The garden, which was announced during Mr. Trump’s first term, will feature life-size renderings of “250 great individuals from America’s past who have contributed to our cultural, scientific and political heritage,” according to a news release. - The New York Times
“After all, the Kennedy Center is more than a venue, it’s a ‘living monument’ — a place where the story of American culture plays out onstage. Whatever happens at the Kennedy Center becomes part of the history it exists to preserve.” - The Washington Post (MSN)
While a few programs (among them the Master of Music in historical performance and, since last year, the acting MFA) are already tuition-free, the goal is to extend that policy to the entire school. $180 million of the $550 million goal has been pledged so far. - The New York Times
Three of the largest arts funders in the United States—the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Doris Duke Foundation, and the Ford Foundation—stopped supporting many components of the arts infrastructure in New York that they helped create. - The New Yorker
Renegotiating the city’s relationship with cars has the power to rejuvenate New York. In the 20th century, automobiles defined modernity. Gridlock represented an excess of urban energy. Today, private cars that go wherever, whenever, are signs of stagnation and retreat. - Curbed
President Trump has announced that The Kennedy Center will play host to an official celebration of his first 100 days in office, with tickets to the event ranging between $175 and $1,000 in price. - The Violin Channel
“The two bond measures before voters in Frisco … are crucial in the city’s bid to establish a large-scale performance hall. ... Debate over the arts center, billed as a regional draw that will host Broadway-caliber stage productions, has dominated candidate forums for the city council.” - The Dallas Morning News (MSN)
“The Museum … is not a place that traffics in improper ideology. It …recognizes that America has been suffused with improper ideologies for most of its history: ideologies that ignore the centrality of slavery to the nation … (and) tell us the Civil War was simply about states’ rights.” - The Atlantic (MSN)
“Visitors who download a QR code at least three days in advance will pay €5 — the same amount charged last year throughout the pilot program. But those who make last-minute plans pay double.” The number of days this charge is in effect is up from 29 last year to 54 for 2025. - AP
No matter how tactful, restrained and oblique the criticism, the Communist party still detests it. A lot of content is deleted, and accounts on Ordinary Fascist’s watchlist frequently disappear for no apparent reason. These people are banned from posting, their accounts are shut, and some of the individuals behind them are even arrested. - The Guardian
“We have to resist and persevere,” Barclay said in a video interview. “Attempts to undermine the significance of our culture are nothing new to us. We will continue to tell our stories.” - The New York Times
Artists and arts organizations have a long legacy of persistence and strategic organizing during periods of political and economic upheaval. - The Conversation
NAAE Chair Dr John Nicholas Saunders said the sector was in crisis after years of cuts to arts education pathways and growing barriers to access. - Limelight
What does it mean for something to be improper if the administration’s understanding of what is acceptable excludes anything that might make white Americans feel bad? - The Atlantic
Four Democratic members of the House committee overseeing the institution wrote, “we now stand at the brink of seeing the Smithsonian at its worst: shaped solely by the views and ideology of one individual.” Trump’s executive order about the Smithsonian gives Vance the power to decide what material should be removed. - ARTnews
