Up to this point, music was primarily a shared experience: families huddling around furniture-sized Philcos; teens blasting tunes from automobiles or sock-hopping to transistor radios; the bar-room juke; break-dancers popping and locking to the sonic backdrop of a boom box. After the Walkman, music could be silence to all but the listener, cocooned within a personal soundscape, which spooled on analog cassette tape. The effect was shocking even to its creators. – The New Yorker
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A Long List Of Cultural Leaders And Artists Sign Letter Supporting Open Debate
“The restriction of debate, whether by a repressive government or an intolerant society, invariably hurts those who lack power and makes everyone less capable of democratic participation. The way to defeat bad ideas is by exposure, argument, and persuasion, not by trying to silence or wish them away.” – Harper’s
Can We Make Online Learning Work Better?
I think it can, and here’s a suggestion for how to do it: Schools could embrace an older style of teaching used by British universities — the tutorial system — and adapt it for the online world. – The New York Times
What I Learned Zooming Opera
This is what I saw with the livestreams: our traditional modes of live performance are not a good fit for the new world we find ourselves in. Rather, as we continue to create live performance in the months ahead, we must seek new modes of performance that actively engage with the technologies we’re using. – Howlround
People Are Microwaving Library Books To Sterilize Them. Please Don’t Do This.
Librarians understand that patrons are nervous about catching or spreading the coronavirus. But not only will paper catch fire when it gets really hot, the scannable security tags on library books contain metal, and we all know what happens when metal gets microwaved, right? (Don’t worry: these days returned library books are being quarantined.) – Tampa Bay Times
Are You Paying Attention?
The Mellon Foundation’s announcement that its grant-making will focus entirely on social justice is not a wakeup call. The alarm has been sounding for years. Business as usual (that is, we decide what we want to present and ‘they’ should come) is not tenable. – Doug Borwick
How Will The Art Market Realign? It Is
With wealthy collectors no longer travelling, most art business is now conducted online. Art dealers are typically reporting a 70% drop in sales, according to a recent survey conducted by The Art Newspaper and Pownall. Up to a third of galleries are expected to fold, with smaller ones particularly vulnerable. The shift to online auctions has seen an equally dramatic slump in secondary market revenues at Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Phillips. – The Art Newspaper
The Story Behind The Instagram Hit #CamerasandDancers
“[The] monthly, location-specific Instameet … brings together top dancers, interesting architecture and elite movement photographers — the intersection of which results in truly exquisite dance photography.” Choreographer Jacob Jonas, the creator of #CamerasandDancers, tells reporter Haley Hilton how it all works. – Dance Magazine
What To Do With Problematic Books? Read Them
The great reckoning now sweeping across pop culture has been working through the stacks of literature for far longer. The effects of time are twofold: Most books have fallen into dust, along with the racist values they imbibed. And those few texts that survive have been subjected to rigorous — and ongoing — debate. – Washington Post
Stradivari’s Hometown Became A COVID Hotspot, And Its Instrument-Makers Are Still Suffering
“COVID-19 has caused more than 1,000 deaths and 6,600 confirmed cases of infection in the province of Cremona … and it is now putting a strain on its economy. In particular, it is threatening the violin-making craftsmanship that has been the historical engine of Cremona’s industry and made its botteghe (Italian for ‘workshops’) famous throughout the world, turning the city into a microcosmic reflection of how the pandemic is jeopardizing the culture and arts sector globally.” – BBC