“For me, diversity is always a thing I like to think about as sort of necessary to enhance the vibrancy of an organization. Even in symphony orchestra. We’ll be able to play more music better. We’ll be able to connect with the community better. We’ll be able to educate the people better.” - The Arizona Republic
Outgoing president Jair Bolsonaro dissolved the Ministry of Culture on his first day in office, slashed arts funding by half or more and politicized much of what remained. President-elect Luiz Inácio da Silva says that he will undo this damage, though he hasn't yet nominated a culture minister. - The Art Newspaper
"Oleksandr Tkachenko argues that such a 'cultural boycott' would not amount to 'cancelling Tchaikovsky', but would be 'pausing the performance of his works until Russia ceases its bloody invasion'." - The Guardian
"Russia isn't just physically attacking Ukraine; it is also trying to destroy our culture and memory. ... The Kremlin (has) made clear that culture was a tool and even a weapon in the hands of the government." - The Guardian
Many of the wealthy individual donors whose regular gifts have kept the region's institutions running are passing away, and their heirs may not have similar priorities. As elsewhere, many corporations are shifting their philanthropy from the arts to health and social justice. What happens now? - Boston Magazine
A series of surveys and workshops has evidently found a consensus that "the big, 700-ish seat theater is kind of the least needed thing" and that adaptive reuse of existing facilities makes far more sense. - Boulder Beat
It is by far the largest and most important strike in the history of American higher education, with the potential to transform both the status and income of those who work in an “industry” that now employs more workers than the federal government. - The Guardian
"For a long time, the Sackler name was a byword for almost unparalleled philanthropy and largesse towards the arts; it is now synonymous with shame and misery on an even grander scale." That's because the photographer decided to transform her life. - The Guardian (UK)
There's also a fair amount of Taylor Swift fandom, but "these posts from fans essentially serve as a denouncement of West’s praise of Hitler in the Infowars interview and his denial of the Holocaust, further highlighting the artist’s loss of support." - Variety
"There are whole nations whose political discourse occurs mainly on Twitter. The amount of reputational and social wealth that stands to be lost if Twitter collapses is astounding. Twitter currently functions as perhaps the world's biggest status bank." - Wired
The question of where to draw the line between what is and what is not a city—not to mention where one ends and another begins—is getting harder to answer. Settlements are spreading out by merging into one another to create what urban experts term “megalopolises.” - Fast Company
The equilateral cross with arms bent at right angles has been a symbol of good fortune for Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains for millennia, and it's ubiquitous in India to this day. South Asians in the U.S. see no reason to abandon it just because the Nazis perverted it. - AP
Boundaries between “traditional” culture and online culture have been breaking down. Television audiences have shrunk. Newspaper circulations are in terminal decline. Meanwhile, people have been hooked to Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and all manner of alternative platforms on the Internet. - The Critic
We also pushed to have Mr. Chapek fired because he didn’t believe in Disney magic. Disney is so much more than just another big business. Understanding that is crucial to its success. - The New York Times
"Professors of art, workers at museums, and assistants at a publishing house have all gone on strike or staged public protests during contract negotiations. Call this a black-turtleneck-worker uprising rather than a white-collar one." - The New Republic
