Stories

How America’s Museums Are Celebrating The 250th

The exhibitions showcase both the traditional and the unexpected, from portraiture to multimedia installations, from founding documents to found objects. Across the country, the joy, sorrow and humor of the nation’s history are on display.  - The New York Times

America’s 250th Birthday Is Here. Americans Are Worried

Increasingly, historians are asking if they need to do more to meet the public’s hunger for meaning and inspiration. - The New York Times

Uncertainty Can Be Toxic. But Understanding it Creates Possibility

Research suggests uncertainty can be more distressing than negative certainty. In one study, people were calmer when they knew they would receive an electric shock than when there was only a 50% chance of one. - The Guardian

Legal Struggle Over Possession Of “Sistine Chapel Of Romanesque Art”

A set of 13th-century murals from the Sijena Monastery in Spain were taken to Barcelona for safekeeping during the Spanish Civil War and are now in the National Art Museum of Catalonia — which is defying a court order to return them, saying the artworks are too fragile to be moved. - ARTnews

Obamas Will Take Their Production Company Independent After Netflix Contract Ends

“Barack and Michelle Obama‘s production company Higher Ground is transitioning to an independent operation following eight years at Netflix.” - The Hollywood Reporter

James Hayward, Leading Figure Among California’s Abstract Painters, Has Died At 82

“Across a career that stretched more than four decades, Hayward developed a reputation for paintings that were both restrained and intensely physical. His best-known works used dense layers of oil paint and repeated diagonal strokes to build ridged, meditative surfaces that explored color, gesture and the material force of paint itself.” - San Francisco Chronicle (Yahoo!)

Trump Wanted His “Heroes” Sculpture Garden Open For July 4. It Probably Won’t Even Be Started By Then.

Plans for Trump’s National Garden Of American Heroes still haven’t been submitted to the agencies which must approve it. The choice of site hasn’t even been finalized. Artists and foundries that applied to work on the sculptures haven't heard anything back — and the statues are supposed to be finished by June. - CNN

The Onion Has Another Deal To Take Over Alex Jones’s Wingnut Conspiracy Site

“Nearly a year and a half after its prior effort to acquire the right-wing conspiracy-centric brand Infowars was nixed by a bankruptcy judge, The Onion is moving forward with a new effort to take over the company and secure justice for the families of Sandy Hook victims.” - The Hollywood Reporter

Book Bans And Attempts In U.S. Are At Record High, Says American Library Association

“The ALA on Monday issued its annual list of the books most challenged at the country’s libraries, part of the association’s State of America’s Libraries Report. … The (list) usually features 10 books, but this year has 11, with four tied for eighth place.” - AP

Following Orbán’s Defeat, Pianist András Schiff Will Return To Hungary

Shortly after authoritarian president Viktor Orbán took office in 2010, Schiff vowed that he would not return to his homeland as long as Orbán was in power. With the latter’s resounding loss in last week’s elections, Schiff has accepted the invitation of Budapest’s mayor to give a large public concert there. - Telex (Hungary)

Inside The Martha Graham 100th Anniversary Party

Actors, musicians and politicians in sequined ball gowns and floral off-the-shoulder dresses ascended the steps of the New York Public Library’s regal main branch on Friday night to pose between the lions before the Martha Graham Dance Company’s 100th anniversary gala. - The New York Times

A History Of Controversy Over LACMA’s New Building

Enter Michael Govan, who joined LACMA in 2006. He wooed Swiss architect Peter Zumthor to conceive of a better LACMA, convinced the county to put in $125 million, and raised more than $500 million in private funds. Now, nearly 20 years later, Los Angeles has a new museum. What could be wrong with that? - LA Material

The New LACMA: Audacious But Confusing

It is a free-form essay in concrete and glass, with no formal entrance, no front or back. Its undulating form has earned its share of abuse, and it has been compared to a pancake or an amoeba. If anything, it is a playful building, out for a 900-foot stroll. - The Wall Street Journal

The New LACMA: Art V. Architecture

The Geffen’s architecture overwhelms its objects. Entombed in a concrete bunker—one of the stand-alone galleries—and battling hulking walls and cavernous space, one of LACMA’s greatest masterpieces, Georges de La Tour’s “The Magdalen With the Smoking Flame” (c. 1635-37), doesn’t stand a chance. - The Wall Street Journal

Young Composers Worry About Their Future With AI

Carson Zuck, 22, was a freshman in college when ChatGPT was released. As Berklee began integrating AI into courses, Zuck said, he watched his education go through the “five stages of grief” where denial arrived first and acceptance came later. - WBUR

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