Good morning: One of the biggest changes in the past 20 years in culture has been the evolution of the relationships between artists and audiences. Fan culture has more power than ever, and with some pop culture franchises, fans are not shy about rewarding or shaming creators with each new project. So where's the balance in who owns artistic...
If you've read ArtsJournal for very long, you know I have a fascination with stories that explore how creativity works. This story from the magazine Psyche reports on a study that focused on the kinds of details people notice in the things around them. We all of us, of course, take in way more information than we can process....
Good morning: Here are today's highlights:
Man Smashes Ai Weiwei Art at Rome Show OpeningA visitor at Ai Weiwei’s Rome exhibition vandalized one of the artist’s sculptures during the opening, sparking widespread debate about art vandalism. CCTV footage of the incident was later shared on Ai Weiwei's Instagram, stirring further discussions on social media. Read more on Reuters.
The Huntington Botanical...
Good morning. How can you believe anything anymore? AI has taken away the "proof" of a video. And seeing (or hearing) is definitely not believing anymore. Sociologists call it "deep doubt," and being unable to truly believe in anything is destabilizing, not just personally, but for the wider culture. Ars Technica's Benj Edwards explores the phenomenon. Meanwhile, here are...
It was a busy week -- Universal Music Group said it was all in on streaming as the future, but admitted the traditional model doesn't pencil out. The New York Philharmonic musicians get a big raise. Hollywood box office is in meltdown. And the Argentine tango is enjoying some surprising reinvention. Here are a few more highlights from the...
Good morning: Why is there a story about antitrust and attempts to break up Big Tech companies in AJ today? Because these leviathans have gotten so big and so powerful that they determine what culture gets seen and shared and by whom. And they have far too much power.
First Female Director Appointed at the Louvre in 230 Years...
Good Morning: No music company is as all-in on streaming as is Universal Music Group, the world's largest music producer. So the company's state-of-the-union event this week is worth paying some attention. We have two stories reporting on this today. The first affirms the company's belief in streaming. The second - more interesting - is an admission that...
Good morning: How do you measure value? Self-worth? Thea Lim wrestles with the tensions between internal value for an artist and external valuation, now measured in any number of ways by likes, Tweets, and making the right lists. It makes for a schizophrenic existence as an artist. Well worth the read. Here are the rest of today's highlights:
The...
Good morning: More and more of the world's iconic experiences have been overrun by crowds. In Barcelona there have been anti-tourist demonstrations. Venice has imposed a tourist tax. Florence's Uffizi has been one of those experiences degraded by crowds. But the museum's new director thinks he has a solution... Here are today's highlights:
University of the Arts in Philadelphia Files...
Good morning! Here are the AJ highlights for today. But first, two more stories to draw your attention to about the psychology of creativity. The first, from Harvard Business Review stresses the importance of play, the need to let your attention wander and explore. The second, from Psychology Today, explores the psychological reasons famous composers have dry spells. Turns...
Good morning: Here are today's highlights.
Where Will Sundance End Up? The Sundance Film Festival may be relocating, with Boulder, Cincinnati, and Salt Lake City emerging as the finalists for its new home. This decision could reshape the festival's future and the local economies of these cities. Read more in Seattle Times.
Documentary Filmmakers Struggle with AI Replacing Historical Footage Filmmakers...
Good morning. This week we collected 126 stories from across the arts. Here are a few highlights. Full list below.
Cultural Tourism in Australia Becomes a Billion-Dollar Industry Cultural tourism, once almost nonexistent in Australia, has evolved into a billion-dollar industry over the past 40 years. This growth includes active participation from Indigenous communities and expansion beyond big cities. Read...
Good morning: Some weeks events push along swarms of stories that illuminate long term trends. This week it's the collapsing of traditional TV. Long lucrative late-night talk shows are failing. The satellite TV business is dying and bleeding subscribers. And a fascinating story from Tech Hive explains how traditional TV providers have been cannibalizing their own business in a...
Good morning: Over the past week we've collected several stories about the ruling against the Internet Archive over fair use in providing books to public libraries and why this is a very significant ruling. Today's piece from MIT Technology Review is perhaps the best explainer for what it means for the economics of libraries. Essentially it will drastically reduce...
Good morning. One ongoing theme of the past couple of years is the decline of humanities studies in higher ed. But it turns out, from a historical perspective, the humanities are tough to kill. Here are our morning highlights:
Self Therapy Is Killing the Memoir: Memoirs have become formulaic, with authors structuring their narratives around therapeutic breakthroughs rather than creative...
