Douglas McLennan
Doug is the editor of ArtsJournal
UK Charity Supporting St. Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre Shuts Down
The charity was set up by conductor Valery Gergiev, a high-profile friend of Vladimir Putin, with the main goal of supporting St Petersburg’s Mariinsky...
How City Downtowns Will Have To Change
While employers rethink office buildings on the micro scale, cities and regions need to grapple with how to efficiently use their office-dominated downtowns, which are their...
The Power Of Ukraine Through Music
Similar to the way patriots might brandish the flag of their country in solidarity, Ukrainians in bomb shelters and bombarded cities or citizens living...
Learning From Outside Your Own Industry (Why It Often Doesn’t Work)
Looking outside your industry for strategy improvements and breakthroughs is a good approach. The core reason why it doesn’t work more often is inertia. -...
The Things That Do Not Exist
My guess is that there are more nameless things that don’t exist than there are nameless things that do exist. - 3 Quarks Daily
The Cultural Treasures Being Destroyed In Putin’s War
Across Ukraine, scores of historic buildings, priceless artworks and public squares are being reduced to rubble by Russian rockets, missiles, bombs and gunfire. -...
Who’s Making Money On NFTs
A fortunate handful of people now have their very own rags-to-riches stories thanks to NFTs. By investing in the right project at the right time, some...
A Need For Diversity In Ballet Hair
For Black artists, hair extends beyond aesthetic or presentation. It is a reflection of the self, an unassailable marker of cultural identity and all...
Why Warsaw Is Becoming A Creative Hub
“The costs of living, creating and doing business are much lower than in Western Europe." As a result, a creative flowering has begun, with...
Inspired Performances (Versus Phoning It In)
If your contribution to a project is not absolutely essential and if you are not especially motivated, you can coast and let others carry...
How “The Godfather” Changed The Movie Business 50 Years Ago
It earned $100 million faster than any film before it. And having cost less than $7 million to make, it was so profitable that...
How Larry Gagosian Built An Artworld Empire With Russian Oligarchs
One art world source dubbed Gagosian “the official art dealer to the Russian oligarchy,” adding that “the Bond villains he consorts with are dangerous,...
Museums Protest Russia’s War, But Rich Buyers Keep Buying Russian
The art world rarely wades so publicly into political upheaval, but the war in Ukraine is striking a nerve, particularly among museums in Europe that are...
Techtopia: When Work Becomes The New Religion
The larger problem with worshipping work is that it sucks up employees’ interest and energy in any kind of civic engagement in neighborhoods, cities,...
Twelve Essential Books To Understanding Putin, Russia And Ukraine
In the two major library systems I patronize, every title on Ukraine, Russia and Putin I have sought in the last week is checked...
A Way To Save The Oscars? Cut The Cord!
Cutting the cord and streaming the Oscars is the obvious move for the Academy to get the show out of its current audience-dwindling funk....
Is Dudamel The Future Of The NY Philharmonic?
The symbolism was unavoidable. Van Zweden — who said in September that he would be leaving in 2024, opening up one of the world’s most prestigious...
What Has Happened To NPR?
Overnight, the network’s entire orientation had changed. Every segment was about race, and when it wasn’t about race, it was about gender. The stories...
Valery Gergiev Is Selling $150 Million Worth Of Properties In Italy
The properties include a villa on the Amalfi Coast, complete with Roman ruins and an Aragon tower in the garden, the Palazzo Barbarigo on...
Kyiv Orchestra Performs In City’s Central Square
The very site of the outdoor concert by the Kyiv-Classic Symphony Orchestra symbolized their defiance: the Maidan, Kyiv’s central square, the focal point of...
Montreal Symphony Cancels Performance By Young Russian Pianist Even Though He Spoke Out Against...
The decision followed a request by members of the Ukrainian community that the orchestra cancel Alexander Malofeev’s performances. Initially, the OSM declined, noting that...
Jazz Trumpeter Ron Miles, 58
Miles, a Grammy-nominated trumpeter and composer who was inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame in 2017, had recently canceled a public performance at...
The Cardiff Philharmonic Canceled A Tchaikowsky Performance. Its Reasoning Demonstrates A Moral Quandry
That list doesn’t make for a snappy headline, but it does demonstrate good sense — a quality that’s been in short supply as people...
First Encounters: Making Art For/With Babies
“Because it is the babies who train us really in what works for them and that is crucial. I can’t imagine making the work...
Starchitecture Dreaming: Their Dystopian Dreams Of Conquering Nature
As more become victims of the city’s fantasies of walling itself off from the climate crisis, what is increasingly obvious is the city’s willingness...