"Musicians and writers, artists and architects, photographers and filmmakers listening, arguing and creating with each other, … drawing inspiration from the collectivizing impulse of the Harlem Renaissance, … these groups explored a range of approaches to fostering culture and community." - T — The New York Times Style Magazine
The Taliban’s stance on music forbids people from enjoying and participating in cultural activities, and violates the UN International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. - The Conversation
Computer Space made its debut in 1971 at a trade show for pinball machines and jukeboxes. (Its creators founded Atari and released Pong the following year.) The common story is that it was too complicated for bar patrons, but that wasn't the real problem. - The Conversation
More and more, findings in deep learning are inspiring new theories of how our brains work. Neural networks need to “dream” of weird, senseless examples to learn well. - Nautilus
"Graphene is a two-dimensional carbon allotrope whose molecules bind together through a phenomenon called Van der Waals forces. … It can be produced in large, thin sheets; it blocks ultraviolet light; and it is impermeable to oxygen, moisture, and other corrosive agents." - Artnet
ÜNI, as the site is called, wasn't created to stream the company's live performances: each work on the platform was choreographed especially for digital video, and a few of them includes VR versions that can be controlled by the viewer. - The Boston Globe
The stereotype of country music lovers being only Southern and Midwestern conservatives isn't really true — yet. As some industry stars take controversial stands on some issues (e.g., vaccines) and keep silent on others (George Floyd and BLM), some fans are turning away. - MSN (The Washington Post)
Suni Reid, who's done the show in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, alleges their contract wasn't renewed because they requested a gender-neutral dressing room. Producers say they supported Reid, financially and otherwise, and withdrew the contract only after learning they were being sued. - The New York Times
The purpose of the Paycheck Protection Program was to let businesses hobbled by the pandemic retain their employees. An AFSCME study found that, out of 7,500 eligible cultural institutions, 228 large ones got $771 million, half the total — and let go of 28% of their staff. - Hyperallergic
"Unless an agreement is reached with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers in the coming days, 60,000 IATSE film and TV workers will go on strike on Monday, Oct. 18, at 12:01 a.m. PDT." The primary issues are rest periods and minimum pay. - The Hollywood Reporter
"Mehrdad Sadigh pleaded guilty to seven felony counts that included charges of forgery and grand larceny. … The prosecution of Mr. Sadigh was something of a departure by the Antiquities Trafficking Unit, which generally pursues people dealing in artifacts that have been looted." - The New York Times
The worry is that scientific processes have been undermined by perverse incentives to the point that it’s difficult to know what to believe. - London Review of Books
If the LGBTQ community, including members of your own staff, tells you that — even when couched in calling out racism — 70 minutes of Chappelle insulting gay and trans people is hateful, how can your response be “um, no it’s not”? - Los Angeles Times
"Within the theatre industry itself, and in education, we’ve elevated him as sort of a pinnacle. We have an opportunity to understand why and when we’ve done that—when we’ve done that well, when we’ve done that wrong or we’ve used it to hurt other people." - American Theatre
COVID-related funding losses have seen drama departments at seven universities either cut completely, or drastically pruned. The loss of these programs will have a devastating impact on future generations of artists and arts educators. - ArtsHub
