“Throughout the nation, one American town after another is struggling to figure out how to pay overtime for the city workers who disinfect public transit plus come up with funds so that schools can buy laptops for children learning remotely. Many officials have concluded that streamers should be contributing more for local government services and are shirking legal obligations by not doing so.” – The Hollywood Reporter
Blog
A New Wave Of BIPOC Leaders Takes Charge At U.S. Theater Companies
Peter Marks: “The hires and promotions mark what may be a turning point for a field coming to grips with a challenge from Black, Latinx, Asian American and other racial and ethnic groups: to examine its White bias and bring more diversity into its leadership ranks.” – The Washington Post
Turns Out Contemporary Art Museum Houston’s Ex-Director Didn’t Resign For The Reason He Claimed
Two years ago, when Bill Arning stepped down “effective immediately,” he told ARTnews, “I was feeling I wasn’t making progress, and I wasn’t getting done what I needed to get done. … They need a new leader, and I need a new life.” Last week, as Arning announced that he would open a commercial gallery in Houston, allegations appeared on Instagram charging him with serious sexual misconduct. Now CAMH has released a statement: “In October of 2018, [the museum] immediately removed Bill Arning as director when allegations of improper — but not illegal — communications and actions with artists were investigated by our legal counsel and found to be credible.” – Glasstire
Trump Administration Says It Will Ban TikTok And WeChat (Unless It Doesn’t)
“The U.S. Commerce Department said it will issue an order Friday that will bar people in the United States from downloading Chinese-owned messaging app WeChat and video-sharing app TikTok starting on September 20. Commerce officials said the ban … could be still rescinded … before it takes effect late Sunday as TikTok owner ByteDance races to clinch an agreement over the fate of its U.S. operations.” – Reuters
Can Arts Groups Successfully Charge Viewers For Online Content? And How Much?
“The wave of free content [put online during the COVID lockdown] was a generous gesture with some lasting side effects – not least of which is the emergence of a price anchor, an expectation that digital culture is somehow free to produce and therefore free to watch. This will take some time to shake off.” Here’s an analysis – with some surprises, both happy and worrisome – of data from a recent survey of more than 130,000 regular arts attenders in the UK. – Arts Professional
Gerhard Richter Says This Is His Final Major Artwork
Three tall twin-panel stained-glass windows unveiled at Tholey Abbey, Germany’s oldest surviving monastery building, constitute what the 88-year-old artist says will “certainly” be his last numbered opus. (He plans to limit himself to drawings and sketched from now on.) – Artnet
What Will This Week’s Virtual Emmys Look Like?
“TV broadcast has been our friend right through that whole period. It’s brought us together. … Let’s celebrate the role it’s had in our lives, as well as the people who made it, who are so extraordinarily talented.” – Washington Post
Co-Working Spaces That Work During A Pandemic?
Instead of occupying a sealed, monolithic glass office tower, Second Home inhabits a converted community center where the majority of the work spaces are housed in individual studios (there are 60) in a lush garden that was once a vast parking lot. – Los Angeles Times
A Non-Profit Strategy For Raising Money In A Pandemic
When nonprofits are under-resourced, their natural response is to turn to their donors. But is it realistic to expect a healthy stream of charitable contributions in the midst of the worst economic situation since the Great Depression? Absolutely — if you approach the right people. Because even as unemployment soars, as tens of thousands of businesses close, and as default and eviction rates rise, a small but significant portion of the population is doing just fine, thank you. – Harvard Business Review
A Machine That Can Measure Happiness? Really?
Lithuanian scientists are working on a device they hope will measure happiness. Why? “Because, during the pandemic, people’s psychological state could be damaged not only by the fear and anxiety caused by the spread of the virus, but also by the economic and social consequences that the quarantine would bring about.” – Eurozine