Why Militant Atheists Who Insist We Choose Science Over God Are Doing It Wrong

“Does God have to be part of our understanding of the universe? No. But if scientists tell the public that they have to choose between God and science, most people will choose God … Meanwhile, many of those who choose science find themselves without any way of thinking that can give them access to their own spiritual potential. … What if we thought this way about God? What if we took the evidence of a new cosmic reality [i.e., dark matter and dark energy] seriously and became willing to rule out the impossible? What would be left?”

Can L.A.’s Small Theaters Afford To Pay Their Actors Better? Can They Afford Not To?

Charles McNulty: “Producers have built flourishing shoestring operations on the backs of virtually unpaid actors. If the majority of performers aren’t complaining, why should their union interfere? … That’s not the way I see it. I believe that the union is concerned about the future of Los Angeles theater, recognizing that institutional growth over the long haul is in the best interest of its membership. Only time will tell whether L.A. is capable of such growth.”

Not Every Writer Can Afford To Just Donate Prize Money

“With increasing pressure for writers to work for free – some of Australia’s largest books festivals offer writers a chance to donate back their small fee and work gratis – and the vast majority of authors struggling to earn a living at all, what is the knock-on effect of these individual actions? For future award winners and for funding (prize money or otherwise), the unintended consequences could be significant.”

Do Art And Science Really Have Anything To Say To One Another?

“Art and science, we feel, should have something to say to each other. But perhaps they speak different languages after all. I don’t speak the language of science too well, either, but I do know one thing: it is concerned with the wonder of nature. There is a depressing lack of wonder in this technically sophisticated but intellectually and emotionally empty art.”

Former Jasper Johns Aid Gets 18 Months In Prison For Art Theft

James Meyer “worked as an assistant to Johns for 25 years, and stole the works over the course of a six-year period, from 2006 to 2012. He admitted to stealing 22 works from Johns, all of which were unfinished pieces that the artist had not authorized for sale. Meyer sold them for a total of $6.5 million, and pocketed half of the proceeds.” (And now that he’s being sentences, he’s very, very sorry.)

How Well Are Museums Moving Into The Digital Future? Here Are 41 Good Examples

“The best recent innovations have been gathered in a new report, Next Practices in Digital and Technology, that the Association of Art Museum Directors is set to release on Friday. The report describes 41 museum projects that use digital technology to engage visitors, make collections more accessible and understandable or improve museum operations like ticketing and collections management.”