Fundamentally, the state of the humanities and liberal arts reveals a widening conflict over the “value” of higher education – with increasingly corporatized universities favoring market-driven metrics for evaluation, and proponents of humanistic education stressing that its worth to both individuals and society at large cannot be measured that way. - The Guardian
“Trolling and tackiness, often crossbred with left-coded pop songs and hot memes, have served to wish a new zeitgeist into existence. Consume only the output of MAGA’s multi-front media efforts, and you may come to feel that the country is coalescing into pep-rally unity on Trump’s behalf.” - The Atlantic (MSN)
The National Endowment for the Humanities on Thursday announced $71 million in new grants, including nearly $40 million to classical humanities institutes and civic leadership programs that have been promoted by conservatives as a counterweight to liberal-dominated higher education. - The New York Times
“The National Endowment of the Humanities (NEH) has announced a new round of grants — $75.1m to 84 projects, many of them celebrating the US’s semiquincentennial. These are the first grants since the administration of president Donald Trump fired all but four members of the National Council on the Humanities ... in October.” - The Art Newspaper
The notion that unstated corporate aesthetic preferences should determine what the public encounters as art — indeed, what counts as art at the nation’s art center — is absurd. It’s why we don’t (yet) have touring musicals about a young couple discovering the bold, zesty flavor of Cool Ranch Doritos. - Washington Post
Beginning in 1933, propagandistic art exhibitions were mounted throughout Germany. These “Schandausstellung” (modern art shame exhibitions) included the titles, “Art in the Service of Decay,” “Art Which Has Not Come from Our Soul,” “Horror Chambers of Art” and “Reflections of Degeneration in Art.” Artists themselves also faced pressure. - LMU
This isn’t great for U.S. audiences either - or the producers and promoters trying to bring international artists. “It’s an unbelievable mess, … and no one can provide an answer.”- The New York Times
“Learning about the end of California College of the Arts was a sad day. And it’s in moments like these that we should rekindle the debate over what kind of city we want to be going forward. Simply put, San Francisco without artists is a dystopia.” - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)
“McConaughey has had eight trademark applications approved over the past few months, and the actor said in an email ..r that he wants to, quote, ‘create a clear perimeter around ownership with consent and attribution the norm in an AI world.’” - NPR
The two former employees “allege they had been sexually assaulted and subjected ‘to inappropriate touching, insults and humiliation … in an atmosphere of control and constant harassment.’” - The Guardian (UK)
“People immediately replied with lines from Star Wars, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and even Mary Poppins. The throughline between all the quotes: they were pretty pointedly anti-fascist.” Luckily, people screenshot the entire thing. - The Verge (Archive Today)
“Trump, speaking last month with reporters on the red carpet of the Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C., said Netflix’s deal to acquire Warner Bros. studios and streaming business will require a review, and said, ‘I’ll be involved in that decision.”’ - Variety
Though the number is undoubtedly higher, "among the thousands of civilians confirmed dead are sculptor Mehdi Salahshour, filmmaker Javad Ganji, fashion designer and student Rubina Aminian, and hip-hop artist Soroush Soleimani.” - Art News
