Category: issues

If arts institutions had to survive on locals’ loyalty alone, MoMA wouldn’t be adding yet another new wing, the Metropolitan Museum of Art wouldn’t be open seven days a week, theaters would go dark, and opera would cease to exist. That cute antiques store on your block that you hope won’t get gentrified out of existence? Chances are a quarter of its clientele lives abroad. – New York Magazine

“Two former employees of Santa Fe-based immersive arts and entertainment company Meow Wolf allege in a new lawsuit they were subjected to discrimination and unfair pay practices, and then wrongfully fired after bringing complaints to senior staff. … [They] also are seeking to have their case recognized as a class action, representing more than 50 female workers of Meow Wolf the women say have been affected by unfair labor practices since 2017.” – Santa Fe New Mexican

Nearly 5 million tourists visited the city in 2017, compared with 2.7 million in 2002, according to data from the city’s hotels, which do not take into account the thousands of bookings with Airbnb Inc. and similar services. Meanwhile, the resident population has shrunk below 60,000. – Bloomberg

On Friday, 78 British artists including Antony Gormley, Anish Kapoor and Sarah Lucas said they had called on the National Portrait Gallery in London to cut ties with BP, saying its “role in furthering the climate crisis” made accepting new sponsorship from the company unacceptable. – The New York Times

Sponsorships and philanthropy are tricky businesses. Philanthropy and arts patronage sanitises some truly awful personal and corporate behaviours. As tobacco and, more tentatively, alcohol sponsorships are eradicated from sports and the arts, their replacements are not always a better societal bet, but the patronage process is surprisingly effective in the whitewashing game. – Irish Times

It can feel as though the public discussion around #MeToo has been designed as a training program for denial, with self-reflection rarely encouraged on any side of the issue. The appearance of perfection—which is to say, hiding and disavowal—seems to be your main aim.  – The New Republic

It’s a growing question. Locking important buildings up often helps to save the architecture. But it can also kill the uses inside the building, gentrify neighborhoods, and can fail to actually keep buildings viable. Here’s how the debate is breaking down. – Pacific Standard

A new scholarly paper focusses on early Christian artwork that, it argues, depicts women as priests and even bishops. “These images are especially important because of our limited evidence for early Christian liturgy. Examining the three earliest surviving images of Christians worshipping at the altar (two from the fifth century and one from the early sixth century), Kateusz notes that all three artifacts show women by the altar in seemingly official roles.” – The Daily Beast

From now until the end of the summer season, Vancouver will be at 95 percent tourism capacity, according to Gwendal Castellan, manager of Sustainable Destination Development at Tourism Vancouver. That is presenting him and his colleagues with a once-unthinkable challenge: Do they just stop promoting the city? – CityLab