These resources are especially crucial to families without access to broadband internet, and it has been a huge boon during the Covid quarantines. It’s not too much to say that PBS was “built for the pandemic,” as the documentary filmmaker Ken Burns put it in a phone interview last week. “We had the materials. We had the relationships. We didn’t have to retool.” – The New York Times
Author: Douglas McLennan
Study: Walking Together Builds Community
Many metaphors for conflict and resolution seem to revolve around walking or moving together. But maybe we shouldn’t be so surprised by this – research shows that moving in time together with another person can result in positive social consequences. – The Conversation
A Manifesto To Activate Creative Workers
Americans for the Arts: “The next Administration must boldly activate the nation’s 5.1 million arts and cultural workers to address critical infrastructure, community development, innovation, and public health needs. Creative workers, and the hundreds of thousands of creative businesses they drive, have been devastated by Coronavirus more than almost any other sector —one study pegs the creative worker unemployment rate at 63% and a collective income loss of over $60 billion but stand ready to heal, strengthen, rebuild, and reimagine our communities.” – Americans for the Arts
Germany Announces $19 Million Aid To Commercial Galleries
As a part of its “New Start Culture” program, the country’s culture ministry will provide support to commercial galleries across the country in the form of grants that range between €5,000 ($5,837) and €35,000 ($41,000) for its early 2021 programs. In a statement to the press, culture minister Monika Grütters says her aim is to help “stabilize the art market,” citing its importance both to culture and the economy. – Artnet
A Justification For A New LACMA?
LACMA’s buildings from the 1960s were pedestrian, vertical, confining, the mid-1980s addition looking from Wilshire Boulevard like a giant mausoleum. Zumthor and Govan are clearly attempting to place the art-going experience on a higher, newer plane, one that forsakes the normal strategies. Yes, the risks are great, but so are the possibilities. – Los Angeles Times
Movie Theatres Are Retreating After Reopening
Many circuits, including AMC Theatres, Regal Cinemas and Cinemark — the country’s three largest chains — are beginning to limit the number of showtimes, as are scores of other chains and independent houses in order to reduce costs, sources say. Some, including Cinemark and Marcus Theatres, are going further and closing a small number of their cinemas on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. – The Hollywood Reporter
Disney Plans To Lay Off 28,000 Workers
Parks worldwide shuttered in March. Many are open now but at reduced capacity, including Disney World in Orlando, which resumed most operations in July. Disneyland in Anaheim, California remains closed. – Deadline
A New Arts Vibrancy Index Report (Even Though The Arts Are Largely Shut Down)
At a moment of such considerable environmental hostility and uncertainty about the future, we offer this report as a celebration and reminder of the arts’ enduring importance, resiliency, and vibrancy. – SMU Cultural Data
National Museum of African American History and Culture Names A Poet As Its Next Director
Kevin Young, 49, the poetry editor of the New Yorker and the author of 11 books of poetry, said he is eager to continue Lonnie Bunch’s efforts to record, represent and interpret the stories of African Americans. – Washington Post
The Latest Music Piracy: Stream-Ripping
Called stream-ripping, it accounts for 80% of copyright infringement among the biggest piracy sites, according to a recent report by the PRS. Stream-ripping websites make money from advertisers, touting a mix of legitimate products, scams and pornography. Over the past three years, the use of it has increased by 1,390%, says the report. – BBC