Because thinking minds are different from evolving organisms and self-assembling molecules, we cannot expect them to use the same means—mechanisms like genetic drift and thermal vibrations—to overcome deep valleys in the landscapes they explore. But they must have some way to achieve the same purpose. As it turns out, they have more than just one—many more. But one of the most important is play. – Nautilus
Author: Douglas McLennan
City Of Austin Radically Reimagines Its Arts Funding
Under the new system, recipients of cultural funding needn’t be non-profit organizations or individual artists. Now “businesses and unincorporated groups” are also eligible to receive money from the city. – Sightlines
By The Numbers: What Theatre Looked Like In 2019
“A bright spot in the report indicates that the U.S. professional not-for-profit theatre field attracted an estimate of 38 million audience members to 180,000 performances of 21,000 productions in 2019, and more than one million Americans subscribed to a theatre season that year.” – American Theatre
The Complications Of What Tolerance And Respect Mean
“Today many regard tolerance not as the willingness to allow views that some may find offensive but the restraining of unacceptable views so as to protect people from being outraged. Regarding tolerance as the demand of those who might be offended, rather than as a permission for those who might offend is to turn the idea on its head.” – The Guardian
Should A Museum Diversify By Selling Some Of Its Best Art?
“MOLAA’s collection is, to be charitable, spotty. But the bizarre claim that certain first-rate artists are “overrepresented” in the collection, which chief curator Gabriela Urtiaga offered to The Times as a rationale for trying to unload 59 works, mostly graphics, does not inspire confidence in upgrading it.” – Los Angeles Times
All The Ways Senator Mike Lee Is Wrong In Blocking A National Latinx Museum
“There is a vacuum when it comes to the representation of Latinos in U.S. culture and that vacuum gets filled by figures like Trump, who regularly vilifies Latinos, describing Mexican immigrants as criminals and “rapists.” As I’ve written in the past, the cultural arena offers little to counter to these depictions: it’s either a steady diet of stereotype (maid and drug trafficking roles in Hollywood movies) or just straight-up invisibility.” – Los Angeles Times
Consolidation: Major Broadway Theatrical Licensing Agency Is Sold To Competitor
In the letter, Dramatists Play Service says that the move was partly inspired by the challenges facing the theater business posed by coronavirus. It’s a public health crisis that has brought Broadway and other centers of the live events industry to their knees, dramatically reducing the fees that can be garnered for licensing plays and musicals to theater companies around the world. – Variety
Why Right-Wing Talk Radio Is So Effective
Good talk show hosts know their job isn’t to find or interview “good guests”; it’s to build a trust relationship with their audience, cemented over years, caller after caller, day after day. Truly effective hosts like Limbaugh and Michael Savage talk to their listeners as if they’re close and trusted friends. This is a dynamic unavailable to podcasting or television, as it is impossible to replicate without live listener interaction. – The Nation
Facebook’s Doom Machine
The cycle of harm perpetuated by Facebook’s scale-at-any-cost business model is plain to see. Scale and engagement are valuable to Facebook because they’re valuable to advertisers. These incentives lead to design choices such as reaction buttons that encourage users to engage easily and often, which in turn encourage users to share ideas that will provoke a strong response. – The Atlantic
The Looming Crisis For Immigrant Artists In The US
An O-1B visa is a temporary visa for “individuals with an extraordinary ability in the arts or extraordinary achievement in motion picture or television industry,” according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Ultimately, it gives an artist permission to work in their job title for up to three years at a time. A crucial component to getting this kind of visa is showing evidence of substantial achievements and showing that you have work lined up for the duration of the visa. Enter Covid. – Dance Magazine