ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

Stories

“Mad Max” Director: AI Will Change Art. Technology Always Does

Artificial intelligence, George Miller said, represents “the most dynamically evolving tool in making moving image.” “As a filmmaker, I’ve always been driven by the tools. AI is here to stay and change things. The balance between human creativity and machine capability, that’s what the debate and the anxiety is about.” - Variety

Lord Of The Irish Dance Michael Flatley At 67

He hasn’t danced for nearly a decade. He has damaged bones and tendons and claims to know all his vertebrae by name. But he’s still fiendishly driven. - The Guardian

In The Current Environment, Is There Room For Truth-Telling Art?

These episodes highlighted the vulnerability of the US’s state-funded cultural sector under an autocratic populist president determined to suppress artistic expression perceived as intolerably “woke”.  - The Art Newspaper

New Venice Music Biennale Director Spins Another Take On Contemporary Music

The invitation for Caterina Barbieri to lead the Music Biennale gave “a platform to another side of contemporary music that is generally excluded from these more institutional places.” There is “another scene that often doesn’t get taken quite as seriously because it’s not as technically virtuosic.”  - The New York Times

How Contemporary Art Is Taking On Nigeria’s Identity

“Many of these artists deal with the idea that Nigerian culture has to be taken as a multinational and multi-ethnic question, in which artists are free to disrupt and redirect different narratives in service of their own artistic vision. So when we talk about independence in this exhibition, it’s not just about political independence. - The Guardian

Musicians At Venice’s Opera House Declare Strike To Protest New Conductor

“The strike will be held on Friday 17 October, the date of the opera house’s first performance of a run of Alban Berg’s Wozzeck, which will close its 2024-25 season. The theatre’s musicians and staff have for months called for Beatrice Venezi’s appointment as music director to be revoked.” - The Guardian

Dozens Of Bob Ross Pictures To Be Auctioned To Help Support PBS

Ross, with his distinctive afro, soothing voice and sunny outlook, empowered millions of viewers to make and appreciate art through his show The Joy of Painting. More than 400 half-hour episodes aired on PBS (and eventually the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) from 1983 to 1994, the year before Ross died of cancer at age 52. - NPR

Report: Depiction Of Black Characters In Children’s Books Is Significantly Down

A report by charity Inclusive Books for Children found that of the 2,721 books surveyed, only 51 featured a Black main character, down by 21.5% since 2023. - The Guardian

The World’s Digital Infrastructure Runs On American Technology. Europe Wants To Reclaim Its Sovereignty

In the 21st century, those who control digital infrastructure control the conditions of possibility for democracy itself. Europe faces a choice: build sovereign technological capacity or accept digital colonization. - Noema

Wyoming Librarian Fired In Book-Banning Dispute Wins $700,000 In Lawsuit

“Terri Lesley was fired as the library system director in northeastern Wyoming’s Campbell County in 2023, two years into the dispute … over books with sexual content and LGBTQ+ themes that some people complained were inappropriate for youngsters and sought their removal from youth shelves … at the library in Gillette.” - AP

This CEO Has Been Peddling An AI Companion. People Revile Him

The backlash has grabbed far more attention than the product itself, so I wondered: How does Avi Schiffmann, the 22-year-old founder and CEO of Friend, feel about being the most despised tech founder in America’s largest city? - The Atlantic

Sloppy Slop: Why You’re Seeing More Fake Images And Video In Your Feeds

High-engagement, AI-generated posts on Reddit are an example of what is known as “AI slop” – cheap, low-quality AI-generated content, created and shared by anyone from low-level influencers to coordinated political influence operations. Estimates suggest that over half of longer English-language posts on LinkedIn are written by AI.  - The Conversation

Chicago Indie Music Venues Protest Big Live Nation Project

A group of independent music venues in Chicago have come together to protest the building of Lincoln Yards, a $5 billion new development on the city's North side, which is set to include three to five new concert halls run by Live Nation. - Pitchfork

Government To Dissolve Antwerp’s Museum Of Contemporary Art

In a move to “thoroughly reform the landscape” and achieve a “more logical distribution” of visual art there, the regional government of Flanders in Belgium will transfer the collection of the museum (known as M HKA) to what will become the Flemish Museum of Contemporary and Current Art in Ghent. - ARTnews

Chicago’s Commissioner Of Cultural Affairs Resigns After 18 Turbulent Months

“From the beginning, Clinée Hedspeth’s tenure was marked by turmoil. Eighteen percent of the department turned over in her first six months. … Before reaching her year anniversary, Hedspeth faced bullying accusations from several staffers. By spring, many artists were openly calling on Mayor Brandon Johnson to address the dysfunction.” - WBEZ (Chicago)

Our Free Newsletter

Join our 30,000 subscribers

Latest

Don't Miss

function my_excerpt_length($length){ return 200; } add_filter('excerpt_length', 'my_excerpt_length');