Doin’ It
After almost two generations of declining emphasis on the arts in public schools we face communities largely made up of people who have little or no experience participating in the arts. Where once large percentages … read more
AJBlog: Engaging Matters Published 2017-03-28
“Emet” & Emmett: Why Truth-Telling (like Schutz’s) about Till’s Murder Should Be Ecumenical
The Whitney Museum has now composed what is, to my mind, the most succinct, sagacious response to the firestorm of castigation, pontification and rationalization swirling around Dana Schutz‘s powerful Open Casket at the Whitney Biennial. … read more
AJBlog: CultureGrrl Published 2017-03-28
Here’s An Idea To Boost Engagement With The Arts
“I believe that there is a strong rationale for the creation of a Cultural Endowment Foundation. It should aim to synthesise existing evidence, promote greater evidence use and generate rigorous new evidence (through supporting and evaluating promising interventions) on one and only one issue: how can we narrow social class gaps in adult arts attendance?”
Who Invented The Telescope? The Answer Is Complicated (And Fascinating)
“For almost any device, claiming one individual as the inventor is problematic to say the least. Conception, demonstration and implementation can be very different things, and the path connecting them is typically not a line but a long, challenging and tortuous route.”
Study: Low-Quality TV Helps Create Audiences For Populist Politics
“Exposure to entertainment television, particularly at a young age, can contribute to making individuals cognitively and culturally shallower, and ultimately more vulnerable to populist rhetoric,” write Ruben Durante of Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Paolo Pinotti of Bocconi University, and Queen Mary University of London’s Andrea Tesei. “By popularizing certain linguistic codes and cultural models, entertainment television may have contributed to creating a fertile ground for the success of populist leaders,” they add.
Today’s Philanthropies Have Some Issues (And Some Problems)
“I think the more people understand how much power the wealthy have through philanthropy, the more they’re likely to see it as part of this larger pattern of the wealthy speaking with a larger and larger voice, even as ordinary people struggle to be heard at all.”
Thieves Break In To Berlin Museum And Steal Giant 100 KG Gold Coin Worth €3.7 Million
“The coin, which police said was protected by bulletproof glass, carries a nominal value of C$1m and was produced by the Royal Canadian Mint in 2007. Known as the “Big Maple Leaf” and made of the purest bullion, only five have so far been produced, according to the mint’s website. One side features a maple leaf, the other a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.”