Stories

Kentucky Gives Louisville Orchestra $3.2 Million For Statewide Touring

“The Louisville Orchestra has received a $3.2 million from the Kentucky General Assembly to continue its statewide In Harmony Tour through 2028. (The tour is) a music education and performance program that has brought live music to more than 57,000 people across 50 counties in the Commonwealth.” - Louisville Courier Journal (MSN)

The End Of The Internet As We Know It

Now, thanks to new A.I. tools, anyone can write code. Soon, bad actors could use those same tools to find out what’s wrong with code. The détente is over. - The New York Times

NPR Announced Transformative Philanthropic Support

NPR today announced it has received philanthropic gifts totaling more than $110 million — including the largest by a living donor in NPR's history — as a strategic investment in its future. - Editor & Publisher

DePaul University, Strapped For Cash, Closes Historic Theater In Downtown Chicago

It’s unclear what will happen to the 116-year-old, 1,400-seat Merle Reskin Theatre. It has landmark status, however, and won’t be demolished. - Chicago Sun-Times

Spotify Partners With Local Music Venues

Under the partnership, Spotify will boost visibility for independent venues through existing features including venue pages and its Live Events Feed throughout 2026. The platform will also display NIVA’s Certified Live Independent seal on venue pages for participating spaces. - Music Business Worldwide

An Autistic Man Wrote A Bestselling Book. Didn’t He?

"It is mysterious and confounding to see a severely autistic nonspeaker perform acts of scholarship and fiction writing if you don’t presume intelligence in a disabled person. I have been using the same green board since I was in middle school and I find the letters and colors very calming." - The Atlantic

Why Should We Indulge In Art In Difficult Times?

At a time of great suffering and upheaval, is it right to engage with art? Or are we using it as a way of dodging the moral realities of the world? - ArtsHub

One More Bay Area Theater Company Closes Up Shop

“Central Works, which has been making new plays in Berkeley for 36 years, plans to close at the end of its 2026 season with the retirement of co-directors Gary Graves and Jan Zvaifler.” They tried to find successors, but nobody wanted to work that hard for that little money. - San Francisco Chronicle (Yahoo!)

San Diego Mayor’s Proposed Budget Cuts Arts Funding By 85%

“The proposed budget (reduces arts spending) from $13.8 million to just about $2 million, eliminating all funds under the city’s two grant-making arms. … The remaining $2 million will essentially keep open the city’s Cultural Affairs Department, whose staff oversee the public art program and grant-making process.” - The San Diego Union-Tribune (MSN)

Former Manager Of Fresno Arts Council Confesses To Embezzling $1.8 Million

Suliana Caldwell will plead guilty to one count of wire fraud and pay restitution. She admitted to making repeated unauthorized transfers of city taxpayer money intended for arts funding to her personal PayPal and bank accounts and to falsifying financial documents to hide her theft. - Fresnoland

BBC Announces Mass Layoffs

“The BBC said Wednesday that it plans to cut up to 2,000 jobs to save 10% of its annual budget — £500 million ($677 million) — over the next two years. … The (broadcaster) said earlier this year that it faced ‘substantial financial pressures’ and wanted to cut a tenth of its budget by 2029.” - AP

Entire Teams Are Being Eliminated In Disney’s Mass Layoffs

Among those let go are 20 people from the company's publicity departments, as well as the entire home entertainment and EPK teams. On the digital marketing side, positions at every level, including senior vice president, were eliminated. Layoffs have also occurred throughout the Marvel division due to a reduced production slate. - TheWrap (MSN)

The Met Museum Is In The Middle Of A $1.5 Billion Renovation

One wing has already been renovated; another is being built; galleries will be renewed and rehung; new retail and dining areas are coming; infrastructure will be improved. And it’s all happening within the museum’s current footprint and while the visitors keep streaming in. - The New York Times

British Government Approves Purchase Of Telegraph Newspaper

“Axel Springer’s planned £575 million takeover of Telegraph Media Group has been approved by the UK Government. It is still awaiting regulatory approval in Ireland and Austria (due to there being a lower threshold for competition concerns in those countries although there is no expectation of any impact there).” - Press Gazette (UK)

A Dynastic Succession In The Kabuki Theater World Is A Dramatic Affair

“Handing down a name over generations is a central part of the traditional Japanese artform, … and that ceremony gets celebrated at theaters and special events every few years. Now, the ritual is taking place with the eighth Kikugoro, who is having that honor passed down from his 83-year-old father, the seventh Kikugoro.” - AP

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