Martha Graham’s Revolution Continues
The Martha Graham Dance Company celebrated its centennial with a star‑studded gala, a PBS documentary, a short tour, and a five‑night run at New York’s City Center. The program juxtaposed iconic works such as “Appalachian Spring” and “Night Journey” with pieces by contemporary choreographers, reflecting a legacy‑meets‑innovation model. The company also launched a comprehensive video archive of the Graham technique, cementing the founder’s anti‑ballet movement for future generations. While classic pieces resonated, newer works received mixed reviews, underscoring the tension between preservation and artistic evolution.
AI Can Make Anyone An “Influencer”
Artificial intelligence tools are democratizing the influencer economy, allowing anyone to generate polished videos, photos, and captions with minimal effort. Platforms such as ChatGPT, Midjourney, and synthetic‑voice services enable creators to produce content that mimics professional influencers, blurring the line...
Former LiveNation Exec Says He Was Fired After Raising Concerns Over Business Practices
A former senior executive at Live Nation filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court alleging he was unlawfully terminated after raising concerns about the company’s financial practices. The ex‑executive says he sounded a "serious and legitimate alarm" over...
News Publishers Are Trying To Prevent AI Scraping, But They’re Killing A Valuable History Service
Major U.S. news outlets including The New York Times, The Guardian and USA Today have begun blocking the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine to prevent AI companies from scraping their articles for training data. The move sparked a backlash from journalists...
Think Shakespeare Isn’t For You?
Adjoa Andoh, famed for her role in Netflix’s *Bridgerton*, has been named the Folger Shakespeare Library’s inaugural Director’s Resident. In the role she highlights Shakespeare’s relevance to people of color, citing her 2019 all‑women‑of‑color production of *Richard II* as a case study....
AJ Chronicles: Perils of Philanthropy — The Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera’s $200 million Saudi partnership collapsed after it was only a memorandum of understanding, leaving the company with a $30 million shortfall. The Met has already drawn down $120 million from its endowment, shrinking it from $340 million to $216 million, and is...
Institutional Stresses and a Fight over Venice
The Venice Biennale jury announced it will not consider nations whose leaders face International Criminal Court charges, effectively excluding Russia and Israel from top awards. The EU responded by cutting its Biennale funding over Russia's inclusion, while hundreds of musicians...
EU Cuts Funding For Venice Biennale Because Of Russia’s Participation
The European Union is withdrawing a €2 million (about $2.3 million) grant from the Venice Biennale after the art festival allowed Russia to reopen its pavilion for the 61st edition. The EU gave the Biennale foundation 30 days to justify the decision, citing...
A Century Closes In A Single Day
Two cultural icons passed away on the same day: Michael Tilson Thomas, the 81‑year‑old former music director of the San Francisco Symphony, and Ruth Slenczynska, the 101‑year‑old pianist who was Sergei Rachmaninoff’s last surviving student. Meanwhile, AI continues to infiltrate creative...
Director of People & Culture – Oregon Shakespeare Festival via TOC Arts Partners
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) is recruiting a Director of People & Culture to lead HR strategy, employee experience, and labor relations for its 500‑plus staff. The senior role will oversee recruitment, compensation, benefits, compliance, and union negotiations as the...
Private Money, Public Retreat
A $116 million endowment from a billionaire will permanently fund the National Gallery’s art‑loan program, while the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater in Cape Cod has suspended operations due to a tightening philanthropic climate. Similar strains appear nationwide: Brazil’s film sector relies...
Chief Philanthropy Officer
Opera Philadelphia announced a new Chief Philanthropy Officer (CPO) role reporting to the General Director & President. The CPO will design and execute data‑driven fundraising strategies, overseeing a $33 million comprehensive campaign and the Annual Fund. Responsibilities include building budgets, managing...
How America’s Museums Are Celebrating The 250th
As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, museums nationwide are curating exhibitions that blend traditional artifacts with immersive multimedia to explore the nation’s complex heritage. At the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, the "We the People: The World...
James Hayward, Leading Figure Among California’s Abstract Painters, Has Died At 82
James Hayward, a San Francisco‑born painter known for heavily textured monochrome abstractions, died peacefully at 82, as announced by his studio on Instagram on April 16. Over a four‑decade career he evolved from 1970s automatic paintings to ridged, meditative surfaces that explored...
Book Bans And Attempts In U.S. Are At Record High, Says American Library Association
The American Library Association reported a record‑high number of book challenges in 2025, with 4,235 titles contested, a figure only five fewer than the 2023 peak. Patricia McCormick’s novel “Sold” led the list, followed by titles such as “The Perks of...
Following Orbán’s Defeat, Pianist András Schiff Will Return To Hungary
World‑renowned Hungarian pianist András Schiff, who has boycotted Hungary since 2011 because of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, announced he will return for a concert in Budapest in May, shortly after the new government takes office. The invitation came from Mayor...
All The Science Fiction And Fantasy Novels Reimagining China’s Past May Be Doing Weird Political Things Today
Chinese science‑fiction and fantasy novels are increasingly set in reimagined historical China, inserting modern technology and contemporary ideology into ancient backdrops. A growing body of scholarship argues these stories do more than entertain—they subtly reinforce the legitimacy of the current...
Inside the Pillaging of the Kennedy Center
Former Kennedy Center staff reveal Richard Grenell ordered the wholesale removal of the venue’s permanent art collection during the recent shutdown. Simultaneously, the Trump‑appointed Commission of Fine Arts cleared a preliminary design for a presidential triumphal arch, underscoring a shift...
English National Opera Gets A New Chief Exec
English National Opera announced Helen Shute as its new chief executive, succeeding Jenny Mollica. Shute, currently CEO of the dance company Rambert, will also become chief executive of London Coliseum Limited, taking both roles in November 2026. Mollica will step...
Has The Anecdotal Lede Outlived Its Journalistic Utility?
The article argues that the once‑ubiquitous anecdotal lede—originating in the 1930s with Barney Kilgore—is losing relevance as readers skim stories and abandon them after a few paragraphs. Newsrooms are replacing narrative openings with AI‑generated bullet summaries that deliver the story’s...
Inside The Kennedy Center Dumpster Fire (OMG!)
The Kennedy Center announced a two‑year shutdown starting July 4, 2026, after President Trump took control in early 2025. In the months leading up to the closure, dozens of staff—including the curator of visual arts—were laid off, and the new president, Richard Grenell, ordered...
AI’s Are Beginning To Get Emotional Intelligence
AI developers are adding emotional intelligence to chatbots and real‑time coaching tools, with startups like Amotions AI offering video‑call emotion analysis and major firms such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and xAI touting warmer, more conversational models. These systems claim to...
The Money Goes Somewhere
The BBC announced a reduction of 2,000 jobs and a £500 million (≈$640 million) budget cut, while Disney eliminated its entire PR and marketing divisions and San Diego’s mayor proposed slashing city arts funding by 85 %. At the same time, NPR secured $110 million...
Artistic Director – Indianapolis Ballet Working with Management Consultants for the Arts
Indianapolis Ballet, Indiana’s largest professional dance company, announced a nationwide search for its next Artistic Director. The organization has hired Management Consultants for the Arts (MCA) to oversee the recruitment process. Founded in 2006, IB now enters its eighth season...
Furtwängler in Wartime – Reflections on Ian Buruma’s “Stay Alive”
Ian Buruma’s new book *Stay Alive* uses a December 1944 concert conducted by Wilhelm Furtwängler to illustrate how music sustained Berlin’s morale during World II. The article highlights surviving wartime broadcasts—Beethoven’s Ninth, Brahms’s First, and others—showing Furtwängler’s interpretive defiance amid bombed-out venues and...
Helen DeWitt Declined A Prestigious $175,000 Prize. Is She Principled Or Crazy?
Helen DeWitt turned down the $175,000 (≈£129,000) Windham‑Campbell prize because she could not meet the six‑to‑eight hours of mandatory filming and promotional work. The prize, awarded to eight writers for lifetime achievement, is meant to free authors from financial pressure,...
Court Moves To Examine Merger Of Two Local TV Conglomerates
Nexstar completed its $6.2 billion acquisition of Tegna, giving it control of 265 local stations that reach roughly 80% of U.S. households. The FCC granted a waiver of ownership caps without a full commission vote, and the Justice Department approved the...
Other Legacy U.S. Newspapers Which Have Gone Nonprofit
The Pittsburgh Post‑Gazette averted closure after a nonprofit journalism group agreed to acquire it, underscoring a growing trend of legacy papers turning to the nonprofit sector. Earlier conversions include the Salt Lake Tribune, which became the first for‑profit newspaper to...
Who’s Afraid of the Trocks?
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, a drag ballet troupe that has sold out U.S. venues for five decades, is now being shunned by some American theaters due to dwindling government arts funding. Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto has also paused...
A Thousand Nos and Two Picassos
The entertainment sector saw several flashpoints on April 13, 2026. A coalition of 1,000 Hollywood creators signed a letter opposing the proposed Paramount‑Warner merger, warning of job cuts and reduced choice. Meanwhile, Canada debated its “Netflix tax” amid U.S. trade tensions, and...
Someone Will Win This Picasso For €100
A French charity raffle is offering a chance to win Pablo Picasso’s 1941 gouache "Tête de Femme" for a €100 (~$108) ticket. Ticket sales are capped at 120,000, which could generate €12 million (~$13 million) in revenue. €1 million (~$1.08 million) will be paid...
New Focus On Dancer Wellness At School Of American Ballet
The School of American Ballet unveiled the Artistic Health and Wellness Student Center, a $4.7 million expansion opened in September on the sixth floor of Lincoln Center’s Rose Building. The space provides physical therapy, mental‑health counseling, nutrition guidance and even snacks,...
If They Aren’t Reading, Why Are We Making Fun Of Them?
Aaron Matz’s review of Dan Sperrin’s *State of Ridicule* argues that traditional English political satire has waned since the late eighteenth century, as state affairs grew too complex and mass culture expanded the arena of power. Matz contends that contemporary...
A Whole Lotta New Concrete in Culture This Week
Major cultural institutions are pouring record capital into physical infrastructure, with LACMA launching a $724 million campus overhaul, London’s National Gallery adding a $464 million modern‑art wing, and the Dallas Symphony securing a $50 million endowment. At the same time, governance and public...
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A writer’s hand‑crafted essay was flagged as AI‑generated, and the detector’s verdict swung dramatically with a few sentence changes. Researchers argue that AI could surpass human experts in attributing Old Master paintings because algorithms lack the financial and cognitive biases...
Fresno Arts Council Seeks Executive Director
The Fresno Arts Council (FAC) is recruiting an Executive Director with a salary range of $75,000 to $90,000. The role reports to the board and will steer the nonprofit’s strategic vision, financial health, fundraising, and program delivery across Fresno County....
“In Constant Motion for Its Own Sake” — the Met’s New “Tristan”
Conrad L. Osborne delivers a scathing review of Yuvan Sharon’s new Met production of Tristan und Isolde, calling its high‑tech staging a symbol of a world in constant motion without focus. Despite the critique, the production has garnered notable acclaim, raising questions...
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The Getty Center will shut for a full year of renovations, targeting a spring 2028 reopening just before the Los Angeles Olympics, while LACMA prepares to debut its $724 million Geffen Galleries, a project long in the making. Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn director...
The Fight To Keep A Collection Of Landmark Art From Leaving Mexico And Going To Spain
A collection of 20th‑century Mexican masterpieces, featuring works by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, is slated for export to Spain under an agreement with Banco Santander. Mexican cultural leaders argue the pieces should remain in the country, fearing a permanent...
What The Ambitious New LACMA Building Is Trying To Do
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is preparing to open its new David Geffen Galleries, a 347,500‑square‑foot, $724 million project designed by Peter Zumthor after two decades of planning. The curvilinear structure stretches across Wilshire Boulevard and will anchor a new subway...
Does There Even Need To Be A Separate New York Times Magazine Anymore?
The New York Times’ luxury‑focused T Magazine remains a profitable, advertiser‑driven asset even as its long‑time editor Hanya Yanagihara departs for theater projects. Her exit has sparked an internal and external hunt for a successor who can preserve the magazine’s...
L.A. Phil Creates New Position, Conductor-In-Residence, For Anna Handler
The Los Angeles Philharmonic has created a new three‑season conductor‑in‑residence position, appointing 30‑year‑old Anna Handler, a rising conductor and former Dudamel fellow. Handler will conduct three weeks each season at Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl while collaborating...
From Messages to Conversations: AI Agents Are Changing How We Find Culture
Web traffic is now dominated by machines, with AI bots accounting for over 10% of global visits and a 70% surge at ArtsJournal driven by bots. Traditional search is collapsing—Google queries are expected to drop 25% by 2026 as AI...
Melvin Edwards, Sculptor Who Welded The African Diaspora, Has Died At 88
Melvin Edwards, the acclaimed African‑American sculptor who reshaped contemporary art with his welded‑steel series “Lynch Fragments,” died at 88. He first unveiled the series in 1963, using reclaimed steel to form chains, barbed wire and sharp tools that evoke the trauma...
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In the past week AI moved from theory to controversy across the cultural sector. The New York Times dismissed a freelance critic for using AI to draft a book review, and Hachette pulled a novel suspected of AI authorship, marking publishing’s first...
Vice President, Division of Media Arts Ventures, Emerson College
Emerson College has launched the Division of Media and Arts Ventures (DMAV) and is recruiting its inaugural Vice President to unify the school’s theater, radio, gallery and other media assets. The executive will report directly to President Jay Bernhardt, oversee...
HarperCollins Partners With AI Company For Animation
HarperCollins has signed a multi‑year partnership with AI‑powered animation studio Toonstar to turn a slate of its books into original YouTube series. The first title slated for development is the middle‑grade series Friendship List, which will also spawn a HarperAlley...
When Does Bach Cease To Be Bach? Or, What The Hell Did Jean Rondeau Do To The Goldberg Variations?
Harpsichordist Jean Rondeau will present Bach’s Goldberg Variations three times at Bachfest Schaffhausen 2026: a historically informed solo on harpsichord, a Baroque chamber arrangement for flute, strings and continuo, and a new contemporary work titled UNDR for piano, percussion and...
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s inaugural Native American curator, Patricia Marroquin Norby, has stepped down, highlighting ongoing challenges in diversifying museum leadership. Critics argue that many arts institutions remain shackled by legacy governance structures that no longer reflect contemporary audiences....
Met Museum’s First-Ever Native American Curator Resigns
Patricia Marroquin Norby, the Metropolitan Museum of Art's first Native American art curator, left the institution in December 2025, officially citing health issues. Her departure follows years of contested claims about her Indigenous ancestry, which tribal groups and the Tribal...