ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

Stories

A Classical Recording Engineer Explains What Exactly He Does

"What you think of as a good photograph of you might not actually be the truth in how it presents you – that can also be the case with sound. … It's about presenting the (music) in somebody's home in as convincing a manner as possible." - Gramophone

How Leonard Bernstein Became A Cultural Icon

This may now seem, to younger generations, a corny, indulgent, and completely irrelevant form of grandstanding. But when you go back and watch Leonard Bernstein do it in the galvanizing documentary “Bernstein’s Wall,” it’s still cathartic. - Variety

Posthumous Art: The Ethics Of Releasing Works By Dead Creators

"They may be unfinished, never meant for wide release, or completed by someone else. That work is then attributed to the deceased, but should it be? Philosophers Sondra Bacharach and Deborah Tollefsen explore that question, and the answer is a resounding: it's complicated." - JSTOR Daily

The Great Cultures Of Africa During Europe’s Dark Ages

Suffice it to say that while Europe was experiencing its Dark Ages – a period of intellectual, cultural, and economic regression from about the 6th to 13th centuries – Africa was experiencing great civilization. - Amentii

The Obamas Have A Budding Media Empire. What Are They Hoping To Achieve With It?

Higher Ground, the former First Couple's production company, is no mere vanity enterprise: in just three years, it has released three children's series, a feature film, an Oscar-winning documentary, books, and podcasts by each Obama. And that's just what's already been completed. - Fast Company

Riccardo Muti, Part II: Man From Another Century

He doesn't do smartphones, thinks talk shows are nonsensical, and reports: "Music is rapture, it’s not understanding. Go home all you music critics!" - Gramilano

The Mysterious Phisher Haunting The Publishing World

For four years, someone has been impersonating dozens of agents, editors, translators, and others in the book business to get early copies of new manuscripts. Attempts to find the culprit end up going in circles, and the manuscripts never get publicly leaked. What's going on? - New York Magazine

Why Do So Many People Get Master’s Degrees These Days, And Are They Worth The Thousands They Cost?

Not only is the master's degree the quintessential example of a bureaucratic credential — drably functional and frequently deeply pointless — but much of its growth has been in fields that are themselves explicitly bureaucratic," writes William Deresiewicz. And then there are MFAs … - New York Magazine

What Happens To The Washington Monument When It Gets Struck By Lightning?

A timely question, because that happened last Sunday night — as it does a couple of times every year or so. The bolt damaged the obelisk's electrical system, including its elevators; repairs take a few days. (includes video) - Artnet

Orlando Ballet Director Robert Hill Steps Down After 13 Years

"Through years marked by mold infestations, financial turmoil, leadership changes and homelessness, artistic director Robert Hill was the constant face of Orlando Ballet. … In his tenure, … attendance has sharply increased, the ballet's financial situation is the strongest it has been in years." - Orlando Sentinel

Maki Kaji, Who Brought Sudoku To The World, Dead At 69

"Kaji created the puzzle to be easy for children and others who didn't want to think too hard. … Sudoku championships have drawn some 200 million people in 100 countries over the years." - AP

Great Tapestry Of Scotland Gets Its Own Gallery Space

Wait, Scotland has a historical chronicle done in needlework like the Bayeux Tapestry? Yes, but this one wasn't completed until eight years ago, and the history it depicts runs from Robert the Bruce's victory in 1314 to Andy Roddick's in 2013. - The Guardian

Children’s Book About Same-Sex Parents That Caused Row In Hungary Is Now In Russia

"(Weeks) after a Hungarian bookshop was fined for selling a children's story about … a child with same-sex parents, the same book has been published in Russia – but with an '18+' label on it in deference to the country's so-called 'gay propaganda' law." - The Guardian

A Trick To Get Beneath The Words

"On the first day of every month, I pick a poem, and then I read that poem every day that month." - The New York Times Magazine

Time To Re-Question The Idea Of Cultural Appropriation?

The very concept of “cultural appropriation” is misbegotten. As I’ve previously argued, it wrongly casts cultural practices as something like corporate intellectual property, an issue of ownership. - The New York Times

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');