Programming Philosophy For Orchestras
I think the future is versatility—a mixtape. I really believe that if a piece is put next to the right piece, even if it’s Schubert and...
The Top 25 Most-Viewed Wikipedia Articles of 2023
Celebrity deaths were top of mind, as they are most years on Wikipedia. The list of notable deaths was the second most viewed page....
Why Community Is More Important Than Ever
Being alone is bad for you—and it’s not all about close family and friends. “Talking to strangers,” says Robert Waldinger, who leads the longest-running...
Worry That Funding For The BBC Threatens Political Independence
There is concern that the settlement announced by culture secretary Frazer kicks the door open to annual funding deals, potentially leaving the BBC more...
How Drag Queens Are Fighting Performance Bans In Texas
Earlier this year, Brigitte Bandit became one of five plaintiffs in a lawsuit that challenged Texas Senate Bill 12, which criminalized some drag performances...
What Shall We Call The Age In Which We’re Living?
During the past weeks, I’ve been casting about to see what ideas are already out there. Suggestions I’ve found include the Terrible Twenties, the...
Defining Modern For A Post-Modern World
“Modern” is certainly a fluid term, and to flatly state that any one era permanently defines the term is, I suppose, arrogant. But Paris...
Monet, Art Brands And Money
The art market is international and barely regulated; its products are easily transportable, squirrelled away in freeports or swiftly turned into cash. Grifters, fakers...
In The Age Of AI, New Articles Will Disappear
The articles journalists write will become source material to be remixed and delivered in hyper-personalized presentations. (One easy example is that most people likely...
A Greatly Diminished ArtForum Magazine Hits Newsstands After Boycott
At least six members of the editorial team resigned and nearly 600 writers signed letters boycotting the magazine and its sister publications like ARTnews and Art in America. -...
A New Harlem Renaissance
Even with a general climate of crisis in the theatre industry at large, Harlem organizations are expanding in both literal and metaphorical ways: embarking...
Art Basel — Where The Super-Rich Buy Art
I’d understood that rich people could buy lots of art, but I hadn’t realized until this moment that my definitions of rich and lots were off by many...
How Norman Lear Changed TV
If anyone knew how to watch, it was Lear. His great appreciation for the work of making television reflected his commitment to the less glamorous...
How Martha Graham Redefined Dance
Martha understood that movement was melody. Her insistence that she was creating art rather than a diversion often bewildered audiences, who wanted to be...
The Point Of Decorating Buildings
What is the function of all that bric-a-brac? they would ask. Why all the fuss when a flush door with a thin steel frame...
New Yorker Drops Andy Borowitz
Borowitz wrote on Facebook that “because of financial difficulties, The New Yorker has been forced to cut costs. As a result, it has decided...
BIS Recordings Is 50 Years Old. Here’s the Key To Its Success
'There have been times when we have stopped a recording if an artist isn’t prepared' von Bahr's exacting standards have built a 2,750-strong catalogue...
How A Brussels Theatre Remains Relevant To Its City
“We represent the city – we are a city theatre. We want to be a crossroads where people can meet and share emotions and...
Gaza’s Cultural Institutions Are Being Destroyed By Israel
Amid all the destruction, residents have barely had the opportunity to grapple with the loss of the densely populated enclave’s few cultural institutions that...
Seattle Area Passes Tax Increase To Add $100 Million Annual Funding For The Arts
Nearly two decades in the making and hailed as a game changer, the program and its steady stream of funds will be transformative for...
Theatre’s Year Of Struggle
Large and small venues alike were shrinking before our very eyes. Concern grew that the fabulous invalid, as the theater has long been dubbed,...
Staff Layoffs At Guggenheim Museum
When the Guggenheim raised the price for adult admissions to $30 from $25 over the summer, it cited a lack of visitors and declining membership...
What Happens When A Poor State Disinvests In Its Public Universities
The destruction of dozens of majors and careers at West Virginia University, which serves many working- and middle-class students, raises a fundamental question in...
Adam Shankman Will Be Creative Director At New DanceOne Company
Director and choreographer Adam Shankman has been named chief creative officer of DanceOne, a new brand from TZP Group. DanceOne will serve as the world’s largest dance...