Across the U.S., the coronavirus pandemic has sapped Americans’ appetite for fancy projects like this, in no small part because the cross-section of upwardly mobile people who can afford such apartments—like well-off students, high-earning young professionals, or people with second homes—have fled urban city centers or scaled back on spending. – Slate
Category: issues
What Should MoMA Do About Philip Johnson’s Massively Racist Legacy?
Truly, the man who was the founding director of architecture and design at MoMA is now a liability – or so says Harvard, which recently took steps to remove his name from the university’s buildings and official references. “His history with fascism, antisemitism and the Nazis is well documented. He tried to start a fascist political party in the United States, attended the Nuremberg rally of 1938 and described Hitler as ‘a spellbinder.'” – The Guardian (UK)
The Loss Of Print, The Rise Of Fan Culture, And What’s Happened To Reviews
This is, on the surface, about a game. But it’s about so much more, including “scores” in reviews, the authority of “major” sites, gatekeeping, industry PR, and loud voices screaming on YouTube. – Kotaku
France’s Concert Halls, Theatres, Cinemas Will Stay Closed Until At Least Jan. 7
“[The country] has been in a second lockdown phase since the end of October, and while daily COVID-19 cases have considerably decreased over the past several weeks, they have recently hit a plateau that is about double the hoped for 5K ceiling.” – Deadline
UK Gov’t Gives Biggest Arts Institutions £165 Million in Emergency Loans
“In total, 11 ‘nationally and internationally significant organisations’ — among them the National Theatre, Royal Opera House, Royal Shakespeare Co., Southbank Centre, and Historic Royal Palaces — “which provide work for more than 9,000 people will get the loans. Each will have an initial repayment holiday of up to four years, a low interest rate and a repayment term of up to 20 years. The loans are one of the final pieces of the jigsaw in the government’s £1.57bn cultural recovery fund to help a sector which has been one of the hardest hit by the pandemic.” – The Guardian
Ten Best Canadian Performing Arts Performances Of 2020
And most of them you can see here streaming. – The Globe & Mail (Canada)
Quarantine Brain: How COVID Pushed The Culture Online And Addled Us All
“Allegedly, events still happened in the real world, but the more privileged among us were locked inside with our guilt and fear and Wi-Fi. We were all extremely online, which felt like hotboxing off bad weed; our brains smoothed into little pearls. … Virtual reality was a reality freshly poured from someone’s brain onto your screen. The internet became more internet — an ever-thickening soup of private derangements and niche dramas.” – Vulture
Venice Floods Again: They Spent €6 Billion On That Barrier But Didn’t Raise It
Just a couple of months ago, after years of delays and heaps of money, the MOSE floodgates in the Venice lagoon passed their first major test, protecting the city from the acqua alta flooding that had been causing ever more damage year after year. But this past Tuesday, as the tide rose ever higher, MOSE wasn’t raised and the city was inundated. Why not? The Venice authorities don’t yet have the decision power to raise it. – CNN
Delivery Apps Are Killing Restaurants
The apps’ fees have hobbled many restaurateurs that had viewed app-based delivery as a temporary solution until the coronavirus could be contained. – The New York Times
An Arts Funding Crisis Requires Drastic Action
Reimagining is required if we expect to sustain a thriving arts sector that expands economic opportunity, heals communities, strengthens democracy, and inspires creative solutions to global challenges. – Artnet