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‘Take Me Out To The Ball Game’ Was Actually (In Its Way) A Feminist Anthem

The words that everyone knows are just the chorus. There are verses about a baseball-mad woman named Katie Casey who went to the stadium, sat in the front row, loudly cheered the players and argued with the umpires — all things women did not do in 1908, when the song was written. And the inspiration for Katie was almost certainly the lyricist’s then-girlfriend, a famous actress and suffragette. – Smithsonian Magazine

Hagia Sophia As Political Hostage

Skeptics see Erdoğan’s decree as a last-ditch call to his nationalist base for support as his political star wanes among Turkey’s youth. Even before his disastrous Covid-19 response threatened to destroy the Turkish economy (queasy about offending his religious supporters, Erdoğan failed, for example, to impose quarantines on pilgrims returning from Mecca), he was facing growing opposition over his crackdown on civil society and the judiciary and his disastrous handling of Turkey’s foreign affairs. – The New Republic

In The Last Big Pandemic, New York’s Theaters Stayed Open (But It Wasn’t Business As Usual)

“Royal S. Copeland, the powerful health commissioner of New York City when the [1918] Spanish flu crept in, looked askance at pandemic responses elsewhere … [and] was philosophically disinclined to intrude much on ordinary life. He also didn’t want to freak people out.” So the shows went on, but Copeland instituted some major changes in how they did so — and kept the toll in the city relatively low. – The New York Times

Bringing Tap Dance To The Cause Of Social Justice: Ayodele Casel

From blending tap steps and rhythms with Puerto Rican and other Latin music to reviving the memory of great female tappers of the past to founding a rehearsal and performance space in the South Bronx to using the arts to teach leadership skills to young women from New York City charter schools, Casel is using “the power of this art form to speak to social justice, race, identity, politics.” – Dance Magazine

Telluride Film Festival Was Trying Hard To Make Itself COVID-Safe. Here’s Why It Was Just Canceled Anyway

The September festival happens in a small, relatively isolated town, and management had planned a new reservation system, distanced seating, more outdoor venues; they’d even sourced a big supply of 15-minute coronavirus tests. “Our audiences go along with what the rules are,” executive director Julie Huntsinger said, “and we thought we could have great compliance.” Here she tells a reporter when and how she realized that wouldn’t be enough. – Variety

$550 Million In Losses And Expenses, Finds Report On COVID-19’s Effect On New York City’s Nonprofit Arts Sector

Among the major data points: “Ninety-five percent of organizations canceled programs, 88% modified delivery of their programs, and as of May 8th, 11% were not providing products or services to their communities. Small organizations with budgets under $250,000 have been hardest hit. … 11% of organizations indicated that they do not think they will survive the COVID-19 crisis.” – SMU Data Arts