Douglas McLennan
Doug is the editor of ArtsJournal
San Francisco Ballet Pulls Itself Apart Over Diversity
A public Instagram account detailed dancers’ and staff members’ accounts of inequities. Amid the fallout, Executive Director Kelly Tweeddale, hired in 2019, stepped down...
A Music Conspiracy Theory: Tuning “A” To 432
I’d never encountered the 432 Hz phenomenon. Its lore has all the hallmarks of your archetypal conspiracy theories. No one version dominates, but most...
How California’s Gig-Economy Law Changed LA Theatre (Perhaps Forever?)
According to a dozen LA-area artistic directors interviewed, the annual budget of small arts organisations has spiked by an average 40%, disproportionately punishing companies...
Research: Stress Might Have Gotten A Bum Rap
A growing body of research suggests that it is our beliefs about our feelings, as much as the feelings themselves, that determine their effects...
Record Store Day Was Supposed To Help Small Stores. It’s Backfiring
This year, RSD offers 411 new releases, a fact that should leave those in the physical music business seething. Thanks to Brexit and the...
Canadian Minister Of Culture Says Streaming Companies Need To Step Up Support Of Canadian...
In a debate Wednesday in the House of Commons about a bill to regulate online streaming, Rodriguez said updating the broadcasting law is long...
Ever Wanted To Live Inside DisneyLand? Here’s Your Chance…
Disney Imagineers will help design these sub-developments, and this first effort “will welcome homeowners of all ages and will include at least one section...
How Is It That Dance Takes Over The Body And The Mind?
History and culture offer a treasure trove of attempts to interpret dance’s unique power over our bodies and minds. - LitHub
How The Typewriter Imposed Changes On Chinese
Chinese scholars and activists developed new means of analysing and ordering the written language to equip it for, among other things, literacy campaigns, library...
What The Post-Plague Years In Medieval Europe Can Teach Us About Post-COVID
As we move toward a new, post-pandemic era, the tensions in the labor market of the 14th century may have something to teach us...
Bookstore Sales Up 28 Percent In 2021
The rebound was not quite enough to bring 2021 bookstore sales back to 2019 levels, falling 1% below 2019 sales of $9.13 billion. -...
Facebook… Er, Meta… Is Revamping Its Art Program
Open Arts was initially founded as a residency program at Facebook. Artists were commissioned to create work along with employees on site at the...
New Midwest Powerhouse? Iowa Public Radio To Take Over Licenses Of Six University Stations
IPR began managing broadcast operations at the stations in 2007 and now the Board of Regents of the universities will decide on a proposal...
Tate Britain Will Keep Blatantly Offensive Wall Painting, But Recontextualize It
Rex Whistler's wall painting includes depictions of black slaves on a leash and caricatures of Chinese figures. The room will no longer be used...
These Women Artists Weren’t “Forgotten.” They Were Erased
Unfortunately, much of the language that surrounds their retroactive inclusion — through museum retrospectives, new biographies, and increasing market interest — makes it seem...
Coming: A Digital Copy Of Your Brain
In 2016, Bill Ruh, then-CEO of GE Digital, predicted that “we will have a digital twin at birth, and it will take data off of the...
Our Evolving Understanding Of Stonehenge
Since 2001, there have been at least ten major archeological projects at or around Stonehenge, along with many smaller ones; many have involved techniques...
Viacom and CBS Change Name to Paramount
CBS is a foundational name in broadcasting — the Columbia Broadcasting System launch dates back to 1927 and the early days of commercial radio. The...
Melbourne Clubs, Musicians, Warn They’re Dying Under COVID Restrictions
“We used to play shows in Sydney, we can’t really get them much any more. There are no venues to play at. It’s a...
What Jonathan Larson Taught Me About My Relationship With Theatre
Every time I encounter his work, it forces me to confront head-on the most futile labor that defines my occupation: finding language to describe...
“Fixing” Old Musicals To Fit Today’s Social Sensibilities?
Jed Perl’s “Authority and Freedom: A Defense of the Arts” is useful in showing the problems with thinking of social justice as inherent to...
Why Do The Oscars Organizers Seem Determined To Self-Sabotage?
The Academy is coming off as “the absolute most insecure girl at the party.” Babe, you’re the Oscars. You should be the most confident person...
The Community Mythologies We Convince Ourselves Of
Whereas historians aim to create a relatively objective account of the past using rigorous professional standards of what counts as evidence, when members of...
America To Get Its Own Song Competition Based On The Long-running Eurovision Model
The extravaganza, prosaically titled American Song Contest, will see musicians from all 50 states, five US territories and Washington DC compete against each other,...
Should The Kennedy Center Be Creating More New Work?
The Kennedy Center’s mission statement says that one of its three pillars is “presenting, producing, and curating world-class art.” In theater, it’s relying these days...