ISSUES

If You Want Privacy, Never Watch TV

Why? “Your TV and smartphone are far more interoperable and indistinguishable than ever before, and an inescapable user-tracking singularity is developing, accordingly, in your own living room.” - Slate

The White House’s Potential New Ballroom Has Even More Issues

“Each fence, bollard, and inch of blast-resistant laminated glass is a barrier between the people and their government. Virtually every modern presidency has understood this, leaning into discretion. ... It was a bit of a fiction, but now we see the alternative, and it is grim.” - The Atlantic

Consumers Sue To Block Paramount Merger With Warner Bros

“The lawsuit ... alleges the Paramount-Warner deal will lead to increased prices, fewer consumer choices and reduce production of film and TV since a major rival in the entertainment business will be eliminated.” - Los Angeles Times (MSN)

City Of San Francisco Names Its First-Ever Arts And Culture Czar

“Longtime arts and city government veteran Matthew Goudeau has been named San Francisco's first executive director of arts and culture. … To that end, Goudeau will oversee three of the city's most important arts entities: the San Francisco Arts Commission, Grants for the Arts and the Film Commission.” - San Francisco Chronicle (Yahoo!)

Money Troubles And Layoffs At California Academy Of Sciences In San Francisco

“The museum and research center … plans to lay off 53 employees and scale back some programs as it grapples with a growing budget deficit driven by rising costs and lagging revenue. The cuts, announced Tuesday, will affect about 9.3% of the academy's workforce.” - San Francisco Chronicle (Yahoo!)

A Major New Humanities Center At Oxford

Billed as Oxford’s largest and most programmatically ambitious academic project, the Schwarzman Centre yokes together seven humanities faculties, along with a 500-seat concert hall, a 250-seat theatre, a black-box immersive performance space, a white-box exhibition gallery, a dance studio, a cinema and a museum to house the Bate Collection of historic musical instruments. - The Guardian

Differences Between Being An Arts Lover In The UK And In Australia

The experience of attending, supporting and living among the arts differs in ways that are practical, financial and social. - ArtsHub

Strategies For Fighting Misinformation

What of misinformation that has taken hold, and how can it be debunked? If the misinformation is not going to be widely shared, the best thing to do can simply be to ignore it. Otherwise, however, it is best to get in first, provided our own presentation is clear and sticky. - 3 Quarks Daily

Chicago Arts Leaders Demand Action On “Ghost” Tickets

“Every day, patrons are being sold what they believe are valid tickets, when, in reality, they are only paying for a chance that someone may be able to secure a seat,” said John Mangum, Lyric’s general director, who was also joined by leaders of The Auditorium and Harris Theater. - WBEZ

Why We Need More Arts

Organizations that design their entire experience for reflection, response, and real conversation are doing something quietly radical. Not just presenting art, but shaping the conditions that allow it to actually change us. - Seattle Times

Boston’s Mayor Wants To Cut City’s Arts Budget By More Than One-Fourth

“(Mayor Michelle Wu’s) approximately 27% cut leaves the city’s budget for arts and culture with a total of $3,365,057 for fiscal year 2027. While still above pre-pandemic levels, even when adjusted for inflation, this is one of the largest cuts to any city department’s budget.” - Boston Art Review

Hampshire College, Soon To Close, Will Sell Off Campus Of Pay Off Debt

“The college has around $25 million in debt, between loans and a private partner. It was primarily taken in 2010 and 2016.” - MassLive

A Change To Portland’s Widely-Disliked Arts Tax

“’We’ve not identified a way to make (the tax) not annoying,’ said Council President Jamie Dunphy, the architect of the new policy. ‘But we’ve found ways to make it less annoying.’” The proposed change: fewer people paying more money. - Oregon Public Broadcasting

How Chicago’s Arts Institutions Are Coping With Federal Funding Cuts

“The defunding of arts and humanities programming across the state has left leaders skeptical as to whether government funding can be a reliable source in the future.” - Crain’s Chicago Business

Ireland’s Artist Basic Income May Not Account For Artists With Disabilities

“Ó Ceallacháin says many artists with disabilities feel as though they need to “]exist between ‘professional enough’ to be a ‘real’ artist for the Department of Culture and ‘disabled enough’ to receive support from the Department of Social Protection.” - Irish Times

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