“Somehow saying something is like a poem serves as a better advertisement than identifying something as a poem. Aren’t we supposed to prefer the actual to the resembling?”
Author: Douglas McLennan
We Live In A Public Time. So What Is The Role Of Public Intellectuals?
The real interest in the term “public intellectual” lies in what its usage can tell us about ourselves: how we imagine the links between politics and prose, thought and action, individual contemplation and social congregation. Why, for example, has the notion of publicness itself become such a high value for some, practically synonymous with benevolence, as if to attach “public” to the name of a discipline grants it a special dignity?
This Startup Says It Can Help Artists Painlessly Protect Their Copyrights
“Using the same technology that verifies the world’s bitcoin transactions (the blockchain), Blockai wants to assist artists by making it easy to timestamp your protected works all while attempting to spot those infringing on your intellectual property by scouring the Web for offenders.”
Three Ballerinas Talk About The Reality Of Dancer Wellness
“Wellness among women in the ballet world is a complex and evolving subject. There’s the constant threat of injury ending an already short career, the mental pressure to excel within an elite company, the physical demands of ten-hour rehearsal days and evening performances — all being juggled by dancers who are in many cases still teenagers.”
Why Did Google Delete A Literary Critic’s Blog? (And What Does It Mean For The Rest Of Us?)
“In his attempts to answer these questions, Dennis Cooper has submitted numerous requests for information via the channels that Google has put in place, but all of them have been ignored. He has worked with a Google employee, who attempted to launch an internal investigation on the writer’s behalf, but found herself stonewalled and unable to help.”
This Week In Audience, Virtual Versus Real Edition
This Week: Is it possible that the virtual museum experience could beat the in-person visit?… After ten years, mixed verdict on whether HD streaming builds arts audiences… We need a new definition of selling music to reflect new audience realities… Will Pokemon Go change the ways we use public spaces?… We may have just seen Facebook streaming video’s breakthrough moment.
Editor’s Picks: Five Stories You Shouldn’t Miss, Factually Challenged Edition
This week: How did our culture get to the point we don’t trust facts?… Are artists actually detrimental to neighborhoods?… Our notions of “greatness” need an overhaul… Europe’s new cultural paradigm desperately needs artists… Are donors to museum building projects do their museums a disservice?
Ten Things That Can Make Your Organization More Diverse
“To make a real impact we need to think beyond the here and now to who the next generation of arts professionals are going to be. We need to go into schools and colleges and talk to young people about the careers that are available to them. We need to take arts and culture job fairs out into communities to tackle socio-economic barriers and increase awareness of opportunities.”
The Art Of Moralizing About The Food You Eat
Perhaps the clearest proof that the way we talk about food is saturated with moralism is the ubiquity of the term “guilt”. Marketing departments have seen the power of this and promoted “guilt-free” snacks and treats. This promises an escape from self-recrimination but simply reinforces it by suggesting that eating the “wrong” kinds of foods does and should make you feel guilty.
How Rich Donors Change The Behavior Of America’s Museums
“For museum executives, the dirty secret of expansions has been that they are often motivated by the need to have some exciting new thing to rally board members and interest potential patrons. These institutions depend heavily on rich people to fund them. Those rich people like to pay for flashy new buildings; no one wants to donate to boring old museum upkeep.”