Douglas McLennan
Doug is the editor of ArtsJournal
Groundbreaking Critic Robert Farris Thompson, 88
He spoke and wrote of African civilizations as infinitely varied ethical, philosophical and aesthetic systems. To grasp their complexity and sophistication, he said, required...
What To See When Geffen Hall Reopens Two Years Early In 2022
Rather than face the unenviable task of enticing post-pandemic audiences to a substandard hall, Lincoln Center and the Philharmonic will unveil an eagerly awaited,...
Peloton Stock Plunges After “Sex in the City” Episode Runs
Shares of Peloton, the fitness equipment company, fell 11.3% Thursday — tumbling to a 19-month low — after a key character in HBO Max’s “Sex...
France Okays Modernization Of The Interior Of Notre Dame
The plan is "to bring a more modern look to Notre-Dame before its planned reopening in 2024, including the installation of contemporary artworks and...
How The Conversations Between Books Has Been Lost
The culture that connected people of my generation was popular television and music. I noticed when I traveled that bookstores were as crammed with...
Lifestyle Over Learning? Today’s Colleges Compete At The Wrong Things
In a higher education system financed mostly by tuition dollars, the customer is king. Colleges and universities have become full-service lifestyle stations, competing for...
A Crisis Of Copyright For Canada’s Education Publishers
Not only is the Canadian copyright crisis now called “the Canadian flu” in international book publishing circles but—for those who love silver linings—it’s believed...
At Last: Met Museum Removes Sackler Name From Its Building
The decision, which came after more than a yearlong review by the museum, was reportedly mutual and made “in order to allow the Met to...
And Now Some Orchestra Business Numbers:
For the last 12 months (November 2020-October 2021), orchestra ticket revenue is down 67%. This is on par with results for the larger performing...
Evidence Vikings Landed In North America Nearly 500 Years Before Columbus
Scientists have known for many years that Vikings — a name given to the Norse by the English they raided — built a village...
Could This Show Replace The Golden Globes?
The Critics Choice Awards has long been something of an also-ran. The 2020 show drew just 1.2 million viewers, about half the audience of...
How Our Talent For Charades Facilitated Spoken Language
If words are arbitrary and purely a matter of convention, then how did they come to be established in the first place? In practical...
Detroit Symphony Picks New Chief Exec
Erik Ronmark has spent virtually his entire career with the DSO, having started as a part-time assistant in the music library in 2005. He was...
Why Are DeepFakes So Morally Unsettling?
Deepfakes, for better or worse, are here to stay: apps that make use of this technology are widely available, and will only become more...
Learning Isn’t Enough: Why Robots Will Need Genetic Codes
“I would love to have a robot load up dishes into my dishwasher, and I’d love to have a robot clean my house,” says...
New Report: Who Leads The World’s Ballet Companies
Of 179 artistic directors of major ballet companies, 59 are women (33%), while 119 are men (66%), and 1 is gender expansive (0.6%). Similarly,...
The Power Of A Great Hollywood Actor
The effect that actors have — the source of their power and fascination — is more than just subjective. It’s interpersonal. Watching them act,...
Hollywood’s Progress In Diversity Hits A Speed Bump
“Diversity” may have become an even more popular buzzword in show business circles since the summer of 2020, but the goal of attaining full...
The First Piece Of Music Created By An AI Was In 1956
Decades before today’s artificial intelligence pop stars, Auto-Tune and deepfake compositions was Lejaren Hiller’s piece, described by the New York Times in his 1994 obituary as...
Transformative Director Of NYC’s City Center Steps Down After 18 Years
During her tenure, Arlene Shuler has transformed City Center from a mostly rental space for dance companies to a producing house that commissions and...
Research: Why Sustainable Careers In The Arts Are So Difficult
In the interviews taken as part of my research, I repeatedly found financial constraints underpin three problems causing career unsustainability in the arts. -...
Brooklyn Museum Gets A New President/COO
Trueblood, who starts early next year, previously served as chief of staff at the American Civil Liberties Union and as director of White House...
Welcome To Selfie Wrld – Unique Pix That Aren’t
Selfie Wrld is a chain with 30 franchises from Anchorage to Tampa. Because the props encourage certain poses, your selfies might be identical to...
How Translating Language Opens A Writer’s Mind
In translating, you pose yourself a question—or it is posed to you by the text; you have no satisfactory answer, though you put something...
San Jose Opera Picks A New General Director
Shawna Lucey has some 15 years of opera and theater experience, having worked at such companies as Santa Fe Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Gran...
