From the Old Slave Mart on Chalmers Street to historic plantations and downtown mansions to the new International African American Museum to walking tours for visitors, the Holy City is facing up to ugliness that it long tried to decorously ignore. – National Geographic
What Might Have Been — A Plan For NPR To Be An Arts Powerhouse
Once upon a time, kids, NPR was to have taken its place among other national broadcasters around the world to become the standard for music, and yeah, news. But, to paraphrase, stuff happens. – Current
Painting Falls Off Wall, Turns Out To Be Lost Rembrandt
The Adoration of the Magi hanging in a country house near Rome was assumed to be a copy. But, five years ago, the owners sent it to restorer Antonella di Francesco after it suffered an “accidental trauma” — and, as she worked on the canvas, she gradually realized that it was the real thing. – CNN
The Art Of The Biden White House
The Obamas borrowed 142 pieces from the Smithsonian and the National Gallery of Art, the other recent occupants 12. The Bidens haven’t started borrowing yet – but it will happen, and curators think they know what the couple will want. “Even as they embrace the Obamas’ modern and contemporary inclinations, the Bidens’ time as second family suggests their artistic sensibilities are less MoMA chic and, at times, more mom-and-pop.” – Washington Post
Halo Wines, Eminence Of Washington-Area Theatre Scene, 81
Wines was an actress and director who was enrolled as a child in acting lessons to help her overcome shyness. She “brought consummate artistry to dozens of productions at the Arena Stage and Olney Theatre Center.” – Washington Post
William Randolph Hearst Bought A Medieval Spanish Monastery And Shipped It To California
But then the 1175 monastery of Santa María de Óvila wasted away some time in crates on a San Francisco pier. – El Pais (Spain)
Recording Academy Settles With Its Former CEO Deborah Dugan
The move is the latest in a series led by Recording Academy chief Harvey Mason, jr. that reflect an effort to at least calm some of the multiple controversies that have arisen around it over the past few years, ranging from Dugan’s extremely hostile termination to her predecessor Neil Portnow’s 2018 comment that females in the music industry need to “step up” in order to advance. – Variety
How Abstract Ideas Shape Our Practical Perceptions
They are imbued with grandeur precisely because of their superb indifference to mundane human concerns. Having knowledge is practically useful, but why would we also need the concept of knowledge? – Aeon
Taking A Turn At The Culture Of Trees
It feels as if there has been a dendrocentric turn in culture recently; a new sensitivity to the arboreal and, more broadly, the botanical. – The Guardian
Why Do People Feel Compelled To Correct Others’ Mispronunciations?
Why do people pronounce words differently, why does pronunciation change, and why does so-called mispronunciation upset some people to the point of making it possible (and interesting) to compile a top ten list? – The Conversation
What You Get When You Cross Opera With Prestige TV
“Desert In is an operatic experiment. Co-produced by Long Beach Opera and by Boston Lyric Opera, which commissioned the work, the eight-episode streaming miniseries is the brainchild of LBO Artistic Director … James Darrah, composer Ellen Reid and [playwright christopher oscar] peña. … Episodes,” each with a different composer and scriptwriters, “are just 15 to 20 minutes long, but each packs a hefty dramatic and artistic punch — operatic excess reduced to an intensely rich sauce, served in small portions designed to leave audiences craving more.” – Yahoo! (Los Angeles Times)
The Market Economy Is An Illusion — Why Neo-Liberalism Is Heavily Subsidized
In reality neoliberalism has depended on huge levels of government support for its entire existence. The global neoliberal economic order could easily have collapsed into a 1930s-level Great Depression multiple times over in the absence of massive government interventions. – Boston Review
It Seems Philosopher John Locke Was Kind Of A Jerk
“John Locke is regarded today as one of England’s greatest philosophers, an Enlightenment thinker known as the ‘father of liberalism’. But a previously unknown memoir attributed to one of his close friends paints a different picture – of a vain, lazy and pompous man who ‘amused himself with trifling works of wit’, and a plagiarist who ‘took from others whatever he was able to take’.” – The Guardian
Jersey City Residents Question Pompidou Plans To Build Jersey Outpost
“Everyone agrees that the Pompidou is an extraordinary asset for Jersey City. But we just raised a levy on homeowners because we didn’t have the money for school funding. How can we then bring more financial debt to the table for a museum?” – Hyperbeast
Meet Recycler Joe Rush, The Outrageous Outsider Artist
“My life has been about reclaiming that nomadic spirit. All the festivals we’ve taken part in over the years are really just an echo of what happened when nomadic tribes came into the valleys in summer and partied.” – The Guardian
Yes, There Will Be A Cultural Olympics In Tokyo This Summer — Sort Of
“The Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage has unveiled plans for the inaugural Olympic Agora, an exhibition and series of art installations that celebrate the ideals and spirit of the games. … Onsite installations will be complemented by a digital program, including virtual exhibitions and artist talks on the Olympic Agora website and the Olympic Museum’s social media channels.” – Artnet
West End’s Top Producers Sue UK Government To Get Results Of COVID Pilot Events
“Andrew Lloyd Webber and other impresarios said on Thursday they had started legal action to press Britain’s government to publish research into the safety of holding indoor events during the pandemic. A joint statement from [the plaintiffs], also including Cameron Mackintosh and Sonia Friedman, said the industry had repeatedly urged the government to spell out its reasons for keeping restrictions on audiences in place.” – Reuters
Banksy Decides To Own — Files For Trademarks On His Work
The trademarks apply to the use of the images on a huge range of goods including posters, handbags, umbrellas, bedsheets, clothing, rugs and many more. – The Age (Melbourne)
Survey: Scots Ready To Attend Arts Events Again
The audience attitudes survey for national arts agency Creative Scotland has found that outdoor events currently have much more appeal to potential audiences than indoor entertainment. Nearly two thirds of Scots said they would be comfortable attending outdoor theatre, music or comedy shows. – The Scotsman
The Extraordinary Musician And Teacher You’ve Probably Never Heard Of
I sat in on some of his lessons, and was mesmerized. What a mind! What profound, probing musicianship! And what a strange man… – Van
Reset: The Visual Artists’ Impact In Shaping Hip Hop Culture
Jean-Michel Basquiat was part of a constellation of young graffiti artists who used New York City’s streets and subways as their canvases before going on to take both the art world and hip-hop culture by storm. – The New York Times
Using Design Thinking As A Process To Solve Bigger Problems
In fact, while design thinking is not exactly the same as the scientific method we learned in school, it bears an uncanny resemblance. – Smashing Magazine
Once A Rarity, Broadway Will Have Seven Plays By Black Writers This Season
These plays arrive at a time of intensified attention on racial inequity in many corners of society, including the theater industry. – The New York Times
Biden’s Picks For Replacement Members On National Council On The Arts
Study: Virtual Concerts Are Here To Stay
Of those who participated in a virtual event, 88% said they plan to do so again even when in-person gatherings return. – Los Angeles Times