Early consequences of the travel ban have already begun to unfold. As we reported in April, even artists who were born in the countries targeted by the ban, but who are American or European citizens, have faced hurdles travelling to the US for work. Last month, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art launched a comprehensive exhibition of contemporary Iranian art, but many of the artists included in the show could not attend the opening.
Author: Douglas McLennan
Survey: Professional Writers Now Earn Less Than Minimum Wage In The UK
The latest report by the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS), due to be published on Thursday, shows median earnings for professional writers have plummeted by 42% since 2005 to under £10,500 a year, well below the minimum annual income of £17,900 recommended by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Women fare worse, according to the survey, earning 75% of what their male counterparts do, a 3% drop since 2013 when the last ALCS survey was conducted. Based on a standard 35-hour week, the average full-time writer earns only £5.73 per hour, £2 less than the UK minimum wage for those over 25. As a result, the number of professional writers whose income comes solely from writing has plummeted to just 13%, down from 40% in 2005.
When A Museum Sells Off Some Of Its Art To Become More Diverse
The Baltimore Museum of Art‘s decision to sell off seven works by white male artists to create a war chest to fund acquisitions of art by women and artists of color drove a traditionally hermetic discussion about museum practices into the mainstream. Now, the museum’s closely watched decision is beginning to bear fruit.
An Attempt To Understand Racial Disparity At Nonprofits In Oakland
A total of 138 organizations serving people of color in Oakland with budgets of $250,000 or less are included in the research. In addition to documenting the impact of these grassroots groups (hint: it’s not just about the arts), the report highlights challenges faced by smaller cultural organizations and offers four overarching recommendations for policymakers and funders to consider.
The Greatest Literary Con Man Of The 20th Century?
Though his tallest tales were those he passed off as the truth, he was as popular as he was prolific, producing more than 30 volumes of prize-winning essays, plays, memoir and fiction, including La Vie devant soi, the bestselling French novel of the 20th Century. But his star faded as he aged and was further dimmed by posthumous revelations that he’d duped the Parisian literary establishment, publishing some of his most rapturously received works (La Vie among them) under a fake name.
The Noxious Problem With Stupid Opinions
We are seeing the worsening of a trend that the 20th century German-American philosopher Herbert Marcuse warned of back in 1965: “In endlessly dragging debates over the media, the stupid opinion is treated with the same respect as the intelligent one, the misinformed may talk as long as the informed, and propaganda rides along with education, truth with falsehood.” This form of “free speech,” ironically, supports the tyranny of the majority.
Two Royal New Zealand Ballet Dancers Win Compensation Over Abuse Complaints
Claims of bullying emerged from dancers at the company last year, coinciding with the departure of a several dancers: almost half the dancers either left or did not have their contracts renewed over the space of about six months.
Ten Women Conductors Making Their Marks
No longer entirely a male preserve, orchestras are changing, and women conductors are increasingly making their marks.
Big Canadian Music Festival On Hold Because Of… Some Birds
Workers discovered the bird, a killdeer, guarding her four eggs while they were setting up one of the festival’s main stages. The breed is protected by the Canadian government and cannot be moved without federal permission.
How Social Media Platforms Have Turned Into Battlebots Of The Culture Wars
Though the brigading of review sites and doxxing behavior isn’t exactly new, the speed and coordination is; one consequence of a never-ending information war is that everyone is already well versed in their specific roles. And across the internet, it appears that technology platforms, both big and small, must grapple with the reality that they are now powerful instruments in an increasingly toxic political and cultural battle.