“Psychologists and neuroscientists have long wondered what strategies our brains might use to overcome the problems of ambiguity and pace. There is a growing appreciation that both challenges could be overcome using prediction. The key idea here is that observers do not simply rely on the current input coming in to their sensory systems, but combine it with ‘top-down’ expectations about what the world contains.” – Aeon
Blog
How ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ (And A Scheming New York Phil Board Member) Got The Boston Symphony’s Conductor Sent To An Internment Camp
Alex Ross recounts the story of Karl Muck, the elegant former director of Kaiser Wilhelm’s Berlin Court Opera, who came to the BSO in 1906 and was there for an unfortunate decision, shortly after the U.S. entered World War I, not to play the American national anthem before a concert. – The New Yorker
Hong Kong’s Artists And The Protests Against The Extradition Law
As one gallerist put it, “With this extradition law, however, the firewall protecting our freedom of expression is effectively removed and everybody falls into self-censorship. One would worry if their art will be deemed politically charged or in violation of mainland laws.” And an artist marching in the protests said simply, “If this law is approved, then Hong Kong and China will be just the same.” – Artsy
The Birthplace Of The United States Is Crumbling, And No One Seems Inclined To Fix It
“Independence National Historical Park [is] the fourth-most-visited national park in the country. It welcomed 4.6 million pilgrims last year alone — ahead of Yellowstone, Yosemite or Zion (and the Statue of Liberty, too). Independence Hall is one of only 11 UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites in the United States. It’s Philadelphia’s (democratic) Versailles. Yet the curation” — not to mention the physical upkeep — “is more on par with a half-abandoned cathedral in a random village in the South of France. How did we get here? There’s plenty of blame to go around.” – Philadelphia Magazine
Alaska May Become The Only U.S. State Without An Arts Agency
“When $444 million in line-item budget vetoes were announced Friday, the [Alaska State Council on the Arts] was given notice it would have two weeks to shut down, said Benjamin Brown of Juneau, who has been chairman of the council since 2007. If the $2.8 million veto is not overridden by legislators, it would make Alaska the only state or territory in the United States without a state arts agency.” – Anchorage Daily News
‘Mad’ Magazine Is Almost-Not-Quite-But-Basically Shutting Down
“Readers will only be able to find the 67-year-old humor magazine at comic book stores and through subscriptions. After issue No. 10 this fall, there will no longer be new content, except for end-of-year specials which will be all new. Starting with issue No. 11, the magazine will feature classic, best-of and nostalgic content, repackaged with new covers.” – NPR
Chicago’s Beloved ‘Bean’ Is Vandalized
Late in the evening of July 1, say Chicago police, seven people tagged with white spray paint the Anish Kapoor sculpture Cloud Gate in Millennium Park. The tags were cleaned off by 10:30 the following morning, and suspects were captured and charged. – Chicago Tribune
Arte Johnson, Comedian Remembered For ‘Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In’, Dead At 90
“Mr. Johnson had appeared in New York theater productions and on television shows including Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Twilight Zone and The Andy Griffith Show before his breakthrough in Laugh-In, where he received three Emmy nominations and won one, in 1969. His pratfalls, outlandish accents and ad-libbed double-entendres made him a mainstay of the fast-paced and irreverent comedy show, which premiered on NBC in January 1968 and ran for six seasons.” (“Verr-rry intereshting.”) – The Washington Post
Motion Picture Academy Invites 842 New Members – Half Women
While for years the Academy made a concerted effort to limit the number of new member invitations and keep the number of voters to no more than 6,000, all the membership limits were abandoned in the wake of the 2016 #OscarsSoWhite controversy. In the aftermath of the protests that followed two consecutive years of all-white acting nominees, the Academy vowed to double the number of female and non-white members by 2020. – The Wrap
Houston Post Office To Be Converted To Sprawling Arts Complex (With A Rooftop Farm/Garden)
Called POST, the new complex will feature arts and music venues, entertainment spaces, creative workspaces, dining and shops. – dezeen