“The world’s largest broadcaster, the BBC has remained iconic through the generations — criticized regularly, of course, but nonetheless capturing the trust and attention of Britons like nothing else. Now, though, it’s facing a remarkable array of new private-sector competitors — and public-sector overseers — that all seem to have Auntie Beeb, in various ways, in their sights. And that puts one of the core purposes of a public service broadcaster — serving as a central, trustworthy anchor in a country’s media ecosystem — at a new level of risk.” – Nieman Lab
Blog
Turns Out Edward Hopper’s Earliest Paintings Are Copies Of Others’ Work
“Most grad students in art history dream of discovering an unknown work by whatever great artist they are studying. Louis Shadwick has achieved just the opposite.” – The New York Times
America’s 100 Most Banned And Challenged Books Of The Decade
Each year for Banned Books Week, the American Library Association releases a list of the books that offended parents or patrons tried most often to have removed from schools and libraries; for 2020, the ALA has compiled a list covering the 2010s as a whole. As usual, Huck Finn and To Kill a Mockingbird are there, as are Fun Home and the kids’ book about the gay penguins in Central Park, but top of the list is Sherman Alexie’s award-winning The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. (The runner-up is Captain Underpants.) Right in the middle of the list, at no. 52, is The Holy Bible. – The Guardian
Minnesota Orchestra Musicians Accept 25% Pay Cut
“In a deal announced Monday, the orchestra’s board and union musicians ratified [a two-year contract extension] outlining work rules and compensation cuts during a pandemic that has taken a financial toll, nixing live audiences through at least the fall. If, after a year, the whole orchestra returns to performing for full audiences, those pay cuts would be reversed.” – The Star Tribune (Minneapolis)
Judge Tosses Out Suit Against New York City Ballet Over Sexting Scandal
In 2018, after now-former City Ballet principal Chase Finlay sent nude images of his ex-girlfriend, Alexandra Waterbury, to two of his colleagues, Waterbury sued all three men as well as the company and its ballet school, where she had previously been a student. The judge on the case has now dismissed all claims against the company, the school, and the other two dancers as well as six of Waterbury’s seven claims against Finlay, allowing to proceed only the charge that Finlay violated “a city administrative code prohibiting unlawful disclosure of an intimate image.” – The New York Times
Is Putin’s Plan To Build Cultural Centers All Over Russia About To Fall Apart?
“Russian president Vladimir Putin’s 120bn ruble ($1.6bn) project to build a string of regional cultural centres with branches of leading federal museums and theatres has come under fire after … two dozen former staff members of the National Cultural Heritage Foundation, which is building the centres with funding from Russian state oil and gas profits, said that 120 contracts had been terminated in June with no notice, no severance pay and four months of salary arrears.” – The Art Newspaper
Germany Adds Even More Money To Its Arts-And-Culture Budget
As the arts sectors in the rest of the world look on and sob, “the German federal government has announced that it will increase its culture and media budget by more than €120 million ($140 million) in 2021, bringing the culture ministry’s total budget up to €1.94 billion ($2.26 billion). … Culture minister Monika Grütters says that such a strong budget for the final year before the German elections underscores the country’s commitment to culture, especially on top of its existing billion-dollar coronavirus rescue program.” – Artnet
The Kinds Of Theatre That Might Work Best Virtually
Plays that explore broken institutions, social unrest, and isolation may be uniquely suited to the Zoom platform with its fractured screen of boxes and its disruptive glitches, hiccups, and delays. – Howlround
Remembering The Complicated Life Of Stanley Crouch
Many jazz critics avoid hanging out with musicians, usually because they’re afraid of jeopardizing their objectivity. Stanley was different. Not only did he think that spending time with musicians was crucial to understanding their work, he loved being around them. His appetite for the jazz life—for life, generally—seemed to know no limits. Some musicians thought he was full of shit, but even those who did mostly liked him. – New York Review of Books
The Students Left Behind By Virtual Learning
Society’s attention to them has always been spotty, but they had at least been visible—one saw them on the way to school, in their blue or burgundy uniforms, or in the park and the playground afterward. Now they were behind closed doors, and so were we, with full license to turn inward. While we dutifully stayed home to flatten the curve, children like Shemar were invisible. – The New Yorker