"To generations of listeners, Public Enemy were the ideal of a hip-hop group: fiery and politically engaged, marching through the streets to demand change. In fact, Public Enemy were an anomaly. Explicit political commentary has played a consistent but relatively minor role in the genre's evolution." - The Guardian
Most of these prankster examples either take a jab at the art market. This intersection seems to have escalated in the last five years, with the impact of these artworks escalated by the capacity for social media to take their commentary viral in real time. - ArtsHub
"More than a year and a half into the pandemic, we've come to expect the unexpected. Perhaps the socialist revolution can start in an improv community? Enter the Comedy Co-op, a planned theater in the works by more than 30 local comedians." - Yahoo! (Los Angeles Times)
Both selections are historic: Lowe will be the first Native American nominated to lead the federal humanities agency and Jackson will be the first African American and Mexican American nominated to run the arts endowment. - Washington Post
Playwright Oscar Wilde once warned an age without criticism is “an age that possesses no art at all.” He never could have imagined an age when the arts are eager for resurgence, but there are few critical voices to herald their return. - CanvasCLE
A total of nearly five inches of rain fell on Ljubljana on the evening of September 25, and among the many buildings to suffer millions of euros in damage were the theater SNG Drama Ljubljana and the Moderna Galerija. - The Art Newspaper
Now the Islamists are back in power, and Afghan artists and filmmakers — many who flourished during the past two decades — are scrambling to hide, protect or even destroy books, paintings and other works of art. - Washington Post
"There are eerie similarities between pre-1948 Hollywood and today’s streaming market. ... The top five streaming companies dominate." And Amazon would like to be more dominant. - The New York Times
And cultural workers need the money, and purpose: "Creative jobs dropped 53% between late 2019 and mid 2020, recovering only halfway since then, and the prolonged pandemic continues to threaten re-openings of art spaces." - Hyperallergic
York, Pennsylvania students, their parents, and authors around the country have won a temporary "freeze." But the school board's racism and homophobia seem entrenched and intransigent. One senior: "We know that they did not temporarily reverse out of the goodness of their hearts." - The New York Times
Why should culture and economic innovation go together? Because, right now, we have a superstar system in which the winners take all and the rest are left with crumbs. Because, just like art, housing and dignified work are human rights. Because artists are the original gig workers. - Nonprofit Quarterly
Over the next two years, Arts Council England's Capital Investment Fund will issue grants from £100,000 to £750,000 to cultural organizations to make improvements to their buildings such as upgrading equipment, improving ventilation, or increasing access for the disabled. - The Stage
The Islamists now in control in Kabul have not yet stated any cultural policies other than that any art, music, publishing, film, and the like that's permitted must conform to Islamic law. (As interpreted by whom?) Artists within Afghanistan are not hopeful. - The Washington Post
Both pilots have received private funding. In San Francisco, after initial city funding, the team raised an additional $3.4 million from #startsmall, a pandemic-relief fund started by Twitter’s Jack Dorsey. - Next City
