“(He) did not set out to make the exhibit American Aspirations his swan song. But he said that his organizing of an exhibition that honors America’s 250th anniversary could well be among his final acts as secretary. ‘It’s probably the last exhibit I will curate, there’s no doubt about that.’” - The New York Times
Arts Council England has unveiled a new strategy to replace the “Let’s Create” regime, which was widely criticized for appearing to de-emphasize high quality in favor of inclusiveness. The new policy aims for ACE’s grants to “support excellence, deliver for everybody, and reach everywhere.” - The Stage (UK)
Right now, culture represents just 0.21% of the city’s budget, below its long-term average. Recent investments have been meaningful, including $75 million in last year’s budget. But $30 million of that funding remains for one-time support. That is not how essential infrastructure should be funded. - Hyperallergic
“The Legislature wants the first $12.45 million ... to go to arts groups recommended by Secretary of State Cord Byrd. The remaining money would be held in reserve and a second list of leftover projects from the ranked list by the Florida Council on Arts and Culture would get the rest.” - Florida Politics
The Interlochen Center for the Arts, the Michigan summer-intensive camp and year-round boarding school — which Epstein attended as a teenager and where, as a donor, he later allegedly met at least two of his victims — will tear down the Green Lake Lodge (formerly known as Jeffrey E. Epstein Scholarship Lodge). - AP
The Disney comparison is not necessarily a coincidence. Multiple players mention an overlap between Disney fandom (including Disney adults) and bananaball fandom, and Jesse Cole, founder of the Bananas, identifies Walt Disney as a key influence. - The Guardian
The Pittsburgh-based foundation is ending grants for one-time projects and for individual artists in favor of funding arts organizations and cultural infrastructure in the region. - WESA (Pittsburgh)
According to the plan released, “We are maintaining an infrastructure built for 30,000 students while currently serving 20,000.” Other options “have been exhausted” and “incrementalism” has failed, it says. - InsideHigherEd
The National Art Museum, National Philharmonic of Ukraine, Kyiv Opera Theater, National Chornobyl Museum, Valeriy Lobanovskyi Dynamo Stadium and Hinaus Gallery were among sites hit in what the Minister of Culture called the "largest series of damages" to cultural institutions in Kyiv since Russia's war in all of Ukraine began in 2022. - CBC
Last year, at least sixteen nonprofit colleges and universities announced that they would close and seven more announced that they would merge with or be acquired by other schools. - The New Yorker
The national government’s arts agency, Creative New Zealand, plans to have most funding decisions (excepting international projects and national companies such as the NZ Symphony and Royal NZ Ballet) made by up to 16 independent regional organizations. - The Big Idea (New Zealand)
Some students only want people who hold similar views to address them at their graduation. They exercise what free speech law experts call a “heckler’s veto,” meaning when an audience’s reaction, or anticipated response, stops someone from speaking. - The Conversation
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has circulated a “Be on the Lookout” alert to law enforcement nationwide, targeting a comedian whose satire of US immigration enforcement went viral. - The Guardian
Thursday’s vote by the Commission of Fine Arts, whose job is to vet the design of monuments and other major projects in the capital, represents a key approval as the White House seeks to begin construction. - Washington Post
Among those selected are two sites that have drawn the ire of the Trump administration, the Stonewall National Monument in New York, often considered the birthplace of the gay right’s movement, and the President’s House Site in Philadelphia, which served as the presidential home prior to the capital’s relocation to Washington. - ARTnews
