It's not good: "A surge in construction by Azerbaijan, especially of roads, has led to either partial or full destruction of several cemeteries and cathedrals in the area of Shushi, a town with significant cultural importance to Armenians." - Hyperallergic
"The threats of violence are such that most of the Afghan artists and cultural workers I contacted while reporting this story — both in and out of the country — declined to be interviewed on the grounds that it could endanger their own lives, or those of their families and friends." - Los Angeles Times
Operating along the lines of France TV's Culturebox, the streaming service ITsART.tv offers concerts, theater, dance, opera, virtual museum tours, cinema, and documentaries. It's already online in Italy and Britain and will debut in the rest of Europe and the US in coming months. - Variety
How long before Disney replaces the humans who portray characters in its parks with machines? Today, impressive robot stuntman; tomorrow, creepy robot Cinderella signing autographs outside the castle. - The New York Times
International students the product of a system that has blurred the lines between immigration and education in an unofficial, ad hoc arrangement meant to appeal to potential immigrants while avoiding any responsibility for their settlement. - The Walrus
"The D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities has dramatically reshaped the way it supports Washington's arts community by directing significant increases to the city's small and midsize arts organizations and making steep cuts to almost two dozen major institutions." - The Washington Post
When it controlled the country before 2001, the hardline Islamist group was infamous for banning music, TV, film, and most visual art — not to mention the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas. The Taliban say they've moderated since then, but many are doubtful — and scared. - The Week
"They may be unfinished, never meant for wide release, or completed by someone else. That work is then attributed to the deceased, but should it be? Philosophers Sondra Bacharach and Deborah Tollefsen explore that question, and the answer is a resounding: it's complicated." - JSTOR Daily
Suffice it to say that while Europe was experiencing its Dark Ages – a period of intellectual, cultural, and economic regression from about the 6th to 13th centuries – Africa was experiencing great civilization. - Amentii
Not only is the master's degree the quintessential example of a bureaucratic credential — drably functional and frequently deeply pointless — but much of its growth has been in fields that are themselves explicitly bureaucratic," writes William Deresiewicz. And then there are MFAs … - New York Magazine
The very concept of “cultural appropriation” is misbegotten. As I’ve previously argued, it wrongly casts cultural practices as something like corporate intellectual property, an issue of ownership. - The New York Times
After months with no restrictions and no locally transmitted cases of COVID, the appearance of one new patient has prompted Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to close all performances, museums, film and TV production, and most businesses for three days (seven in Auckland). - AP
Universities, more than any other institution, shape our conception of what constitutes worthwhile knowledge. Therefore, if we want philosophy to thrive in the contemporary university, we will need to clearly articulate a very different vision of what a university is for. - The Point
Yes, it was devastating - and it also opened up the arts to many who couldn't access them before. How do we keep shows relevant and accessible to all? - FastCompany
At least, according to the Edinburgh Book Festival's director, who says, "One thing is for certain, we are not going back to the festivals of 2019." - BBC
