"The 75 performers from 18 countries will include performers on a triangular high wire 25 feet off the ground, crisscrossing flying trapeze artists, a spinning double wheel powered by acrobats and BMX trail bikes, unicycle riders and skateboarders doing flips and tricks." - AP
"(Many in the industry are ambivalent), acknowledging the power of AI to help a screenwriter overcome writer's block or an editor to skip mundane tasks, but expressing alarm about the risk of machines replacing humans or effectively forcing them to work for free." - The Guardian
Bulgarian officers working under Europol staged a raid in Sofia to break up a Greek-Bulgarian art-trafficking ring. They found what curators at Bulgaria's National Art Gallery say is an uncatalogued 1949 painting by Pollock, a work estimated to be worth up to $54 million. - Artforum
A new study has been published by climate scientists who examined paintings from throughout the two artists' careers and found that the works provide a sort of visual history of the growing use of coal and the accompanying increase in smog. - CNN
"More than 1,200 challenges were compiled by the association in 2022, nearly double the then-record total from 2021 and by far the most since the American Library Association began keeping data 20 years ago." - AP
An analysis of strands of his hair has upended long held beliefs about his health. The report provides an explanation for his debilitating ailments and even his death, while also raising new questions about his genealogical origins and hinting at a dark family secret. - The New York Times
If the good news is that we are doomed, the better news is that we can’t do much about it. Peter Frankopan points to the arrogance of talk of the ‘Anthropocene’, an age in which humans have replaced nature as the big influence on Earth. - Literary Review
There’s nothing quite like recalling the rich joys of life to make us wonder why memories worth relishing can seem like a scarce resource in a world that threatens to overwhelm us at every turn. - Psyche
An exceptionally rare Guarneri violin—so fabled that it has its own name, the Baltic—sold for $9.44 million (premium included) at auction on March 16, just shy of its $10 million estimate. The final sale price smashed the $3.6 million auction record for a Guarneri instrument. - Artnet
A UK TV crew spotted the man — who was also seen wearing a long black coat and glasses — as he took phone pics soon after news emerged that the famous street artist’s latest stencil had just been destroyed in Herne Bay in Kent. - New York Post
"The artisans there — including a gold-leaf specialist, coppersmiths and wood carvers — fear that their meticulous work will be destroyed, as has happened in years past. Their frustrations have been intensified by the tighter control Israel has exerted over the compound in recent years, making repairs more difficult." - The New York Times
“In general, I don't think people recognized how much of an economic footprint the arts have in this country,” he adds. “We are for sure seeing some setbacks for major industries in the arts, but we're seeing resilience too.” - The Art Newspaper
"After a three-year search, seven finalists' concerts; and extensive surveys of musicians, audiences and board members, the Vermont Symphony Orchestra finally has a new music director: Andrew Crust, 35, a native of Kansas City. … He follows Jaime Laredo, whose tenure lasted 20 years." - Seven Days (Burlington, VT)
Scenic downsizing is all the rage in Midtown for a range of reasons — skyrocketing costs, cold concepts, quick turnarounds. As a result, storied houses are morphing into university black boxes; shows into showcases; dramas into drab-a-thons. - New York Post
