ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

Stories

How The Pandemic Changed Public Media Finances

The downturn in sponsorship sales that began in 2020 continued for public radio in 2021, while public television bucked that trend. TV stations began to chart a recovery toward prepandemic sponsorship levels. - Current

How Our Personalities Change

For a long time, psychologists saw personality as fixed throughout our lives. This has since been disproven – although personality is relatively stable, it’s far from set in stone. - Psyche

New England Symphony Orchestra Has A New Name And A New Home

The ensemble had been playing since 1974 in the north-central Massachusetts towns of Lancaster and Fitchburg under the name Thayer Symphony Orchestra; it re-christened itself the New England Symphony in 2016. Now it's moving a bit south to Worcester, with the name Worcester Symphony Orchestra. - Telegram and Gazette (Worcester, Mass.)

McWhorter: The Evolution (And Pleasure) Of Discovering How Other Languages Work

Partly because I am this strange thing called a linguist and partly because I am the kind of linguist who wants to know a little of every language on Earth, I have curled up with this book with a glass of wine countless times over the past couple of months just to savor the cornucopia that this dictionary is....

The Critic-Hating, Dog-Poop-Smearing Choreographer Loses His Other Gig, Too

"The Nederlands Dans Theater has decided to suspend its collaboration with disgraced choreographer Marco Goecke. Earlier this month, (he) smeared dog feces in the face of a critic ... while in the foyer of the Hanover State Theatre after lashing out about a review." - NL Times (The Netherlands)

David Brooks: Taking Refuge In The Arts

The normal thing to say about such experiences is that you’ve lost yourself in a book or song — lost track of space and time. But it’s more accurate to say that a piece of art has quieted the self-conscious ego voice that is normally yapping away within. - The New York Times

This Circus, Having Stopped Using Elephants, Is Using Holographs Of Them Instead

"Circus-Theater Roncalli, which was founded (in Germany) in 1976, introduced the holograms in 2019 when they partnered with a German firm specializing in augmented reality. Other acts have followed suit, including the French circus L'Écocirque, which features holograms of a lion, an elephant and beluga whales." - MSN (The Washington Post)

The Confusing Case Of The Roald Dahl Edits

Despite the indignation of the critics and the high-mindedness of the revisers, the truth is that most of the edits to the Dahl books are of very little importance. Many are slight (replacing “old hag” with “old crow”) or inscrutable... - The New York Times

Chile’s Most Famous Circus Has Been Battling Anti-Gay Discrimination For 54 Years

"All Chileans know Circo Timoteo," said manager Stéfano Rubio. More a cabaret in a tent than a conventional circus, Timoteo began in 1968 when a male dancer in a dress was a last-minute substitute for a woman.  It has celebrated sexual diversity ever since — even through the Pinochet years. - AP

By The Numbers: Oscars Have Made Progress In Diversity

Looking at the eight years before and after #OscarsSoWhite, the USC study found that 8% of nominees between 2008 and 2015 were from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups. In the post-#OscarsSoWhite era between 2016 and 2023, that number increased to 17%. - Los Angeles Times

Why Aren’t People Flocking To Movie Theaters?  Maybe Because The Projection Is Getting So Bad

Neglected equipment, screens sagging or dusty with popcorn flecks, images that are too dark and sometimes bleed off the screen.  "If a movie theater can't perform its most basic function and deliver a sharp, well-lit image, we might as well knock it down and put up a bank." - New York Magazine

The Crusade For Equity Language Is High-Handed, Counterproductive, And Arguably Immoral: George Packer

"These changes ... are handed down in communiqués written by obscure 'experts' who purport to speak for vaguely-defined 'communities,' remaining unanswerable to a public that's being morally coerced. ... The liturgy changes without public discussion, and with a suddenness and frequency that keep the novitiate off-balance, forever trying to catch up." - MSN (The Atlantic)

Only 37 Vermeer Paintings Are Known. The Big Rijksmuseum Show Has 28. Nine Are Missing.  Which Are They, And Are There Others Someplace?

"Vermeer's production was certainly larger, so the hunt continues. ... Art historians have found it particularly difficult to track down Vermeer's work for a number of reasons: ... only half his known works are signed, and, most importantly, he remained relatively unknown outside Holland until the late 19th century." - The Art Newspaper

Visiting A Hindu Temple That Sculptures Were Looted From

The Tanesar sculptures were stolen from India circa 1961, ultimately ending up at such prominent locations as LACMA, the British Museum, and the Met. While many of the statues currently sit in legal limbo, Elizabeth Kadetsky went to find the rural temple that had once been their home. - The American Scholar

I Went To The Royal Opera On A £1 Ticket

Journalist Hugh Morris managed to score the ultimate prize of a cheap-tickets-for-young-audiences scheme: £1 admission to the most expensive classical arts venue in London.  It turned out to be standing room, midweek, at the back of the very top balcony.  Here's his report. - Van

Our Free Newsletter

Join our 30,000 subscribers

Latest

Don't Miss

function my_excerpt_length($length){ return 200; } add_filter('excerpt_length', 'my_excerpt_length');