That figure is "unheard-of for most State bodies," let alone arts-funding agencies in almost any country. How did it happen? With what one might (if so inclined) call sleight-of-hand that has made COVID-era emergency increases permanent. - The Irish Times
A mid-cycle cut of £6.6 million imposed abruptly in September has been made up for, with another £6.6 million allocated to make up for the reserve fund that Creative Scotland (the funding agency) raided to avoid passing the last-minute cut on to funded arts organizations. - The Scotsman (MSN)
America's flagship television newsmagazine reports on the now-notorious trafficking operation by the late dealer Douglas Latchford that saw sacred statues, goldwork and other items stolen from historic Cambodian temples sold to collectors and museums in the U.S. and elsewhere. - CBS News
"The long-delayed reappearance of Luna Luna — with its Basquiat Ferris wheel, Keith Haring merry-go-round and installations by David Hockney and Roy Lichtenstein — is drawing visitors from as far as Singapore, Seattle and New York, (and) plenty of Angelenos to the Boyle Heights neighborhood where it was recreated." - The New York Times
The annual honor by the Association of American Publishers normally goes to a house in a beleaguered country (e.g., Guatemala, Bangladesh, Venezuela) who has "demonstrated courage and fortitude in defending freedom of expression" — but this year's candidates told AAP they were scared of the hostile scrutiny the award would bring. - AP
A few students at Boyle County High School in central Kentucky learned that their school district had quietly banned more than 100 titles under a notoriously vague state law — and they and their parents raised the alarm loudly enough to attract statewide media attention and get the ban reversed. - The Nation
According to a 2019 Deloitte report, India has the largest film industry in the world in terms of films produced each year. The industry employs 850,000 people. As AI tools get sharper and the internet is filled with uncanny deepfake videos of popular Indian stars. - BBC
I was in Rimini as a thoroughly marginal person—however fine a speaker, however deserving of my medal, I would surely never have been invited to this conference in my own right, and in that sense had no right to be there—and the marginalized are prone to conspiracy theories. - The Point
If the humanities have become more political over the past decade, it is largely in response to coercion from administrators and market forces that prompt disciplines to prove that they are “useful.” - The Atlantic
“Given that we lost 50% of production time in 2023, the anticipated 5% year-on-year decrease in 2023 is not indicative of a declining interest in cinema, but simply a direct consequence of limited product availability. In fact, as July 2023 marked a record-breaking month at the global box office." - Deadline
Each year, countless new artworks are made and historical ones come into sharper focus as events in the art world and beyond give them new valance. - ARTnews
"What we need, what I’m going to establish, is an ever-expanding phalanx of Wikipedia editors to create, reframe, and defend these pages, which are treated by more and more of the human population as both encyclopedia and news source." - Harper's
"It’s been kind of an amazing experience. It’s so rare to have something that you’ve done get a glow-up. … (Broadway is) an important cultural marker. My mom and aunt knows what Broadway is." - The Guardian
In 2022, less than half a percent of books even cleared 100,000. But this is the financial model on which the publishing industry operates: a small number of titles generate sufficient profit to keep the lights on, offsetting the vast majority of the rest. - The Walrus
"Performing has always been my most challenging point. I didn’t live for the show — I lived for class, for rehearsal, being in new choreography, teaching. My 'why' is so much more clear now. I don’t want the authenticity of my art to be muddied by anything ego-driven." - Dance Magazine
