Douglas McLennan
Doug is the editor of ArtsJournal
Eric Booth: How Being A Teaching Artist Works
When activating people’s innate artistry, teaching artists can guide that energy toward many goals. My analysis of employment in the field finds seven major...
Rebelling Against The Traditional Book Club
Though traditional book clubs have been a fixture of American social life for decades, some bibliophiles think they have lost the plot. These bookworms...
Remembering Robert Brustein And The Power of Authority And Insight
One didn’t read Brustein to determine which Broadway shows to buy tickets to. One read Brustein to understand a play or musical in its...
Facebook And Google Blocked Sharing News On Their Platforms In Canada. It Has Been...
While Canadian audiences are undoubtedly harmed by the blocking of journalism, for independent local news business, which the Bill aimed to protect, this new...
What 35 Years Of Data Show About How Book Awards Winners Are Chosen
Among other things, the scandal of the 1987 National Book Award emphasizes just how little we, as readers, know about how literary distinction is...
We Have To Either Sell Our Cézannes Or Close Our Doors, Says Museum
The director of the Museum Langmatt in Switzerland described the upcoming auction at Christie's of three Cézanne paintings as an "emergency measure," saying that...
Cellist Calls For Airlines To Clarify Procedures For Taking Instruments On Board
“Most of the airlines do not have a policy for musical instruments,” he said. “And when there is a policy sometimes it is not...
The Myths And Mythologies Of Misinformation (And The Damage They Do)
The internet is, it turns out, a powerful engine for the creation of mistrust and a rich source of raw materials for false beliefs....
The Line Between Science And Art Is A Mistake
We think of science as exact, objective, following a strict method, whereas art as creative and subjective, with no formal rules. But this picture...
Odesa National Museum Damaged In Russian Blast
According to a statement from Ukraine’s Interior Ministry, a missile launched by Russia caused significant damage to the Odesa Fine Arts Museum, one of...
Why Musicians Are Angry About Spotify’s New Monetization Scheme
The damage that Spotify is doing to the music ecosystem is well known. But it seems they are only getting started. Two months from...
Have Movies Gotten Too Long?
"For as long as I’ve been aware that people wrote about movies, they have been writing that they needed to be shorter." - Slate
Striking Actors Unions Respond To Studios’ “Best And Final” Offer
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers indicated in a Zoom meeting on Saturday that its current offer is the best it can...
The Power Of Swearing
These days we mostly cause offense by swearing because swearing is a behavior that causes offense. When we swear in a context in which...
Head Of Hungary’s National Museum Fired For LGBT Content In Exhibition
A controversial Hungarian law bans the "display and promotion of homosexuality" in materials accessible to children, such as books and films. The museum recently...
Want To Understand How The Online Viral Creative Economy Works? Here’s The Guy
An ardent metalhead and community college dropout who was shaped by a turbulent immigrant experience, the 29-year-old Ursus Magana has built his company around...
Poland’s Outgoing Right-Wing Government Politicized The Arts. Now What?
Jaroslaw Suchan, a former director of the Museum of Art in Lodz whose contract was not renewed by the Law and Justice government, said...
When Electricity Was Introduced, It Changed Everything
The widespread success of the new science was facilitated by a preexisting experimental culture that crossed boundaries between academic and the social realms. - Lapham's...
Why It’s Useful To Speak With Strangers
The things we think will make us feel happier – acing exams, securing a dream job, buying that dress – usually don’t, but small...
How Audiobooks Reignited My Interest In Reading
Giving myself permission to stop reading books has stopped the cycle of shame, and has allowed me to refocus my attention on what has...
Pittsburgh’s Frick Museum Postpones Islamic Art Exhibition Out Of “Sensitivity”
The planned exhibition, Treasured Ornament: 10 Centuries of Islamic Art, features ancient and modern Islamic glassware, ceramics, metalwork, painting, weaponry and more, which the Frick...
Streaming Art Auctions Have Been Drawing Millions Of Viewers Online
Auction houses are now playing to millions of viewers from all over the world, who stream the action live on social media sites including...
Why Punishing People For Unpopular Speech Is A Bad Idea
The idea that having distasteful opinions should render a person de facto unemployable has always struck me as profoundly self-defeating: Even the real jerks...
The Cost Of Entertainment Has Soared. Now Some Remorse
The cost of admissions and fees for entertainment rose faster than the cost of many staple goods last year. That has helped raise standards...
Charlotte Symphony Hits The Road With A Mobile Stage
The mobile stage will move throughout different neighborhoods that are “corridors of opportunity.” There are six under-invested areas in Charlotte, which are designated by the city...