“At the most benign level of the junk industry are papers, published in journals with no effective screening process, that are obvious nonsense—about Martians being supermanagers on Mars, chocolate being a “superfood,” or even just the sentence “get me off your fucking mailing list” repeated 863 times. But beyond these papers, in journals with varying standards and reputations, are far more dangerous, flawed studies, including misleading reports about safe drinking water, fake “proof” that humans aren’t responsible for climate change, or bogus research that vaccines cause autism.” – The Walrus
The Dilemma Of Creative Placemaking
The question of just how to execute creative placemaking without inviting gentrification sits at the forefront of creative placemaking circles. Jamie Hand, a researcher for ArtPlace America, says the friction between placemaking’s benefits and the onrush of gentrifying forces has happened frequently enough to spark vigorous discussion and dialogue on the efforts to walk a tightrope between uplift and displacement of the community. – NextCity
America’s Museums Have Become A Political Battleground
Once ivory towers of culture, far removed from politics and controversy, museums have increasingly come into the spotlight as sites of protest and places where equity, diversity, and inclusion have become imperatives. – ARTnews
Bill Wittliff, Screenwriter And ‘Primary Texas Cultural Lightning Rod’, Dead At 79
He’s known to the wider world primarily as the writer of the TV series Lonesome Dove and the films Raggedy Man and The Perfect Storm, and he was a book author and photographer himself, but in his home state he’s revered for the artistic ecosystem he made possible for writers, photographers, and filmmakers. – Austin American-Statesman
Should Orchestras Play The “Best” Music? So Who Decides?
“A common argument is that art should be a strict meritocracy, i.e., that the best music should be programmed regardless of who the composer is. But then, who determines what is of artistic quality, really? So goes one of the more philosophically heated debates in the classical music world at the moment.” – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Narrative-Sharing and Narrative-Shifting With Digital Technology
Members of the Detroit-based collective Complex Movements discuss the connection between technology, performance, and social justice community organizing. – HowlRound
Study: Overuse Of Computers In Classrooms Lowers Student Performance
“When students report having access to classroom computers and using these devices on an infrequent basis, they show better performance. But when students report using these devices every day, and for several hours during the school day, performance lowers dramatically.” – Pacific Standard
Study Suggests That Human Brains Are Wired For Musical Pitch
“We found that a certain region of our brains has a stronger preference for sounds with pitch than macaque monkey brains. The results raise the possibility that these sounds, which are embedded in speech and music, may have shaped the basic organization of the human brain.” – EurekArt
MacArthur ‘Genius’ Rhiannon Giddens To Compose Opera Based On Slave Narrative
Giddens, a conservatory-trained operatic singer as well as a banjo player (she co-founded the string band Carolina Chocolate Drops) and composer, will prepare the libretto and compose the music for a new work about Omar Ibn Said, the only African-American slave known to have written an account of his captivity in Arabic. The as-yet-untitled opera was commissioned by the Spoleto Festival USA, where it will premiere in 2020, in honor of Charleston’s 350th anniversary that year. – The Post and Courier (Charleston)
Next Challenge For Virtual Reality: How Do You Register Emotion?
“Emotions are more complex and socially determined than the simple positive-negative, strong-weak arousal model suggests. Even distinguishing fear, anxiety and disgust on physiological grounds turns out to be extremely problematic.” – The Daily Beast
A Timeline Of Barnes & Noble’s Storied History
Founded in 1971, the worldwide chain enjoyed decades of dominance in the book retail market — until the internet blew up. – New York Magazine
A Case For Cutting Back Our Digital Clutter
By depriving ourselves of face-to-face contact with others, we widen the sea of angst that no amount of “likes” can ever hope to bridge. This phenomenon is borne out by research into college-age students, who experienced a radical increase in anxiety-related disorders around 2011, the same year that smartphones became widely available to consumers and teenagers began owning their own phones. – Los Angeles Review of Books
Let’s Twist Again: partying with the Don and the Donald
The first two new productions in Garsington Opera’s 30th anniversary season both feature wild parties with lots of on-stage dancing. – Paul Levy
There’s One Corner Of Hollywood Where Women Are Making Real Progress: Animation
“Women hold half of the leadership positions at the major film animation companies, new research has found. And, of the top 120 animated films over the last dozen years, nearly four in 10 had female producers, which is more than double the number of women who produced live-action films in that time.” (Things don’t look as good for nonwhite women, though.) – The New York Times
Seattle Art Museum Picks A New Director
Amada Cruz comes to Seattle after leading the Phoenix Art Museum. – Seattle Times
Arts Philanthropist Lewis B. Cullman Dead At 100
Heir to a tobacco fortune who made another fortune as an investment banker, Cullman gave away hundreds of millions to, among many other organizations, the New York Public Library, the Museum of Modern Art, public television station WNET, and the American Museum of Natural History. And he publicly encouraged his fellow moguls to give away as much as he did. The New York Times
Has Google News Really Earned $4.7 Billion That Should Have Gone To Newspapers And Magazines? Probably Not
In support of what’s arguably a good idea (giving media companies an antitrust exemption so they can band together and bargain for revenue sharing with Google and Facebook), the News Industry Alliance released a study claiming that Google News alone earns more than $4.7 billion for the search engine. That is, argues Jordan Weissman, “a stunningly flimsy conclusion. … This effort is so amateurish that I’m guessing it will probably do more harm than good for the industry’s cause.” – Slate
Three Disasters In One Day Hit Woodstock 50; Organizers Say It Will Still Happen (But Where?)
“Less than an hour after Watkins Glen International speedway announced it was no longer hosting Woodstock 50 on Monday (June 10), in separate announcements the event’s producer CID Entertainment issued a statement saying it was ending its involvement with the anniversary festival and the New York State Department of Health gave word its permit application was being rescinded.” – Billboard
Is ‘Salvator Mundi’ On A Saudi Prince’s Massive Yacht?
The whereabouts of the world’s most expensive artwork — which may or may not actually have been painted by Leonardo da Vinci — have been a mystery for months. But Artnet columnist Kenny Schachter reports that “two principals involved in the transaction” say the painting is on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s 440-foot yacht (which didn’t cost that much more than the painting did). – Artnet
Following Death Of Founder, San Antonio’s Alamo City Opera To Close
“‘We had several options, and this was the one that was viable … because he had that incredible imagination and powerful talent that a lot of people don’t have,’ said Carol Karotkin, chairwoman of the board. Richter, who launched the company in 2012 under the name Opera Piccola, died April 28 at the age of 51.” – San Antonio Express-News
Staffers Win Lawsuit To Halt Renovation Of State Russian Museum In St. Petersburg
“After nearly a yearlong legal wrangle, a court in St. Petersburg has ruled in favour of the State Russian Museum staff who have been fighting against plans for a $17m overhaul of the Mikhailovsky Palace, the museum’s main building. The plaintiffs argued that the refurbishment would damage the museum’s architectural heritage and museum collections.” The judge is being called a hero for having the courage to rule against a government project. – The Art Newspaper
Utah Symphony’s Thierry Fischer To Succeed Marin Alsop At São Paulo State Symphony
Alsop, who is currently music director of the Baltimore Symphony and begins as chief conductor of the Vienna Radio Symphony this fall, steps down from Brazil’s leading orchestra at the end of this year. Fischer, who will remain the Utah Symphony’s music director through the 2021-22 season, begins in São Paulo next March, after the summer break there. – Gramophone
Brazil’s Museums Exempted From Bolsonaro’s Massive Change To Cultural Funding Law
“Among the changes [to the “Rouanet Law“] due to come into effect next year is the reduction of the annual funding cap per project from 60m reais ($15.44m) to 1m reais ($257,000), but museums, material and immaterial heritage projects, conservation initiatives and some entertainment productions will be exempt.” – The Art Newspaper
How America Became Obsessed With Drag Queens
What was once a glittery subculture on the edge of gay culture has become one of our global pop preoccupations with its own hierarchy of stars and story lines for the fans to get behind, marketing deals and Billboard chart-toppers. – New York Magazine
Do The Tony Awards Point The Way Forward?
The Tonys ceremony, a local party opened to the nation by the patronage of CBS, is a more welcoming showcase for idealism than the billion-dollar business of Broadway. But in paying tribute to those artists who stopped our breath with the unimpeachable honesty of their gifts, the awards point the way forward. – Los Angeles Times