Previously, only applicants who needed additional vetting – such as people who had been to parts of the world controlled by terrorist groups – would need to hand over this data. But now applicants will have to give up their account names on a list of social media platforms, and also volunteer the details of their accounts on any sites not listed. – BBC
Blog
By The Numbers, U.S. Museums Are Overwhelmingly Male, And White
A new study says that, at 18 major U.S. museums, with 10,000 artworks analyzed, the numbers are overwhelmingly clear. “The study found that 85.4% of the works in the collections of all major US museums belong to white artists, and 87.4% are by men. African American artists have the lowest share with just 1.2% of the works; Asian artists total at 9%; and Hispanic and Latino artists constitute only 2.8% of the artists.” – Hyperallergic
Ballet Is Beautiful, And It’s Also A Sport
“The ballerina’s challenge is to hide how hard she’s working, which is why behind-the-scenes ballet stories are always so appealing — it’s satisfying to see the athleticism inherent to the art.” – The Cut
The London Olympics Poet Has Just Won A Major Free Speech Prize
Lemn Sissay says that the Pen Pinter prize, named in honor of playwright Harold Pinter, is welcome. “What I like about this award is that it is from a great writer and a great organisation. I accept it as a sign that I should continue. All I have is what I leave behind. All I am is what I do.” – BBC
Dear Kids, In The Late 20th Century, We Were Into This Thing Called ‘Human Rights’
The entire concept – and certainly the promise of human rights as a way out of suffering for millions, if not billions – appears to be disappearing. “The human rights idealism of the late 20th century has itself become historical. It is time to review and count our losses, to admit that, in light of the outsized expectations, human rights will always fall short.” – Los Angeles Review of Books
Suddenly, This Young Actor Is On 5,000 Screens
She’s in Booksmart as a mean but sexy love interest, and now she’s got top billing with Octavia Spencer in a new horror movie. That’s a lot in a short time for an actor who has had three movie roles – and she’s refreshingly excited that Taylor Swift told her fans to see Booksmart. “I can’t even. She means more to me than she will probably ever know. Taylor Swift has seen my face. Cool! Sick!” – The New York Times
How Much Of What You Post Online Will End Up In Research Papers?
Our YouTube videos, Tweets, and other posts are public, but that can be hard to wrap your head around – and even harder to understand the long-lasting data-mining possibilities inherent in public posts. It’s not illegal, but “just because something is legal doesn’t mean it’s ethical. That doesn’t mean it’s necessarily unethical, either, but it’s worth asking questions about how and why researchers use social media posts.” – Slate
Chinese Artists Who Address Tiananmen Square Live In The Shadows
Or they’re put there by Chinese authorities: “It has been three months since Chinese rock musician Li Zhi disappeared from public view. First, an upcoming tour was canceled and his social media accounts were taken down. Then his music was removed from all of China’s major streaming sites — as if his career had never existed at all. Li is an outspoken artist who performs folk rock. … ‘Now this square is my grave,’ Li sang [about Tiananmen]. ‘Everything is just a dream.'” – The Washington Post (AP)
Musicians Aren’t Making Money Selling Music, So Why Not Sell Pot?
The streaming wars, in which artists haven’t made much off of their actual music, take a weird turn: “‘Many artists sell clothes or shoes, some sell wine and beer, others advertise for fast-food companies,’ explains Third Man-signed country singer Margo Price, who has a strain named after her last album All American Made. ‘Me, I’m into selling a plant that God grows.'” Classical musicians, are you listening? – The Guardian (UK)
Tony DeLap, Who Made A Name, And Space, For Abstract Art On The West Coast, Has Died At 91
DeLap, whose finely finished pieces sit at the intersection of sculpture and painting, minimalism and abstract expressionism, was the first art professor hired at UC Irvine and influenced many, many artists, including Bruce Nauman and James Turrell. (Then there was his obsession with magic and illusions, including in his artwork.) – Los Angeles Times