Two Fridays ago, the center announced the appointment of Kevin Couch, who programmed for pop/rock venues in four midsized cities, as the new senior vice president of artistic programming. Last week the center tweeted the news. On Wednesday, with no further comment, Couch confirmed his resignation. - The Washington Post (MSN)
While the reductions aren’t as severe as in Berlin (€130 million) or France (€150 million), the Austrian capital has withdrawn €5 million from several theaters, including the award-winning Theater an der Wien, €250,000 from the Vienna Philharmonic’s Summer Night Concert, and €1.3 million from the Wien Museum. - The New York Times
He posted on Truth Social, referring to cascading cancellations and plummeting ticket sales, “People don’t realize that The Trump Kennedy Center suffered massive deficits for many years and, like everything else, I merely came in to save it and, if possible, make it far better than ever before!” - The Daily Beast
Trump officials have ordered national parks to remove dozens of signs and displays related to climate change, environmental protection and settlers’ mistreatment of Native Americans in a renewed push to implement President Donald Trump’s executive order on “restoring truth and sanity to American history.” - Washington Post
In 2023, the United States accounts for roughly two-thirds of all cultural exports ($18.1 billion, or 67%) and imports ($22.2 billion, or 62%). Canada had a $4.2 billion trade deficit with the USA in 2023. - Statistical Insights on the Arts
A £1.5 billion investment is welcome news for a sector buffeted by years of austerity and inflation (not to mention the long tail of pandemic shutdowns). But the devil is in the detail, as ever, and the wider context: definitions of “infrastructure” beyond the landmarks, and its relationship to cultural workers. - The Conversation
“For the authoritarian, culture is the enemy,” he added. “The uncultured and ignorant and tyrannical don’t like it. And they take steps against it, which we see every day.” - The Guardian
The 3,000-seat Keller Auditorium is seismically challenged. Should the city rebuild it, support the new Portland State University Broadway-show-size theatre, or make a third choice? A new study says the city’s population can’t support both. - Oregon ArtsWatch
"They ruled that Spanish courts had no jurisdiction and were therefore not competent to investigate crimes committed abroad involving complainants who were not Spanish citizens or residents and who had never travelled to Spain with the star." - BBC
"It’s the Trump White House’s latest salvo against the network late night talk show hosts, primarily Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers and Jimmy Kimmel, who pound away at President Trump nightly in their monologues and offer ample airtime to his political opponents.” - Los Angeles Times
“We’re pausing operations to recognise the weight of this moment in our community and to care for our employees and people in the Twin Cities community.” - The Art Newspaper
After all, large numbers of creatives have been fleeing the city, driven away mostly by the high cost of apartments. But would such a preference be fair to other struggling New Yorkers? - Gothamist
