“The Nigerian playwright and poet, who became the first African to win the Nobel prize for literature in 1986, published his widely celebrated debut novel, The Interpreters, in 1965. His second and most recent novel, Season of Anomy, was released in 1973. Chronicles of the Happiest People on Earth, which will be published in Nigeria before the end of the year [and internationally in 2021], will be his third.” – The Guardian
Blog
At Last Minute, Baltimore Museum Of Art ‘Pauses’ Controversial Sale Of Three Paintings
“The decision” — made just a few hours before the gavel was to fall at Sotheby’s — “not to move forward with the offloading of paintings by Clyfford Still and Brice Marden, plus an Andy Warhol canvas through a private sale, follows weeks of controversy, which culminated in indirect censure from the Association of Art Museum Directors.” – Artnet
Postponed Philip Guston Exhibition Moved Up To 2022 After Heavy Criticism
“The National Gallery and three other major museums” — Tate Modern in London and the Museums of Fine Arts In Houston and Boston — “had announced that they were delaying the retrospective, which was originally intended to begin its tour last June, after taking into account the surging racial justice protests across the country. … Some critics said the decision to delay the retrospective amounted to self-censorship fueled by fear of controversy.” – The New York Times
France And Germany Close Theaters And Concert Halls As Second Wave Of COVID Intensifies
“Starting Friday, France will go into a nationwide lockdown with just schools and essential businesses staying open until Dec. 1, while in Germany, the new measures will close restaurants, bars, gyms and cultural spaces like theaters for one month, but exempt schools and shops.” – The New York Times
How Learning Pods Are Picking Up The Education Slack
San Francisco has set up free hubs. So far, 1,100 students are enrolled in the free hubs, where community groups provide full-time academic support and activities at 55 city sites, including recreation centers, libraries and other locations. – San Francisco Chronicle
Where Music Comes From, According To Anthropologists
In warfare, rhythm and melody allow tribal groups to signal their strength, numbers, and coordination across far distances, to both allies and foes. This is not unlike how animals commonly use vocalizations to signal their territory or scare off others. “If we study music in traditional societies, we see it used consistently to form political alliances.” – Fast Company
Study: Why It’s Tougher To Make It Big In Older Age
An older person might be extremely passionate, but lacking conviction that he’ll ever be any good; or a septegenarian might maintain fire in her belly, but find her passion waning. – Fast Company
Spotify Defends Promoting Alex Jones On Podcast
In public, Spotify is staying quiet about an appearance by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones yesterday on its flagship podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, despite banning Jones’ own podcast last year. But in an internal email sent from a top executive, the company is defending the booking. – Buzzfeed News
Arts Festival Sues San Francisco Over COVID Rules
Originally posited as a “suit over artistic freedom,” the case quickly turned into a question of equal protection (performances vis-a-vis church services and political protests), and then into a debate over logistics. – San Francisco Classical Voice
How Crisis Leadership Works
Swarm intelligence in people occurs when all the members of a group come together to create a synergy that magnifies their individual capabilities. It’s the kind of unselfish behavior that one sees on the battlefield, when soldiers know that they depend on one another for their lives. Swarm intelligence is more instinctual than coöperation, in which people work deliberately together to achieve a common goal; it’s an emotional and reactive behavior, not a plan that can be written out on a flowchart. – The New Yorker