ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

ISSUES

Germany Runs A Special “Culture Train” From Berlin To Poland

On the 4½-hour trip between the German capital and the Polish city of Wrocław, "passengers encounter writers, musicians, creative artists, a library and a permanent exhibition. The project was originally designed for a six-month period, but it was so successful that it was never discontinued." - Deutsche Welle

American Historical Society Embroiled In History Wars

“We suffer from an overabundance of history not as a method of or analysis, but as anachronistic data points for the articulation of competing politics.” - The New York Times

Talking To The Author Of The Most Banned Book In The United States

Maia Kobabe, author of Gender Queer: "I drew as much as I felt like I needed to tell the story that I was trying to tell and get the points across that I was trying to make. And I honestly think the book is a lot less explicit than it could be." - NPR

San Francisco’s Basement Performance Venues Flooded By Repeated Storms

"As with the historic storm that pummeled the Bay Area over New Year's weekend, the outside world doesn't always stay outside. Now flooded venues … are just hoping they don't suffer more damage (from the) so-called 'bomb cyclone' (and) 'pineapple express'" storms this week. - San Francisco Chronicle

This Is What Happens When Government Meddles In Arts Funding

It does not benefit either the arts or the government for politicians to be involved in arts funding. The current controversy is an excellent example of what happens when ministers overstretch. An orderly retreat would be in everyone’s best interests. - The Stage

Artists’ Studios Are Less Refuges As They Are Places Of Tumult

The Artist’s Studio describes how a noisome cockpit of lust, crime and virtuosity produced innovations in how art gets made, and by whom. - The Guardian

Are We So Addicted To Narratives That We’re Corrupted By Them?

Peter Brooks’s fear is that we are so over-saturated with story that we have become undiscerning consumers, slipping too willingly into the familiar rhythms of plot, even when scepticism – of where information is coming from and of who is delivering it – would be more appropriate. - New Statesman

Redesigning Los Angeles To Make It Cooler

In a city where tree shade is unequally distributed and half the surfaces are dark asphalt or concrete, the solution to increasing temperatures could lie in design. - The Guardian

Arts Organizations Are Hiring Women Of Color As Leaders, Then Losing Them. Here Are Some Ways To Retain Them.

"Arts groups need to make institutional changes to support these new leaders, according to women leaders of color at these groups. They say solutions often seem obvious, but tend to be overlooked." - KERA (Dallas)

A Comprehensive List Of Works Now In The Public Domain As Of This Week

Every year, Jennifer Jenkins, director of Duke University School of Law’s Center for the Study of the Public Domain, puts together an extensive list of expiring U.S. copyrights, many of which have a life span of 95 years. - Smithsonian

Brazil’s Arts World Greets Lula’s Arrival And Bolsonaro’s Departure With Great Sighs Of Relief

"The move helps to draw a line under the 'culture wars' raging in Brazil that have led to increased censorship, with some artists facing a backlash from conservative political groups." - The Art Newspaper

Britain’s Arts And Heritage Sites Are Making Huge Cutbacks As Energy Coss Soar

"Theatres, museums, castles and other heritage sites are making staff redundant, turning down the heating, shutting rooms to the public and closing early. The findings come from research that shows nine in 10 such sites across the UK now fear for their future." - The Guardian

Wrangling These Stories Free Of Copyright Took Far Too Long

Yes: "The dribbling of classic works into the public domain every year on Jan. 1 may be gratifying, but it also serves to underscore the stupidity and cupidity of our convoluted copyright system." - Los Angeles Times

The Seventies: The Decade Taste Deserted

Nostalgic TV programmes often want us to remember the ’70s as the decade that “taste forgot”. They offer up montages of space hoppers, avocado-coloured bathroom suites, lava lamps, garish wallpaper and flared corduroy trousers. - The Conversation

New York Public Library Appoints New Research Library Chief

Brent Reidy will be responsible for four public research centers — the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building; the Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center; the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture; and the Yoseloff Business Center — which collectively have 47 million items. - The New York Times

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