New York Had 65 Million Tourists Last Year. They Shape The Culture

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

Poet Marie Ponsot, 98

“She supported [seven children] as a translator, writer for radio and television, and college professor, carving out at least 10 minutes each day to write. While changing diapers and preparing dinners, she scribbled lines of poetry on notebooks, napkins and the backs of envelopes, ultimately filling the drawers of her desk with completed poems.” Twenty-five years after publishing her first book of poems, she published a second, and went on to be “recognized as one of the most distinctive poets of her generation.” – The Washington Post

Despite Ongoing Criticism, British Museum Endorses BP As Sponsor

“Amid growing pressure for cultural institutions to cut ties with the controversial oil company, … [British Museum director Hartwig] Fischer said today that BP’s support for the museum over the years has helped ‘create unique learning opportunities’, such as the forthcoming exhibition Troy, Myth and Reality (21 November-8 March 2020). ‘This sort of support is vital to [the museum’s] mission,’ he said.” – The Art Newspaper

Alvin Ailey Company’s Second-In-Command To Step Down

“Masazumi Chaya, the associate artistic director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater since 1991, will retire on Jan. 5, 2020, after the company’s annual City Center season. But he’ll still be involved with the organization: After he steps down, Mr. Chaya, 72, will be in charge of a licensing project that will assist in the restaging of Ailey’s works.” – The New York Times