Douglas McLennan
Doug is the editor of ArtsJournal
New Deal: Washington Post As Idea Factory For Hollywood
Two months since the announcement of a “strategic partnership”—in which Imagine will “create scripted and non-scripted film and television properties derived from The Post’s vast archives, current...
Are We Crippled By Mythologies Of “Progress”?
We see others as crippled by ignorance and cowed by superstition; we don't see the extent to which we are, in our own ways,...
Don’t Diss Pessimism. It’s Useful
Given that the world we live in forces us to deal with pandemics, economic problems, wars and climate change it can seem overwhelming that...
My Friend Was A Brilliant Dancer. And Then He Killed Himself
After our time training together in the '70s, Richard went on to join two of the finest ballet companies in the world at the...
San Francisco Art Market Struggles
The Gagosian Gallery closed last year, and Pace will close its Palo Alto gallery next month. Working artists have had to leave their Bay...
The Politics Of Book Banning (Basically, We’re All Against It)
Americans on both sides of the political aisle were opposed to banning books, although it also found stark differences when it came to how...
The Cultural Politics Of Counting People
In theory, counting the population seems so basic, so neutral: a math problem, albeit “a serious slog” of one. But the numerical is political,...
Edmonton Nixes Buffalo Sculpture After 12 Years Debate Over History
“Perhaps the city is not ready for a real dialogue about its colonial past and the condition of coloniality that continues to mark the...
Eco-Writing Gets Real
“We” didn’t cause climate disruption; ExxonMobil did. In these types of, albeit nonfictional, narratives, the push is precisely to rescue the “figure-ground” narrative form...
The Latest Version Of Artworld Fame In NY’s Downtown
These niche-famous people are the types who are living out the latest chapter in what it means to be in this particular corner of...
Documenting Great Music Careers — The Age Of Legacy Recordings
That word “historic” is interesting. You may find that you heard these performances, as they happened. Or reviewed them. Or played them. Which may...
Alan Ayckbourn And His 87 Plays
As one of the UK’s most commercially successful theatre-makers, Ayckbourn might seem an odd figure to focus on. He is not cutting-edge; he is...
The Dismantling Of HBO: Make As Much Money As Possible
David Zaslav’s plan is to focus on making as much money as cheaply as possible. When he joined Discovery in 2006, it was a...
What Is The Internet Hiding From Us?
Does its very immensity undermine its utility as a source of information? How often is it burying valuable data under lots of junk? Say...
What Magic Is This? Disney Making More Money Off Fewer Theme Park Visitors
Even as the company limits the number of visitors and keeps attendance at its U.S. theme parks below prepandemic levels, they are generating record sales...
Another Theatre Closes In San Francisco
The Exit Theatre — the stalwart Tenderloin venue with three small theaters and a cafe, home of the San Francisco Fringe Festival — is...
Microsoft Co-Founder’s Billion-Dollar Art Collection To Go To Auction
The trove of blue-chip works spanning 500 years collected by Paul Allen by artists such as Jasper Johns and Paul Cézanne, will go under...
UNESCO Warns That Hagia Sofia Is Endangered
Originally constructed as a church, the Turkish government converted the structure to a mosque in 2020 in a highly controversial decision. In the years...
Data: When People Pay Attention To Ads
Findings from the research conducted across Yahoo’s digital properties showed that 53% of all ad formats studied met viewability standards, but achieved less than...
Canadian Film Awards Makes Acting Categories Gender-Neutral
Instead of four film categories that each feature five nominees for best lead actor or actress and best supporting actor or actress, two film...
Arts Funding That’s Self-Sustainable?
In essence, ArtsPay’s goal is to create a sustainable funding source for the arts, through the arts. - ArtsHub
The Decisions We Make Now Have Never Had Such Consequence
From now on, what we think as a planet is what our children get as a planet. However crucial policy and diplomacy may be, global...
A Librarian Speaks Out About “Scary” Challenges To Books
Many librarians, rightly so, are incredibly fearful for their personal safety, for their family’s safety, for their job security. They don’t feel at liberty...
A History Of Consequential Editing Errors
Literature’s history is a history of mistakes, errors, misapprehensions, simple typos. It’s the shadow narrative of expression—how we fail because of sloppiness, or ignorance,...
Study: Yes, You Can “Inoculate” People From Falling For Misinformation
In our new study we designed and tested five short videos that “prebunk” viewers, in order to inoculate them from the deceptive and manipulative techniques often...
