There’s no strict definition for what constitutes a rave, but in the past the word connoted an underground gathering, usually at some kind of repurposed space, such as a warehouse, a skate park, or a farmyard. Raves were often illegal in the sense that they violated licensing rules. - The New Yorker
There’s this long history of certain people seeing urban life through the lens of decline. If you look at contemporary usages of this idea of “urban doom,” it’s actually very similar to the way a lot of people in the ’70s and ’80s were talking about cities. - Curbed
"After all of the effort to get the barriers up, the future challenge will be finding ways to keep them down. Venice is already using MOSE more than expected. … Its incessant deployment, experts warn, could render Venice's lagoon a fetid swamp choked by noxious algae." - The New York Times
The creative industries remain fundamentally white spaces. The latest 2020/21 report found that the diverse workforce in its national portfolio of organisations was 14%. This is compared to the English working-age population, which is 17% Black, Asian and ethnically diverse. - The Conversation
China, with its legions of concertgoers and skepticism of Western ideals, has emerged as an attractive market for Russian artists aligned with Mr. Putin. - The New York Times
"The choice to vandalize Van Gogh’s Sunflowers suggests that beauty does have a role to play in the fight to save the planet. In the act of protest, the painted sunflowers become a stand-in for life on earth, not a distraction from it." - Los Angeles Review Of Books
Amazon claims the three groups "were abusing its takedown system by filing thousands of illegitimate copyright complaints against other products in a bid to get people to buy their merchandise instead." Those attempts included images scraped from Amazon itself. - The Verge
Wow, OK: "Disney can hold on to power of this land for possibly the next 100 years, if one of King Charles III’s grandchildren lives to be 80. Oh, and the agreement also bans DeSantis’ new board from using Disney’s name or any of its characters." - Slate
It's the cold waters of the Baltic that kept intact the remains of the wrecked Gribshunden, the flagship of King Hans of Denmark and Norway which sank in 1485. Archaeologists have discovered saffron threads, peppercorns, almond shells, ginger, clove, and black mustard. - Atlas Obscura
"The final evaluation has found that the Unboxed festival, commissioned by Theresa May in 2018 and named a 'festival of Brexit' by Jacob Rees-Mogg, brought together a fraction of the audiences initially hoped for. It nevertheless met later, radically downgraded predictions and delivered on its economic objectives." - The Guardian
"We don't have — and may never again have — another one-stop watering hole where many of the planet's most interesting celebrities, politicians, activists, scientists, journalists, comedians and other assorted smart people will rub elbows with one another and also with you." - Yahoo! (Los Angeles Times)
"Dallas Theater Center officials have hit the brakes on a proposed $308 million plan to revamp the Kalita Humphreys Theater and the surrounding 10-acre park after pushback over the price tag and size. … Neglect and lack of investment have led to the theater falling into disrepair." - MSN (The Dallas Morning News)
"From supporting educational efforts to assisting professional theaters to funding performance spaces, Walt Disney World has been an engine driving the growth of the Central Florida arts scene. The contributions not only come in dollars but also through costumes, equipment and other necessities — even the carpet." - Orlando Sentinel
For the past few years, social-media platforms have used creator funds to lure content creators from their rivals with the promise of money to be made on top of the usual sponsorship dollars. But they seem more and more like empty PR stunts. - Variety
"According to a summary of the (Governor's) executive budget released by the state Senate, the proposed fiscal year 2024 (arts) budget is $42.8 million, a 54.8 percent decrease 'primarily due to the expiration of pandemic relief for arts and cultural organizations.' Cultural capital projects funds were cut entirely." - Albany Times-Union
