San Antonio Gets Its First Contemporary Art Museum, Thanks To A Hot-Sauce Heiress

Shortly before she died in 2007, philanthropist Linda Pace had a dream in which she saw a shining red counterpart to the Emerald City in The Wizard of Oz which would hold her art collection and make it available to the public. A dozen years later, Ruby City has opened, with a building (yes, it’s red) designed by David Adjaye. – San Antonio Current

How Artists Are Dealing With Student Debt

In 2014, 60 percent had a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared with 39 percent of all workers. The average cost of an arts education in 2010–11 was $40,000 per year after grants and scholarships. Perhaps unsurprisingly, in 2014, 35 percent of recent art-school graduates said debt had a “major impact” on their educational and career decisions. – Artsy

Meet The Eton-Educated, Non-Binary British Iraqi Draq Queen

Amrou Al-Kadhi: “When I started doing drag, it felt like the ultimate rejection of everything I was taught in the Middle East. … I felt like I was lying. I was trying to live out things that I didn’t actually believe about myself. Everyone was looking to me as this voice of liberation. And I just wasn’t that … Whenever the drag came off, I would have a nervous breakdown.” – The Guardian

Who’s The Father Of Today’s Black Theater Renaissance? August Wilson? No, It’s Tyler Perry

Wesley Morris: “Maybe it’s not immediately obvious. But it makes sense. He’s the biggest black playwright in America. If you were a kid, teenager or barely an adult in the 2000s, living in a black city and attracted to the stage, it would be hard for Perry not to become someone to revere, reckon with or resist.” – The New York Times Magazine

‘I Wanted To Form An Orchestra Of People Like Me’: An Ensemble For Musicians With Mental Illness

“The [Me2/Orchestra’s] beginnings were humble — seven people showed up to the first rehearsal in Burlington, Vt., in 2011. Yet it has grown — almost entirely by word of mouth, [Ronald] Braunstein said proudly — to an extent that the Boston-based orchestra numbers some 60 people. In addition to the Boston and Burlington orchestras, affiliated ensembles also exist in Manchester, N.H., and Portland, Ore. ‘That’s what a need there is for people who live with mental illness and play instruments,’ Braunstein said.” – The Boston Globe

Venice Will Begin Charging Admission For Tourists Next July

The tax will apply to tourists who arrive by coach, cruise ship, water taxi, plane or train. They will be able to pay the charge online with a credit card or from machines “installed in strategic points” around Venice, officials said. The council did not say what penalties would apply to tourists who fail to pay the charge, although in February authorities suggested they would be hit with a fine of up to €450. – The Telegraph (UK)