"Venue staff are increasingly on their own, leaving ushers, house managers, security staff and box office managers in the crosshairs of different audience members' diametrically opposed preferences as they deal with the fallout of unclear and inconsistent COVID guidance from government officials." - San Francisco Chronicle
Open Arts was initially founded as a residency program at Facebook. Artists were commissioned to create work along with employees on site at the company’s headquarters, giving Facebook workers insight into the artistic process. - Artnet
"Standard levels of funding of arts and culture in Australia continue to lag behind major world economies and have failed to keep up with inflation or population growth, an analysis of spending shows." - The Sydney Morning Herald
Many historically Black schools are known for their famous alumni in the arts, but donations to HBCUs these days have tended to go specifically toward STEM programs. That's started to change — and if there's one person who deserves credit for it, it's MacKenzie Scott. - The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Kennedy Center’s mission statement says that one of its three pillars is “presenting, producing, and curating world-class art.” In theater, it’s relying these days far more on curating. - Washington Post
Arts Commons sees the new project as a means of engaging a larger set of Calgarians and providing space for everyday gatherings and informal performances, CEO Alex Sarian said in an interview. - The Globe and Mail (Canada)
The researchers at SMU Data Arts have updated their numbers, incorporating information about ticket sales, prices, COVID case rates, vaccination rates, etc.; they have new projections based on two scenarios. The key factor: higher vaccination rates aren't making the same difference in attendance they had earlier. - SMU Data Arts
The name was so popular that over 30 Valentines, not to mention “a few Valentinas,” ultimately achieved sainthood. However, no matter which Valentine you look at, their traditions and texts have nothing to do with love or courtship. - LitHub
Between the 1912 Stockholm Olympics and the 1948 London Olympics, artistic competition was a vibrant part of the summer Olympic games. There were five categories in which individuals could compete, with architecture, literature, painting, and sculpture joining music. - Classical WCRB
Hollywood is not pleased; China let in no Marvel movies at all last year. "There's routinely Chinese comedies, Chinese dramas, Chinese science-fiction epics topping the box office." - CBC
Petroglyphs and pictrographs aren't "rock art" - they're heritage objects. "Vandalism and theft is a physical attack on heritage objects. Another is appropriation of imagery that does not belong on t-shirts, mugs or any other tourist trap merchandise." But what do they mean? - Oregon ArtsWatch
"The Biden administration revoked order, reversing Trump’s rule that the Art in Architecture program’s commissions must depict prominent American historical figures, events, and 'ideals upon which our nation was founded.'" The GSA seems relieved. - Hyperallergic
Native land acknowledgements may sound to some like newfangled expressions of liberal guilt, but they have their origin in the centuries-old welcoming practices of many Native American cultures, as an offering of thanks and an honoring of relationships. - Oregon Arts Watch
The lack of CPI (which rose by 3.5% in the 12 months to December 2021 according to Australian Bureau of Statistics data) coupled with no increase in funding since 2017, means that multiple organisations have effectively had their core funding cut in real terms over the next four years. - ArtsHub
With a festival this month and next, Carnegie Hall is taking a crack at defining, or at least surveying, the genre (if that's even the right word). Here are five Black scholars invited by Carnegie Hall to answer the question "What is Afrofuturism?" - Playbill
