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Even Ancient Egyptian Relief Carvers Had Interns, And They Messed Up Sometimes, Too

"Scholars have long believed that apprentices learned their craft before they were allowed to carve reliefs for rooms like this one," the Chapel of Hatshepsut in Thebes. But one archaeologist says that apprentices did work on the wall reliefs: you can see the corrections the masters made. - ARTnews

Alumni Of University Of Utah’s Ballet Program Describe Body-Shaming, Intimidation, And Prejudice

A dozen graduates wrote letters describing abusive and sometimes racist language as well as body-shaming and authoritarian attitudes. The school's current director says progress has been and will continue to be made. (He even threw out the scales.) - The Salt Lake Tribune

More Than Half Of Arts And Heritage Jobs In UK Were Lost Due To COVID

"(A study) revealed the industry suffered a 60% decline in output because of restrictions. It said about 55% of jobs — 450,000 people — were furloughed in the sector, second only to hospitality, and well above the national average of 16%." - BBC

2021 National Book Awards Go To Jason Mott, Tiya Miles, Malinda Lo, Martín Espada, Elisa Shua Dusapin

Mott's Hell of a Book won for fiction; Miles's All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley's Sack for nonfiction; Lo's Last Night at the Telegraph Club for young people's literature; Espada's Floaters for poetry, and Elisa Shua Dusapin's Winter in Sokcho for literature in translation. - AP

As Beirut’s Conditions Deteriorate, Its Orchestra Plays On

As the value of Lebanese money fell, the 100 or so musicians in the orchestra watched the value of their pay fall from $3,000 to around $200. Most foreign musicians left the orchestra and the country. It is not clear how long the orchestra can keep going. - Voice of America

This Time, We’re Really Anxious (A History)

Of course, anxiety never went away. Depression might have seemed ubiquitous, but people in the late 20th century hardly had less to be anxious about or more to be depressed about. - Psyche

A New Model For Funding Art?

It pools 100 medium-sized donation of $1,000 each, with the total amount going to one not-for-profit project. Community projects apply and have their applications assessed by the collective of $1,000 donors, who shortlist and select the successful recipient through democratic vote. - ArtsHub

How Punk Rock Of The 70s And 80s Figured Out Safe Concerts

Venues for punk shows were numerous, encompassing everything from pet grooming stores to nonprofit community centers. The small-venue approach lent itself to the formation of a self-regulating community. - Slate

Theatre That Breaks Pre-Pandemic Rules

It's a musical experiment that questions the long-accepted rules of theatermaking and theatergoing, established and upheld before the pandemic. For example, a percentage of the masked audience traverses a dance floor, because why must they all be seated? - Los Angeles Times

Hmnnn – UK Change Of Stance On Repatriation Of The Parthenon Marbles?

When Boris Johnson’s spokesperson was asked on Tuesday, he said: “I won’t pre-empt their meeting, obviously, but the possession of the marbles is a matter purely for the museum. It’s not one for the UK government.” - The Guardian

Many Of The Ancient Roman Stoics Were Proto-Feminists

Gaius Musonius Rufus wrote plainly, "If then men and women are born with the same virtues, the same type of training and education must, of necessity, befit both men and women." - Psyche

Harry Potter Cast To Reunite For 20th Anniversary TV Special

The release made no mention of Rowling when listing those participating in the retrospective. While Harry Potter remains a beloved franchise, Rowling sparked backlash from the trans community after saying that transgender individuals should be defined by their biological sex. - The Hollywood Reporter

Former Ballerina To Get All Of €61,000 After Three-Decade-Long Case Against La Scala

Sabina Galasso was a member of La Scala Ballet's corps when, in 1991, the visiting Rudolf Nureyev picked her out for a lead in his Swan Lake. From then on, says Galasso, company leadership deliberately stifled her career. Only now has a final verdict come down. - Gramilano (Milan)

Of Course It Does: China Unveils New Five-Year-Plan For Film

The plan’s ultimate goal, however, is to build China into a “strong cultural power” by 2035 — one that can only be achieved, it says, by “adhering to the Party’s total leadership over film work.” - Variety

Fifteen-Second Book Reviews On TikTok Have Amassed 26 Billion Views

BookTok, as it's known, is an unusually lively corner of the mini-video app's subculture: the most popular reviewers can get a couple hundred thousand followers, the most watched videos rack up a million or more views, and yes, they can affect sales. - The Guardian

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