Douglas McLennan
Doug is the editor of ArtsJournal
We’ve Reduced Communication To Stories (And That’s A Problem)
There is a growing trend in American culture of what the literary theorist Peter Brooks calls “storification.” We’ve relied too heavily on storytelling conventions...
The Vietnam Memorial Changed The Way We Think About Monuments. Subsequent Memorials Didn’t Follow
It was the most consequential monument of the 20th century, and it reinvigorated the making of monuments and memorials in Washington. And yet, despite...
Inside The Museum Of Broadway
“Through the history on the timeline, we have tried to show the idea of Broadway’s consciousness and American consciousness. The issues are all there,...
Was Classical Music’s Racial Awakening A Mirage?
Performing arts spaces must be saturated with music by diverse composers and performers, but we cannot do this in a performative way. - I Care...
Joan Didion’s Estate Auction (Sunglasses for $27,000?)
Among the 224 items up for grabs, both the photograph (a 1968 portrait of Didion by Julian Wasser) and the table (an oak desk...
Analyzing How Visitors See Cultural Heritage Sites Through Their Social Media Posts
Tourists have often registered their experience by posting reviews, photographs, and comments on social media. Such data offer an unprecedented, though particular, view of...
Qatar’s Feast Of New Architecture Awaits The World Cup
Since winning the bid to host the World Cup in 2010, the Gulf state has focused on transforming itself into "a beacon of art and...
This Year’s Grammy Nominees
The 65th GRAMMY Awards, will air live on Sunday, Feb. 5, from Los Angeles' Crypto.com Arena. - Grammy.com
Report: Younger Americans Are Listening To Less Music, More Podcasts
While the share of Americans listening to spoken word audio increased across all age groups, it increased the most for those ages 13 to...
Art Basel Miami Ramps Up The Security
Art Basel Miami is the annual neon orgy of high-octane contemporary art, endless wealth, and celebrity bacchanalia where the art world’s most prominent high...
As It Turns 100, More Need For The BBC Than Ever
Is this the beginning of the end for BBC radio? The history of the medium provides some answers about the role radio still plays...
How AI Is Being Used In Creative Work
AI-generated content can be of higher quality than content created by humans, due to the fact that AI models are able to learn from...
Being A Writer Of Books In A Shrinking Market
Most books don’t succeed either in terms of sales or critical unanimity. Most writers don’t earn a living wage from their writing. Tenure-track appointments...
Can We Be Done With The Idea Of Longtermism?
Longtermism is a technocratic dream that purports to give some of the wealthiest people in the world the ability to plan the far future...
Historian Picked To Lead Courtauld Institute
Curator and art historian Mark Hallett has been named as the next director of London’s Courtauld of Institute Art. He will succeed Deborah Swallow,...
The New Public Art Of Newark Airport
“The airport is a theater,” the artist said. “It’s like a soapbox, a place where you can reach the whole world.” - The New...
Russian Troops Looted Kherson Museum Before Fleeing
Russian soldiers looted nearly 15,000 objects from the Oleksiy Shovkunenko Kherson Art Museum and other cultural venues in the region two weeks ago. - Artnet
UK Arts Funding Cuts Will Hurt Most Those They’re Supposed To Help
It’s pure vandalism to withdraw funding from institutions that are nurturing new talent. People who think that the arts are for the elite alone...
How Teaching Math Got Caught In The Culture Wars
"I’d argue that the spectre haunting today’s discord over math education is a growing suspicion of the equity-based movement of educators who, as in...
US Patent Office: No, Mariah Carey Can’t Trademark “Queen Of Christmas”
While Carey might’ve filed a petition to be the one and only “Queen of Christmas,” that royal title will remain free for anyone to claim this...
The “Velveteen Rabbit” As A Philosophy
First published in book form in 1922 by a little-known novelist named Margery Williams Bianco, it has now been in print for a century,...
Police Thwart Glue Vandals At Oslo Museum
The painting was not harmed, although some glue residue was left on the protective glass. The room was then emptied and closed to the...
Vandals Claiming To Be “Climate Activists” Throw Maple Syrup On Painting At Vancouver Art...
Police said no arrests have been made, but officers are investigating the incident. - CBC
Report: Numbers Quantifying Declines In Arts Attendance In 2020-21
Relative to pre-pandemic times, the 2021-22 season saw a 14 percent decline in the amount of seats sold, a 17 percent reduction in paid...
Conductor David Robertson Returns To Composing
My composition chops were extremely rusty and needed buckets of WD-40 put on them. What was interesting is how once you get started, you...
