ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

ISSUES

The British Museum Has Removed The Word Palestine And Palestinians From Its Middle East Displays

“Concerns were recently raised by UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLIF), a voluntary group of solicitors, about references to ‘Palestine’ in displays covering the ancient Levant and Egypt, which risked ‘obscuring the history of Israel and the Jewish people.’” - The Guardian (UK)

Berlinale Defends Jury President Wim Wenders Post-Soundbite About Gaza That Led Arundhati Roy To Withdraw

The festival head said, "Artists should not be expected to comment on all broader debates about a festival’s previous or current practices over which they have no control. Nor should they be expected to speak on every political issue raised to them unless they want to.” - The Guardian (UK)

What Happens To A City’s Public Space When A Huge Event – Say, A Sports Event – Takes Over?

Ask Los Angeles. “My favorite part was how the plaza was filled with people marveling at very talented graffiti artists making Foot Locker-branded murals in the shadow of the Graffiti Ghost Towers that our leaders say we have to clean up because they're too offensive to tourists.” - Torched LA

The Zombie Internet Is Here To Eat, Or Rot, All Of Our Brains

What are the consequences of a “human-free” internet? - Fast Company

Google’s AI Overviews Don’t Just Hallucinate; They Can Also Scam The Unwary

“The unfortunate victim Googles a company name looking for a contact number, then calls the number thrown up by AI. This doesn't actually lead to the company in question, but rather to someone pretending to be that company, who then tries to take payment information.” - Wired

Viral AI-Generated Video Of Tom Cruise Fighting Brad Pitt Is Upending Hollywood

SAG-AFTRA is not real happy about this development from a newer generative video source. “This is unacceptable and undercuts the ability of human talent to earn a livelihood.” - Los Angeles Times (Yahoo)

Australia’s First New City In 100 Years

The masterplan forms one of Australia's largest urban development projects and, once complete, will be the country's first major city built in over a century, according to SOM. - Dezeen

America’s Richest Humanities Funder (And Its Implications)

Is the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation the last best hope for American arts and letters—or is it killing them? - The Atlantic

AI Companies Are Eating Higher Education

A.I. companies are increasingly exerting outsize influence over higher education and using these settings as training grounds to further their goal of creating artificial general intelligence (A.I. systems that can substitute for humans). - The New York Times

More Kennedy Center Woes: Fundraising Is Reportedly A Mess

According to several staffers (speaking anonymously), senior vice president of development Lisa Dale — best friend of Kari Lake and a former TV host — has skipped meetings with potential high-level donors and sometimes gives fundraising figures to Kennedy Center president Richard Grenell which are higher than the money which actually comes in. - Politico

Kennedy Center Boss Warns Of Job Cuts During Shutdown

In a Tuesday memo obtained by The Associated Press, Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell told staff that ‘departments will obviously function on a much smaller scale with some units totally reduced or on hold until we begin preparations to reopen in 2028,’ promising ‘permanent or temporary adjustments for most everyone.’” - AP

Report: Trump “Obsessed” With Kennedy Center Makeover

Overhauling the Kennedy Center has become a fixation for Trump—and no detail is too small for the real-estate-developer-turned-president. - The Wall Street Journal

France’s Le Pen Planning Makeover Of French Arts Scene

Marine Le Pen’s party is concocting plans to replace a vital, vibrant arts scene with a retrograde movement that would glorify the country’s past. - The Guardian

Ireland Makes Its Basic-Income-For-Artists Program Permanent

“The Basic Income for the Arts initiative will provide €325 ($386) a week to 2,000 eligible artists based in the Republic in three-year cycles. ... The (pilot) scheme recouped more than its net cost of €72 million through increases in arts-related expenditure, productivity gains and reduced reliance on other welfare payments.” - The Guardian

San Francisco Is Trying A Novel Approach To Securing Affordable Housing For Artists

“Trading financial gain for lasting impact, several older artists have donated the houses they bought decades ago to community land trusts, legal entities that can break the cycle of displacement by ensuring properties are handed down from one artist to another at affordable prices.” - The New York Times

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