“In essence, the California state legislature has made it mandatory for the nearly 500,000 students in the Cal State system to take the classes that student activists and others fought for universities to implement decades ago. While these classes are not without controversy, as a scholar who studies racial dynamics on college campuses, I argue their benefits outweigh their liabilities.” – The Conversation
Author: Douglas McLennan
Chicago Jazz Clubs Flounder Under New Shutdown
“The past few months have been picking up a little bit. We’ve been trying to meet our restricted quota. So people were starting to come out a little more now. Now that we have to close, that’s another nail in the coffin.” – Chicago Tribune
Researchers Link Peak Music Moments To Brain Stimulation
From a neuroscience perspective, when a study participant experienced pleasurable musical chills, Chabin et al. observed an uptick of theta activity in the prefrontal cortex in conjunction with higher arousal and emotional-response ratings. – Psychology Today
Choreographing Differently-Abled Dancers
“The choreographies are designed for the functionally diverse artists so that they can demonstrate their artistic qualities. As I create, I physically put myself in their place (wheelchair, etc.), testing and experiencing the choreography. I search for innovative ways someone with restricted movement can achieve the same intention, such as hitting the floor with the wheelchair to create what would be the percussion of footwork. – Dance Magazine
Could VR Help Save Theatre?
Having long been one of the digital technologies heralded as being a game changer for theatre, we think VR has an important part to play now in engaging audiences during the coronavirus pandemic. This will be a vital test of how theatre might be delivered safely and innovatively in the short- to medium-term, and a taste of how theatre, and its audiences, may embrace digital in the long-term. – Arts Professional
What The American Election Means For The Art Market
“What’s the difference between the government bond that pays 0% and a Rothko painting that pays 0%? They’re both things that have some kind of value and they can go up in value over time or down in value over time. And you’re not going to be able to live off either of them, but at least the Rothko makes you feel cultured.” – The Art Newspaper
Time To Take Out The “Word Trash”
Here’s why word trash is a problem: If language isn’t specific, it’s hard for us to connect with it—and with each other. And it’s 2020, which for some of us has been a year already devoid of physical contact. – Fast Company
Of Racism And What’s Left Of Institutions
“In a hasty effort to be on the right side of history, I fear this industry is neglecting the historically precedented and exceedingly unspoken costs of forcing this kind of assimilation to white institutional power in this country. Doors are swinging open and white institutional leaders are ushering tokenized theatremakers into their broken homes. And in exchange for closer proximity to once tightly held resources, in a cavalier and unblinking gesture, our white leaders have laid at their feet long legacies of institutional harm and oppression. Do with this what you will.” – HowlRound
The “Me Industrial Complex”
“On the internet, another name for confession is over-sharing, and it has become synonymous with how we use social media platforms. People can’t get a hold of me over text, but they can just read my tweets: it’s all there, every beat of my mental state.” – Sydney Review of Books
The Fantasy Of QAnon (But A Sick One)
“QAnon is a joke. Unfortunately, that doesn’t make its long game of postmodern chaos magick any less dangerous. This is the latest iteration of the lulz agenda, following from the Great Meme War of 2015–16—the alt-right deployment of Pepe the Frog to influence Trump’s election—and the leftist hacktivist Anonymous’s radical trolling operations circa 2008–12 (all offspring of 4chan).” – ArtForum