The reason the Washington National Opera can leave, while the National Symphony Orchestra would find it extraordinarily difficult to do so under ordinary conditions, has little to do with repertoire, prestige, or audience relevance. - William Ford
Following ferocious criticism from the art world in Belgium and internationally, Flemish culture minister Caroline Gennez has agreed not to put her plan to reorganize the system of museums in Flanders — a plan which includes the dismantling of Belgium’s oldest museum of contemporary art — on the government’s agenda just yet. - Belgian News Agency
The project — a complete redesign of the streetscape of Broad Street, home to a number of the city’s leading arts institutions, from City Hall to the edge of South Philadelphia — will start modestly but will speed up after the America 250 celebrations this year. - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
“A pocket dynamo of a man who seemed to bounce as he walked along, Frank Dunlop will be remembered for many outstanding and remarkable achievements, but most notably as the founding director of the Young Vic in 1969 and as a controversial director of the Edinburgh International Festival from 1983 to 1991.” - The Guardian
“A bipartisan spending bill … would allocate $643 million for broadcasting from the U.S. Agency for Global Media. … Trump signed an executive order in March calling for the dismantlement of the agency, which oversees Voice of America and funds nonprofit groups including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Radio Free Asia.” - The Washington Post (MSN)
A press release stated, “The decision reflects a changing global environment that is impacting major events, festivals and cultural programs worldwide. … SXSW Sydney worked … to explore potential pathways forward for the event; however, prevailing market conditions mean the Sydney edition will not be going ahead at this time.” - ArtsHub (Australia)
“The letters cover more than two decades and in them (she) discusses growing old, her aversion to public attention … her opinions of fellow writers like Truman Capote, Tennessee Williams and Eudora Welty, … (and) her take on the Deep South’s transition from Depression-era segregation to the Civil Rights movement.” - The New York Times
“The museum said the 45% price hike to 32 euros ($37) from 22 euros is part of a national ‘differentiated pricing’ policy announced early last year that’s coming into force across major cultural sites. … The change affects visitors from most non-EU countries, including the United States.” - AP
When the old National Theatre of Wales closed in late 2024, Sheen came up with a plan. "Ultimately, I found myself arguing for something that I realised I” — with fame, professional connections, and deep-ish pockets — “was in the best position to deliver. … It could happen, but only if I did it." - BBC (Yahoo!)
A philosophy professor was ordered to remove Plato’s Symposium from the list of assigned readings for the class “Contemporary Moral Issues.” Plato fell victim to a policy adopted by the university in the fall, which states that classes cannot “advocate race or gender ideology, or topics related to sexual orientation or gender identity." - The Atlantic
“For artists entering or exiting the country for professional purposes, some of these challenges stem from clearly stated updates to fees, forms, and policies. But there are also greater degrees of uncertainty embedded within application and approval processes, making it harder to predict … the potential outcomes.” - Dance Magazine
The Trump effect is being felt through executive orders and federal cuts: 34% of museums suffered the cancellation of government grants or contracts; 29% saw a decrease in attendance due to changes in travel/tourism and/or economic uncertainty... - The Guardian
By presenting an alternative to Meta and Twitter TikTok challenged the idea, pervasive in the early 2020s, that social media’s destiny was terminal decline, what the extremely online would call a “vibe sink.” - The Nation
While Paramount is hoping to find a weakness in the Netflix offer, experts say the lawsuit has a low chance of success and would only add further complications and delays to what is expected to be a protracted approval process. - The Wrap (MSN)
“Novelist Arturo Pérez-Reverte (accused) the Spanish Royal Academy (RAE) – of which he is a member – of failing (its mission) of ‘cleaning, fixing and giving shine’ to the Spanish language. These days ‘an illiterate pundit, YouTuber or influencer can have more linguistic influence than a Cervantes prize winner’, he said.” - The Guardian
