ISSUES

General Custer And The Changing Cultural Record

Artists and writers have interpreted and reinterpreted George Armstrong Custer, who died in a storied battle that just had a major anniversary. - The New York Times

Philadelphia Cultural Fund And Mural Arts Philadelphia To Make Deep Cuts After Funding Reductions From City

“The Cultural Fund will be forced to reduce the number of grants it had been expecting to distribute in the coming year, from 332 to 232. It has changed its eligibility requirements, eliminating grants to a pool of midsize organizations.” Mural Arts, meanwhile, is reducing its budget by 26%. - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)

New York’s Little Island Has Cut Its Performance Schedule In Half

Last summer the outdoor venue on stilts in the Hudson River presented 100 performances over four months; this year’s season is offering 56 performances over six weeks. The stated reason for the change is that funder Barry Diller “wants to take programming in a different direction.” - The New York Times

Higher Ed Has Lost Public Trust. What To Do?

The reports differ in their diagnoses of where higher education went wrong and, by extension, of what should be done now. But their mere existence proves, if nothing else, that America’s universities have finally gotten the message: People don’t like them very much. - The Atlantic

Ad-Free Streaming Has Become A Luxury Good

Remember the halcyon days of watching shows without ads? How great that streaming moment was? Well … it’s over. Mostly over. Apple is one holdout … for now. - The Verge

Margaret Atwood Says The Problem With AI Is A Classic One

“The thing about AI is that it’s garbage in, garbage out,” she said at a book festival. - Deadline

Report: Chicago’s Creative Sector Is The City’s Third-Largest Industry

The creative sector is Chicago’s third-largest industry and accounts for nearly 213,000 jobs, according to a new economic impact study released Thursday by Arts Alliance Illinois, a statewide advocacy organization. - WBEZ

Royal Ballet And Opera In London To Eliminate 64 Staff Positions

“The reductions amount to roughly five percent of the organization’s current workforce of 1,169 staff. Nine of the cuts will involve compulsory redundancies, with the remainder expected to come from unfilled vacancies, voluntary departures, and natural turnover.” - OperaWire

Southbank Center Chairman To Step Down After Social Media Controversy

In May, Misan Harriman was accused by the Telegraph of sharing a social media post that contained a conspiracy theory about the Golders Green attack because it questioned the amount of coverage given to the Muslim victim, Ishmail Hussein. - The Guardian

The New Republic’s 15 Most Important Artworks In U.S. History

The editors have chosen four movies, six books, two songs, a piece of classical music, a painting, and a monument “whose impact extended beyond culture to society as a whole.” - The New Republic

Revamp Of Philadelphia’s “Avenue Of The Arts”: The Beta Test Is Complete

“A landscaped median under construction for months in front of the Kimmel Center has reached completion — the down payment on a promised major redo of the Avenue of the Arts streetscape. The leafy ribbon down the middle of Broad Street from Spruce to Pine Streets was officially unveiled Wednesday.” - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)

Manhattan’s Borough President Directs His Entire Discretionary Budget — $50 Million — To The Arts

“Fifty-five cultural institutions and 28 schools will benefit from grants ranging from $60,000 to $2 million,” with much of the money designated for buildings or infrastructure. “In previous years, the discretionary budget has been divided into small grants ... across sectors like the arts, public housing, social services and parks.” - The New York Times

Is The Smithsonian Next?

From the start of the second Trump administration, the entire Smithsonian had been a target of those on the MAGA right who are preoccupied with expunging what they understand to be “wokeness” from prominent institutions.  - The Atlantic

Lonnie Bunch Works To Keep Smithsonian Independent And Functional Amid Trumpist Turmoil

“Bunch has been cast by many of his admirers as something of a resistance figure — one of the only high-profile leaders standing up to Trump by single-handedly preventing the president from rewriting American history itself.” - The Atlantic

Kennedy Center Says It Isn’t Required To Book Any Shows

“The Court’s order did not affirmatively require the Board to reschedule programming that had previously been cancelled or to seek new programming,” the lawyers wrote in the filing. - AP News

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