“Tuttle, who considered himself a social pioneer, was celebrated for pushing tattoos toward mainstream acceptance, especially for women. He left his indelible mark on stars such as Janis Joplin, Joan Baez and Cher (that was his work on her derrière in the ‘If I Could Turn Back Time’ video) – along with more hirsute clients, such as Henry Fonda and the Allman Brothers.” – San Francisco Chronicle
Ancient Roman Fast-Food Restaurants Uncovered By Pompeii Archaeologists
“The 150 or so thermopolia, or snack bars, dotted across the city were mostly used by the poorer residents, who rarely had cooking facilities in their home, to grab a snack or drink. Typical menus included coarse bread with salty fish, baked cheese, lentils and spicy wine.” – The Guardian
In Which Glenda Jackson Intimidates, Impresses, Befriends, And Corrupts A New York Times Book Critic
Parul Sehgal: “Who’s afraid of Glenda Jackson? Most people, and with some cause. She became famous for her electrifying portrayals of history and literature’s most unconventional women … In life she has proved no less formidable; the stories are legion, dark and thrilling, assuming you’re not on your way to interview her yourself.” (Corrupts? It was the cigs.) – The New York Times Magazine
Can Computational Science Really Improve Our Insight Into The Humanities?
Questions that historians and literary critics used to debate are increasingly scooped up by quantitative disciplines. In 2011, for instance, a team led by evolutionary biologists cooperated with Google to analyze millions of digitized books, published a study in Science, and announced that they had founded a new field called “culturomics.” – Chronicle of Higher Education
Let’s Just Dump The Whole Idea Of Composer-As-Genius, Shall We?
Evan Williams: “The persistence of this label is unnecessary to appreciate music by these individuals, and that it is a dangerous myth that great art can only be the product of genius. Such a myth is not only harmful to those of us who write music — poisoning us with constant impostor syndrome and anxiety that our work will never be enough — but it has allowed musical culture to become ossified around the work of a select few composers — those worthy enough to be elevated to the status of genius.” – I Care If You Listen
Man Ray’s Tomb In Paris Desecrated And Damaged
“A man was arrested Wednesday in connection with the apparent desecration of surrealist artist Man Ray’s tomb in the Montparnasse cemetery in Paris, a municipal official said. An AFP photographer noticed Wednesday that the gravestone appeared to have been wrenched off Ray’s tomb, and a portrait of the American artist and his wife smashed.” – Yahoo! (AFP)
Luis Biava, Longtime Philadelphia Orchestra Violinist (And Stand-In Conductor And All-Around Savior), Dead At 85
“Luis Biava joined the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1968 as a violinist and ended up staying more than three decades, but he never had a title that fully captured everything he meant to the ensemble and the organization. He was a respected conductor and, sitting among the first-stand players near the podium, was ready to be called upon to lead a concert at the last minute. He was an unofficial diplomat,” once defusing (in Spanish) a very tense labor dispute that broke during a tour rehearsal in Mexico City.” – The Philadelphia Inquirer
Poland’s Rightist Government Accused Of Trying To Hijack Museum About Anti-Communist Solidarity Movement
“Poland’s current Minister of Culture, Piotr Gliński, a leading member of the rightwing governing Law and Justice party (PiS), is accused of attempting to take control of the [European Solidarity Centre in Gdańsk] in an effort to curtail its programming and replace its director with a ministry-appointed one.” The PiS government has tried to do this several times in the past few years at theatres and other cultural institutions, including the Museum of World War II, also in Gdańsk. – Hyperallergic
Will Apple’s Entry Into Streaming Mean A New Golden Age For TV?
Golden ages are frequently proclaimed, but a glance at the selection of television options suggests something new is happening. Even for those of us who spend most of our recreational hours reading, suddenly many of us find TV is worth watching again as companies like Netflix open their wallets to risky projects in hope of appealing to every niche. – CBC
We’re Not In Kansas Anymore: Museums Dive Into Influencers, AI And The Social Maelstrom
We’ve moved far beyond the DYI days of tech-integrated engagement with audiences. As the technology becomes higher level and more complex, it moves further way from the art. – The Art Newspaper
Apple’s New News Product Could Further Worsen Journalism’s Ability To Make Money
Apple News+ threatens to open a massive hole in news site paywalls, allowing their best premium articles to escape. Publishers hope they’ll get exposure to new audiences. But any potential new or existing direct subscriber to a publisher will no longer be willing to pay a healthy monthly fee to occasionally access that top content while supporting the rest of the newsroom. – TechCrunch
‘Heathers’, The Movie That Upended The Teen-Comedy Genre
“It wasn’t exactly that Heathers contained no [John] Hughesian influence. The types and tropes were all there — mean girls, jocks, bullying, upper-middle-class ennui, idiotic or abusive parents, delusional teachers, a bad-boy crush — but … Heathers seemed influenced as much by Blue Velvet as by Sixteen Candles, and it paved the way for an era of darker, edgier, more experimental teen comedies.” – The New Yorker
Berlin’s Staatsoper Struggles With Its Barenboim Issue
A person who thinks of Daniel Barenboim solely as an artist might be tempted to explain or excuse his behavior: as a result of the “Latin-American blood in my body” (his, rather offensive, words) or a tortured genius’s quest for perfection. As a manager, however, he has a clear responsibility toward his employees, both musicians and administrators. A good leader honors boundaries and takes setbacks in stride. Barenboim appears to struggle with both. – Van
Poet Linda Gregg Dead At 76
“[She] did not publish her first collection, Too Bright to See (1981), until she was almost 40. But once she did, she drew quick attention in poetry circles. … {and she] taught poetry at Columbia, the University of Iowa, Princeton and other institutions. Her many honors included the PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry and the Jackson Poetry Prize.” – The New York Times
CalArts Students Fight Skyrocketing Tuition From Two Different Angles
“Like their peers all over the US, students at California Institute of the Arts … face increasingly high tuition bills each year, and they’re reaching a breaking point. Students have both protested the tuition hikes and attempted to raise funds for the university, and the board has recognized their efforts and committed to doing something about it.” – Nonprofit Quarterly
‘An Astonishing Creation’ — Jean Nouvel’s National Museum Of Qatar Opens
“In its sprawling nearly mile-long loop of galleries, the museum tells the story of how this tiny nation of nomadic Bedouins and pearl divers became, with the discovery of natural gas, the most wealthy country per capita on Earth in just 50 years.” But without a single entirely vertical surface in the place, none of the exhibits hang on the walls. (For a larger selection of exterior and interior photos, click here.) – The Guardian
What Does The Brexit Chaos Mean For The Performing Arts? (Very Little Good)
“Performing arts exports to Europe … are worth £360 million to the UK, but that and numerous jobs are under threat from a disorderly departure from the EU. Mark Shenton talks to senior theatremakers and festival organisers about what happens next for an industry they fear may become isolated and insular.” – The Stage
Paris’s Châtelet Theatre Reopens, With A Renovated Building And A ‘Robin Hood’ Mission
“One of [its] first acts will be to introduce a scheme for theatregoers to buy extra tickets for those who cannot afford them. … The theatre will also offer 10,000 €10 tickets a year to the under-25s, and there are also plans to take artists out into the community, particularly the more gritty areas of the city and its banlieues, to work with local groups, schools and colleges and encourage wider participation in the theatre and its productions.” – The Guardian
Mauling Sprawling Art Installations: Are Outdoor Works Destined for Desecration?
Marko Remec’s 2018 piece Vertebrate Progression (Field Totem), commissioned for the grounds of a Long Island art museum, has already been damaged by visitors sitting on parts of it. One takeaway for custodians of outdoor sculpture in difficult-to-guard public settings may be that such works had better be less fragile. But that’s blaming the victim. – Lee Rosenbaum
Habits Can Make Us Better (Or Worse) But We Should Understand How They Work
The fact that the brain is plastic and changeable allows habits to inscribe themselves in our neural wiring over time by forming privileged connections between brain regions. The influence of behaviourism has enabled researchers to study habits quantitatively and rigorously. But it has also bequeathed a flattened notion of habit that overlooks the concept’s wider philosophical implications. – Aeon
British Museum Loses Top Ranking Among UK’s Most Popular Tourist Attractions
“The British Museum has lost its crown as the UK’s most popular visitor attraction for the first time in a decade, overtaken by Tate Modern. Almost 5.9 million people visited the Tate Modern art gallery last year, new figures show — just above the 5.8 million who went to the British Museum.” – BBC
As Hong Kong Grows Closer To Mainland China, Worries About (Self-)Censorship Increase
“Fears are growing over Hong Kong’s artistic freedom, including instances of self-censorship, as China rolls out its Greater Bay Area integration scheme. The controversial plan aims to merge Hong Kong and Macau — its fellow Special Administrative Region (SAR) — with nine nearby cities on the mainland into a mega-hub, encompassing around 68 million people with a shared GDP of US$1.39 trillion.” – The Art Newspaper
Edinburgh International Festival 2019 To Explore Issues Of Social Justice Worldwide
“This year’s [EIF] will explore gender politics, racism, masculinity and homophobia in a response to political challenges around the world. The festival’s director, Fergus Linehan, said many theatre and opera productions in this year’s programme were an artistic response to contemporary questions and tensions, including environmentalism through Tibetan mythology, women’s rights in Nigeria, and the upsurge in authoritarian populist leaders.” – The Guardian