The graduating MFA class of 2020 at the Oregon College of Art and Craft has, to put it mildly, been through some things. But they may be the only graduating MFA class in the country to have had a thesis show this year. – Oregon ArtsWatch
Who’s Making Money Off Of Cheap Language Instruction?
It’s not the language teachers, especially the English-language teachers from places like the Philippines, who are getting paid poverty wages. And what of apps? Uh … “Language ‘learners’ on Duolingo are actually just performing the free labor—or even paying for the privilege—of helping the company improve its proprietary algorithms.” – Boston Review
The Line Between Cancel And Unpopular
There’s a difference between a harassment campaign and suffering the consequences of hateful behaviour. Clearly, we all understand that there is a line that shouldn’t be crossed, a point in which a person should no longer be in a position of power and influence. The problem is that we disagree on where, exactly, that line is. – Forbes
Smithsonian’s National Museum Of African Art Accused Of ‘Culture Of Racism’
A two-page letter sent by former employees and board members to Smithsonian secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III “alleges that more than 10 former or current Black employees have ‘reported or experienced incidents of racial bias, hostile verbal attacks, retaliation, terminations, microaggressions and degrading comments,’ all of which have been ignored by management when raised formally. … The letter’s signatories are calling for the resignation of the NMAfA’s deputy director and chief curator Christine Mullen Kreamer.” – HuffPost
Key Figure In Islamic Extremist Occupation Of Timbuktu Now On Trial In The Hague
The man who functioned as the chief of police for the Ansar Dine extremists who took over the historic Malian city in 2012, destroying medieval shrines and manuscripts and terrorizing the city’s inhabitants, has been formally indicted at the International Criminal Court. Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoude declined to enter pleas on 16 charges. – BBC
Is “The Sublime” An Outdated Romantic Idea?
The Romantic poet William Wordsworth wrote of ‘the sensation of sublimity’ as ‘a comprehensive awe’. Psychologists refer to the sublime as an awe-like aesthetic emotion. Without the positive affect, there is no experience of the sublime. But even if the sublime has to be felt, it is still a response to something about the object, such as its rare vastness or daunting power. It’s a bit like how colour is both response-dependent and objective at the same time. – Psyche
A Third Of All UK Arts Freelancers Say They May Leave The Field
A quarter of freelance theatre workers have been unable to access emergency income of any kind and a third are considering leaving the industry, according to a survey of more than 8,000 participants. – The Stage
Offer To Buy Old Vic Theatre Rejected
Asked about reports that ATG had attempted to acquire the theatre, a statement sent to The Stage from the Old Vic said ATG – which owns 32 venues in the UK – “did approach the Old Vic some weeks ago, but this offer was declined immediately and definitively”. – The Stage
How Cancel Culture Is Driven By Capitalism
It is strange that “cancel culture” has become a project of the left, which spent the 20th century fighting against capricious firings of “troublesome” employees. A lack of due process does not become a moral good just because you sometimes agree with its targets. We all, I hope, want to see sexism, racism, and other forms of discrimination decrease. But we should be aware of the economic incentives here, particularly given the speed of social media, which can send a video viral, and see onlookers demand a response, before the basic facts have been established. – The Atlantic
On Opera Over The Phone, Just For Me
It wasn’t quite like being in a recital hall, but it did give me a chance to enter another romantic world in real time with a real person on the other end of the phone line. – NPR
‘Take Me Out To The Ball Game’ Was Actually (In Its Way) A Feminist Anthem
The words that everyone knows are just the chorus. There are verses about a baseball-mad woman named Katie Casey who went to the stadium, sat in the front row, loudly cheered the players and argued with the umpires — all things women did not do in 1908, when the song was written. And the inspiration for Katie was almost certainly the lyricist’s then-girlfriend, a famous actress and suffragette. – Smithsonian Magazine
Donald Trump Jr. Declares War On Publishers
Publishers have long relied on conservative imprints to churn out money-making bestsellers, but in the Trump era, fissures have emerged between those imprints, right-wing stars, and conglomerate publishers. Now Trump Jr. is bringing the culture wars to the book business, and it may ultimately have profound implications for the industry. – The New Republic
In The Last Big Pandemic, New York’s Theaters Stayed Open (But It Wasn’t Business As Usual)
“Royal S. Copeland, the powerful health commissioner of New York City when the [1918] Spanish flu crept in, looked askance at pandemic responses elsewhere … [and] was philosophically disinclined to intrude much on ordinary life. He also didn’t want to freak people out.” So the shows went on, but Copeland instituted some major changes in how they did so — and kept the toll in the city relatively low. – The New York Times
Telluride Film Festival Was Trying Hard To Make Itself COVID-Safe. Here’s Why It Was Just Canceled Anyway
The September festival happens in a small, relatively isolated town, and management had planned a new reservation system, distanced seating, more outdoor venues; they’d even sourced a big supply of 15-minute coronavirus tests. “Our audiences go along with what the rules are,” executive director Julie Huntsinger said, “and we thought we could have great compliance.” Here she tells a reporter when and how she realized that wouldn’t be enough. – Variety
2,500-Year-Old Statue Of Atlas To Return To Temple Of Zeus In Sicily
“The statue, eight metres high and built in the 5th century BC, was one of nearly 40 that adorned the ancient building, considered the largest Doric temple ever built, even if it was never completed and now lies in ruins.” – The Guardian
Audiences Are Feeling Even More Reluctant To Come Back Than They Were Three Months Ago
“As coronavirus numbers continue to rise in most U.S. states, the willingness of theatre patrons to return to their old theatregoing habits has plummeted, two tracking surveys show. … The earliest date most theatregoers say they’d be comfortable returning, according to [one] report? May or June of 2021.” – American Theatre
Frieze Cancels Two Art Fairs In London This Fall
“As the pandemic continues to ravage large parts of the world, it is becoming clear that such events may not take place as planned, and on Tuesday, Frieze London and Frieze Masters informed exhibitors that they would not hold their fairs in early October.” – ARTnews
Grant Imahara, Co-Host Of TV’s ‘Mythbusters’, Dead At 49
“For more than 200 episodes, Mr. Imahara, lovingly referred to as the ‘geek’ of the show’s build team” — he had been an engineer at Industrial Light & Magic and Lucasfilm — “wowed audiences by bringing tech to life through his ability to design and operate complex robotics that helped test myths in subjects ranging from skydiving to driving stunt cars to firing guns.” – The Washington Post
Some Ideas To Reconfigure Theatres In The COVID Age
“The West End is full of wonderful historic theatres, but they’re now completely outmoded. People are four inches taller than when they were built, so the seats are too small, the sight lines are terrible and a huge number of seats are restricted by columns. The air is bad and the loos and bars are always too small to cope. With the government’s funding announcement, now is the time to make them fit for purpose.” – The Guardian
Why The US Constitution Doesn’t Work Without Local News
To hold public officials accountable, in other words, “intelligent men”—all people, in fact—need reliable reporting about the activities of government and politicians. But these days, local news is withering in many places across America. – The Atlantic
The Virus In Canadian Publishing
The COVID-19 lockdown, which has caused overall unit sales to drop by 27 percent, places Canadian publishers under huge financial pressure. Indigo’s continued delays in payment could push them to the brink. At the moment, their revenue is largely dependent on shuttered independent bookstores, which are limping by on online orders, Indigo-style diversification into gift sales, and home delivery. Indigo, by contrast, can’t afford to limp by; its shareholders demand a profit. – The Walrus
The Arts in America — Is the Pandemic a Perfect Storm?
At a moment when culture could vitally contribute to national pride and resilience, the arts are newly challenged financially. The reverberations, internationally, disclose a sudden, naked disparity in the role of long-inherited culture as a component of the national experience in the US compared to attitudes abroad. – Joseph Horowitz
Garrulous Gary Garrels: The Thought-Police Nab Another Unguarded Curator
I’m again risking the wrath of the thought-police by coming to the defense of another consummate museum curator who has had the misfortune of wandering into the cancel-culture crosshairs. – Lee Rosenbaum
Why COVID Demands Our Best Design Thinking
You may not think of architects as the problem-solvers we need now. But now that interacting with people in any enclosed space is fraught, they are who you need. Though we have been living in a world ruled by public-health experts, few doctors and scientists can interpret their mandates in three dimensions, or understand the dynamic movement of people (and the hazardous droplets they spew) through a busy airport or sports stadium. – Medium
Remains Of Aztec Palace Discovered Near Mexico City’s Main Square
“While carrying out renovation work on the Nacional Monte de Piedad building – which dates back to 1755 and is now a historical pawnshop on Mexico city’s central plaza – workers came across unusual basalt slab floors underneath the building. According to the archaeologists, the floors had been an open area in the palace of Aztec ruler Axayacatl — father of Moctezuma, one of the final rulers of the Aztec empire — between 1469 and 1481.” – Deutsche Welle