Earlier this week, the streaming service had announced that it would pause all future projects and acquisitions from Russia, joining a growing list of companies that have cut ties with the country. - Variety
“Vladimir Potanin has advised the Board of Trustees of his decision to step down as Trustee effective immediately,” the museum said. “The Guggenheim accepts this decision and thanks Mr. Potanin for his service to the Museum and his support of exhibition, conservation and educational programs. - Hyperallergic
According to the 2021 State of Artistic Freedom Report by Freemuse, Russia detained 17 artists in 2020, a number exceeded only by Cuba. Artists are regularly fined, detained, and sentenced to prison, usually for political dissent or falling foul of the notorious “gay propaganda” law passed in 2013. - Hyperallergic
Institutions are demanding that artists who have supported Mr. Putin in the past issue clear condemnations of the Russian president and his invasion as a prerequisite for performing. Others are checking their rosters and poring over social media posts to ensure Russian performers have not made contentious statements about the war. - The New York Times
Sure, AMC raised prices over The Batman's opening weekend, but Regal and Cinemark had already started raising prices with another blockbuster - Spider-Man: No Way Home. (But good news for indie fans: Those movies aren't on the price increase list.) - Variety
A physical bookstore "requires superb customer service, dedicated staff who provide knowledgeable advice about what to read, an inviting environment in which to browse and shop, and literary activities. ... Most of all, it demands a deep commitment to the local communities that sustain us." - Washington Post
"A prominent Russian conductor said on Sunday that he would resign from his positions with two orchestras — at the storied Bolshoi Theater in Moscow and in Toulouse, France — after facing intense pressure to condemn" the invasion of Ukraine. - The New York Times
Or are the painting actually not very old at all? "Where Dr. Iriarte’s team sees potential giant ground sloths and Pleistocene horses, Dr. Urbina and Dr. Peña see modern capybaras and horses." - The New York Times
It's not simple: "Creating these immense light installations isn't a matter of changing some lightbulbs. The Kennedy Center Production Department used 48 sheets of lighting gels and a 67-foot lift to place the gels over 144 lights." - NPR
Shirley Hughes, a beloved British author who died last week at 94, "created art, stories and poetry that took children’s feelings as seriously as others take adults’ feelings." Thus her more than 60 years of success, and lasting influence. - The Guardian (UK)
But TIFF also "voiced its solidarity with 'the people of Ukraine and those within Russia who stand against these attacks,' noting films from independent Russian filmmakers are still welcome." - CBC
"Westerns aren’t about gunfights or stagecoaches. They’re about how an extreme landscape boils human storytelling down to the essentials. ... The Western is Greek tragedy for America’s rugged individualism—and also for its machismo." - The Atlantic
Republicans and Democrats alike lose faith in the (mostly broadcast) reporters who have the word "storyteller" in their bios, a study says. "Some negative responses included sentiments like 'Storyteller to me sounds like a well-trained liar.'" - Nieman Lab
One PhD student at Queens University recorded it all. "Like many cities throughout the UK, Belfast had previously been dominated by the sound of human activity. During lockdown, these were replaced by subtle industrial, urban and natural sounds." - BBC
