"A child of small-town Appalachia for whom the idea of going to New York City was like 'going to the moon,' he … danced with Martha Graham, was an early member of the Paul Taylor Dance Company and led his own well-regarded troupe for 25 years." - The New York Times
We think of oligarchy as a foreign concept, but the truth is that American oligarchs abound, and many of them collect art. It’s a time-honored strategy. - Mother Jones
"(While) 80%+ of 100+ national magazines have lower readership than they did a decade ago, over the past two years, nearly 90% of those have maintained or actually increased readership." - MediaPost
It is easy, and accurate, to call “Rhapsody in Blue” naïve and corny. But, to be fair, it was still very early in the timeline of jazz and swinging Black music on record. - The New York Times
Jonathan Larson conceived the show as a monologue, with himself at the keyboard playing all the roles. After he died suddenly in 1996 and Rent became a smash hit, Tick, Tick … Boom! was adapted into a three-actor piece. But NPH and the Kennedy Center have bigger plans. - The Washington Post (MSN)
The American Museum of Natural History will close two major halls exhibiting Native American objects, its leaders said on Friday, in a dramatic response to new federal regulations that require museums to obtain consent from tribes before displaying or performing research on cultural items. - The New York Times
"The Kyoto District Court found defendant Shinji Aoba mentally capable to face punishment for his crimes and announced the sentence … on Thursday. Aoba stormed into Kyoto Animation’s No. 1 studio on July 18, 2019, and set it on fire. … More than 30 other people were badly burned or injured." - AP
"I confess I still cling to the old faith that culture is vastly more important than politics or some pre-professional training in algorithms and software systems. I’m convinced that consuming culture furnishes your mind with emotional knowledge and wisdom." - The New York Times
"By the end of March, iHeartMedia plans to debut between five and ten podcasts, originally created in English, translated into new languages including Spanish, French, German and Italian using artificial intelligence." - Inside Radio
Over the last five years, many arts organizations in the US and UK stopped accepting the (previously generous) donations of the Sackler family because of its role in the opioid crisis. Records indicate that the Sackler Trust has recommenced its donations, but the recipients remain unnamed. - The New York Times
"Culture Pass Dallas was created by the Office of Arts and Culture and the Dallas Public Library in 2019. Six months after launching, the pandemic hit and put the program on hold. Now, the Office of Arts and Culture is prioritizing rebuilding (the free-admission program)." - The Dallas Morning News (MSN)
"Under the (three-year) deal, 17 objects from the V&A and 15 from the British Museum will go on show later this year at the Manhyia Palace Museum in Kumasi, the capital of Asante region. Many of the items have not been seen in Ghana for 150 years." - The Guardian
Last season, amid rising costs and still-lagging ticket sales and donations, the Met took $30 million from its endowment to cover its expenses; this season, it has withdrawn almost $40 million. Even so, general manager Peter Gelb says things are starting to move in the right direction. - The New York Times
In addition to giving its music director an automatically renewing contract, the BSO has appointed Carlos Simon to its composer chair (a new position expanded from the composer-in-residence role) and created the Boston Symphony Orchestra Humanities Institute, which will present lectures, film series, and other events.. - The Boston Globe (MSN)
"Portrait of Fräulein Lieser belonged to a Jewish family in Austria and was last seen in public in 1925. Its fate after that is unclear but the family of the current owners have had it since the 1960s. (One) auction house estimates the painting's value at more than $54 million." - BBC
