Theater impresarios quickly recognized them as their ideal audience: the true-blue fans who reliably subscribed to the whole opera season; bought programs, autographed photos; and drummed up the anticipation and conversation that kept theaters in business. - LitHub
The liberal beliefs that underpin today’s international art world are only shared by a tiny minority of the global population. Yet the West’s art establishment continues to label as “bad” anything that does not conform to such orthodoxies. - The Art Newspaper
I know neither birdsong nor silence, and yet am acutely aware that countless people struggling with their own version of “life is unfair” would trade their lot for mine in a heartbeat. I know this intellectually, but a loss is still a loss, and mourning takes time. - Vince Werner
People can derive pleasure from recreational horror, whether in a haunted attraction or in front of the screen. For some, it is about maximum stimulation; those people are the adrenaline junkies. But for others, it is about keeping fear at a tolerable level. Aeon
Mike Rose at UCLA "heralded a paradigm shift in the way writing is taught in our educational system. … (He) asked teachers to understand students as whole people, with mixed feelings about academic writing, who are nonetheless trying to do a very difficult thing." - The New Yorker
The former industrial district in Newham, East London, a big destination for new immigrants, will get film, music, and art studios as well as performance venues and community workspaces. The mayor says the project will create 35,000 jobs and 4,000 new homes over 20 years. - The Stage
Once you cut through the blather, the letter basically said the museum had looked critically at its corps of docents, a group dominated by mostly (but not entirely) white, retired women with some time to spare, and found them wanting as a demographic. - Chicago Tribune
Robert M. Levy: "In order to succeed, the Art Institute and our peer group must let go of the museum tenet of “this is how we have always done it” and explore new ways to ignite enthusiasm in our visitors." - Chicago Tribune
"From the comical horseback-riding step in PSY's 'Gangnam Style' to the carefree peace-sign–wielding grooves in BTS's 'Permission to Dance,' K-pop choreography often goes viral. … Nearly every K-pop song has corresponding choreography that hits each accent in the track." - Dance Magazine
The new Disney Plus documentary on Dr Anthony Fauci, which explores the personal side of the controversial figure, has a certified 91 percent approval rating from critics and a mere 2 percent from audiences. - The Spectator
Some observers have been criticizing the English titles for Squid Game in particular, with one Korean-American even saying "If you don't understand Korean, you didn't really watch the same show." The format's constraints make it a tricky business — and one hugely affected by Netflix. - The Guardian
Dead musicians will start by giving tours in concert halls, but as the cost of the technology goes down, they will begin performing everywhere. - Ted Gioia
Since 1984, the Broad Art Foundation (yes, as in Eli and Edythe) in Los Angeles has made more than 8,700 loans (well over 200 a year) to nearly 600 institutions. How does it work? Here's a look at the operation's logistics. - ARTnews
Julie Bargmann, whose firm is called D.I.R.T. ("Dump It Right There") has been given the first Oberlander Prize, a $100,000 biennial award for landscape architecture. Justin Davidson explores how Bargmann's approach leaves onsite as much as possible of what’s there and uses nature for cleanup. - Curbed
