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For First Time, Boston Symphony Will Have Female CEO

"In picking , the orchestra looked west, to one of the most successful American orchestras of recent years" — the Los Angeles Philharmonic, where she is COO — "for its choice to succeed Mark Volpe, who led the Boston Symphony for 23 years. Samuel will be responsible for steering the organization out of one of its most dire crises,...

Marfa, Texas Is Getting An(other) Arts Center

"For the last year, Michael Phelan — a contemporary artist who has lived in Marfa full time since 2014 — has been quietly planning another destination within miles of both sites: Marfa Invitational, an interdisciplinary, year-round arts and cultural foundation, set on five acres of high desert." - The New York Times

UK’s National Theatre Ends Tours To Europe

Yes, it's because of Brexit: a statement from a company spokesperson said that "the potential additional costs for visas and current uncertainty around social security contributions mean regrettably it is currently not financially viable. We hope that in future we'll return to tour in Europe. However, that will not be possible until we have further clarity on these points."...

Did The Louvre Just Ruin Its Cy Twombly Mural?

"After a renovation of a storied gallery at the Louvre Museum in Paris, the Cy Twombly Foundation has claimed that a monumental ceiling painting by the late artist has been permanently altered, thanks to a new paint job on the surrounding walls and a change in lighting. … is demanding that the Salle des Bronzes be returned to...

This Summer’s Glyndebourne Opera Festival Will Happen (Almost) As Normal

Says managing director Sarah Hopwood, "We are determined to present a festival this summer in whatever form is possible. We consider this essential to protect the livelihoods of our staff and freelance artists we employ and to continue to engage with our audience." Audiences will be limited to 50% of capacity, and other COVID safety measures will be in...

‘Like The Metro At Rush Hour’: Vatican Museums Reopen To The Public, And It’s A Mess

"Museumgoers took to social media to complain about the institution’s failure to implement effective social-distancing measures in some of its most popular spaces last weekend, in particular those decorated with frescoes by Raphael and his workshop. … In an open letter to museum management posted on Facebook, that he was 'deeply ashamed and embarrassed' that he had led...

Indianapolis Museum/Newfields CEO Resigns After Week Of Outcry

"We are sorry. We have made mistakes. We have let you down. We are ashamed of Newfields' leadership and of ourselves," the board said in a statement announcing the departure of Charles Venable in the wake of heavy criticism over a very unfortunately worded job listing. This was the latest in a series of controversies over Venable's leadership and...

YouTube Chief Talks About What’s Next, Misinformation, And New Features

YouTube is planning an official rollout for “Applause,” a feature—already in testing—that lets viewers make cash payments to their favorite creators by initiating an on-screen clapping effect. Like existing features such as Super Chat, “it’s a token of my appreciation of some monetary value.” - Fast Company

AI Researchers Are Increasingly Worried About The Ethical Implications Of Their Work

Just as some computer scientists seem oblivious to ethical concerns, others appear to be trigger-happy with their moral outrage. - The New Yorker

Can Historians Be Traumatized By What They Study?

"The phenomenon of the historian traumatized by history remains unstudied and is not widely known. Yet anyone who has documented depravity knows the symptoms. After writing a book on the Armenian Genocide, a process that took me five years, I found it impossible to slip comfortably into sleep. All kinds of catastrophes visited me—still visit me—in that space before...

Study: Are “Minor” Literatures More Nationalistic?

"Our data consists of digital editions of 200 works of prize-winning fiction, divided into four subcorpora of equal size: U.S.-American, French, German, and a collection of novels drawn from 19 different "minor" European languages. We ultimately find no evidence to support Casanova's theory that minor literatures are more nationalistic than literature produced within major cultural capitals. Indeed, the evidence...

Struggling With The Meaning Of Cultural Appropriation

"Your poem was meant to be a complex double portrait of both the Black caregiver and your white grandmother, and the racist logic and history that bound them both. Did you, a young white person, the child of people you freely admitted had been shaped by racist beliefs, have any claim or relationship to this voice? Our workshop worried...

Getting A Grip On Australia(s) Through Graphic Novels

"Comic creators have been wrestling with contemporary Australia and its identities in a series of publication coming out this year. What they show is a nation divided by racism and on a collision course with dystopia rather than being 'one and free'." - ArtsHub (Australia)

Now We Know What New Orleans Without Mardi Gras Music Is

His city—our cities—aren’t empty now. They’re just pretty much shut down. There’s a social media campaign attached to the Jazz & Heritage Foundation’s new outreach efforts, asking for posts in response to the question, “Have you ever been saved by a song?” Our answer is and will be, yes. - The Daily Beast

How The Bay Area’s Hip-Hop Dance Crews Have Kept On Through COVID

"When the first COVID-19 lockdown rippled across the Bay Area last March, the dance community reeled. … But as the pandemic unfolded, the crews adapted: leveraging technology to rehearse remotely, dancing outdoors and performing via YouTube or Instagram as live events disappeared. Over the last year, they've found ways to keep dancing together, strengthening their community and confronting social...

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