“Insiders said Sony appeared to be shifting its position while giving as strong an impression as possible that it had adopted the same line all along.”
Author: ArtsJournal2
The Worst Cultural Criticism Of 2014
“For every yin, there’s a yang, and in this case, the yang involves snobbery, asinine arguments about everything from marriage to Brooklyn DIY, another page for the ‘Gavin McInnes is the worst’ annual, and the ongoing misogynist temper tantrum of #Gamergate.”
The New Louvre Will Still Be Monumental, But It Won’t Be As Scary
Among the changes: “Revamping the museum’s basic storytelling tools: almost 40,000 banners, wall text, signs and symbols that now explain its treasures in French. The plan is to make them more readable and concise, in English and Spanish for the vast majority of visitors searching for cloakrooms or the Mona Lisa in the sprawl of a museum that dates to 1190, when it was a fortress for King Philippe II.”
The Pressure Mounts For Museums To Return ‘Stolen’ Objects
“Dubious purchases had been made for years by Western museums, but the practice is now widely considered to be immoral. The prevailing wisdom today is that illegal excavations and trade in archeological objects is destroying our world cultural heritage.”
Don’t Blame The Labels – The Internet Killed The Music Biz (And Perhaps Music Itself)
“I miss those suits at the major labels calling the shots and deciding what was worthy of release. The suits made hits and created stars because they knew something. The suits had been around the block and back, having experienced, firsthand, everyone.”
How The Humanities Can Save The World
“There is tremendous suspicion — at least, in American society — that what makes a text a work of art is nothing more than some ideological prejudice: Eurocentrism, say, or political correctness. A related worry is that any provisional canon — the very notion that certain works call for heightened attention and a special place in the practice of education — is fundamentally anti-democratic or somehow elitist.”
The Mystery Around This Art Deco Theatre In Sydney Deepens As Possible Owners Float A Plan To Save It
“Escalating hostilities between the pair have brought legal challenges, Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal hearings and even a restraining order that prevents the landlord from entering his own building. … Now, though, peace may have broken out.”
If Today’s Languages Want To Survive, They’d Better Look To Egypt
“Whatever precautions we take against cultural annihilation, one intractable problem remains. There is a gorgeously convoluted name for those words that, in a given corpus, appear only once: hapax legomena.”
Jewish Songwriters Penned Many Beloved Christmas Songs – Why Weren’t They Concentrating On Jewish Holidays?
“Jewish songwriters’ own successful assimilation and gratitude to America pervades their midcentury Christmas and other songs, and appealed to a country that wanted to feel brave and united as it fought World War II.”
The Prime Minister Of Canada Is Still Atoning For A Remark About The Arts From 2008
“His attempt to brand the arts as an elite concern played particularly badly in Quebec; some analysts believe the quote cost him a majority in that election. Many outside Quebec were equally unimpressed: Surely ordinary Canadians, with their garage bands and their dance lessons, are as appreciative of the arts as any elite.”