ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

Stories

What Should A Museum Do With Its Collection Of Vital, Fragile Works On Paper?

Ask the Hammer Museum at UCLA, where not only more study access but a new gallery space will show off, in careful rotation, the collection. "Call it a coming out party for works on paper, as an exceptional collection sees a new light of day." - Los Angeles Times

Dear Museums, Stop Building New Wings, And Build A New Staff Instead

Museum donor money could go someplace it would make a real difference - hiring, and keeping, a more diverse staff. - Fast Company

Meet The Teens Who Formed A Book Club To Read Banned Books

As conservative U.S. adults go on absolute orgies of book objections and attempts to censor and ban books by or about LGBTQIA+ people, Black history and contemporary life, and anything else their joyless brains decide aren't "good" for kids, some teens fight back. - The Guardian (UK)

Boston Has Been Without A Concertmaster Since 2019, And Its Search Is Being Conducted, As Normal, In Secrecy

Boston music lovers are curious because "the Boston Symphony Orchestra has been quietly searching for its next concertmaster. Whomever they appoint to this coveted chair will hold a tenured position occupied by only three violinists over the course of the last century." - Boston Globe

Welcome Rituals And The Meaning Of Land Acknowledgments

Native land acknowledgements may sound to some like newfangled expressions of liberal guilt, but they have their origin in the centuries-old welcoming practices of many Native American cultures, as an offering of thanks and an honoring of relationships. - Oregon Arts Watch

Stephanie Selby, Known To Millions As ‘A Very Young Dancer,’ Has Died

The book that inspired thousands of aspiring dancers caused the subject serious issues. "Stephanie was not just another young woman who decided that the boot-camp-like demands of dance were not for her; she was the heroine of a beloved book." - The New York Times

This 45-Year-Old Album Has Been On The Charts For 926 Weeks

That's right: Fleetwood Mac's Rumours has been selling well for longer than any Millennial has been alive, and now it's selling more copies on vinyl than Ed Sheeran and just slightly fewer than Adele. What gives? - The Guardian (UK)

A Statue Of A Racist Former Governor In Mississippi Is Now Stashed In A Closet, Under A Blanket

Mississippi House Clerk Andrew Ketchings "said he had been bothered by the statue for years 'because of everything he stood for. ... It was way past time to do it. I just read through a lot of his quotes that were offensive.'" - US News And World Report

The New MoviePass Wants In On The Metaverse

What does that mean? Well: "You don’t need fake popcorn; you don’t need tomatoes; you don’t need other things that are in there. And that’s where we’re looking at it, and it’s something we’re taking seriously that we feel we will have a presence in." - The Verge

The Black Authors Shaking Up Brazil’s Literary Scene

"Until recently Black authors had a hard time getting book deals from mainstream Brazilian publishers," when a few authors decided to change things: "They published inexpensive titles, priced at less than $4, and held book events in outdoor public places." - The New York Times

We Don’t Understand The Past, And We Don’t Have Any Idea What’s Coming

Or so says historian and science fiction author Ada Palmer. "As she sees it, societal progress may be stochastic, unpredictable, but certain constants shape its course. Just not the constants most people think, and not in the way they expect." - Wired

Admit It: Jimmy Kimmel Has A Point About The Oscars

OK, he sounded a little like a frat boy while dissing The Power of the Dog, but "the thing that Kimmel was getting at is: Why are the Oscars increasingly severed from the populist side of moviegoing?" - Variety

Why Does A C Look Like A C?

Or any letter at all - what's the reasoning behind letter shapes? Turns out it might not be as random as linguists thought, and taught, for decades. - Vice

Finding A Balance In Opera Performance

Soprano Marlis Peterson: "In the beginning of my career, the singing was most important. ... Then the music became as important as the text, and then came playing the role. And I wouldn’t say it’s 33-33-33. It’s three times 100." - The New York Times

No Shock That In-Person Library Use Plummeted In Early 2021

But, in the UK at least, there was a corresponding gain in e-usage. But "borrowing of physical books had returned to around 84% of pre-Covid levels by December 2021, although digital and audio borrowing have remained high, which 'brings its own challenges to library budgets.'" - The Guardian (UK)

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