Awkwardly, the list was finalized before Putin's forces attacked Ukraine. The locations included range from world-renowned (Teotihuacán) to very ancient (cave paintings in the Amazon) to African Modernist (the People's Palace in Ouagadougou) to embattled (the old cities of Beirut and Benghazi) to offbeat (Kolkata's Chinatown). - Smithsonian Magazine
The state House of Representatives has approved an amendment that removes the exemption libraries, museums, and schools had from a longstanding law against exposing minors to "pornography," including any verbal descriptions of sexual excitement, and "any other harmful material." - Boise State Public Radio
"The J. Paul Getty Trust, a nonprofit that oversees the Getty museum complex in Los Angeles, is suing the financial services firm Allianz Global Investors, alleging that the company 'recklessly' mismanaged the trust's investment fund, resulting in 'significant losses' for the organization's endowment." - ARTnews
"In one partially empty gallery of the Andrey Sheptytsky National Museum (in Lviv), employees placed carefully wrapped baroque pieces into cardboard boxes. A few meters away, a group walked down the majestic main staircase carrying a giant piece of sacred art, the 18th century Bohorodchany iconostasis." - AP
Tourism is attractive because it underwrites a desire that, when we go overseas, stuff doesn’t get too strange, risky or foreign. Increasingly, we travel not to decentre our worldviews or challenge our sensibilities, but to chillax and populate our Instagrams. - The Guardian
Bemused gamers and tech experts, meanwhile, wondered what possible uses a company such as Epic – itself 40% owned by Chinese gaming megacorp Tencent – might have for the direct-to-fan marketplace for MP3s of niche musical genres like vaporwave and chiptune. - The Guardian
But the artist says the aftermath has made him calmer, and more focused on different goals. "I’ve been attempting to make paintings which speak to connection, reaching towards empathy. The noise of previous work gave way to something quieter." - The Guardian (UK)
The maturity of the subscription market varies by industry, but in some of the categories best known for these kinds of services, there are indicators that the ceiling is close, at least in the United States. - The Atlantic
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
