Mysterious Thief Demands Ransom For Klimt Painting Stolen In 1997

“An unknown Italian man identifying himself as a retired art thief has contacted the police in the northern city of Piacenza demanding €150,000 ($163,000) for the safe return of a Gustav Klimt painting. … The artwork disappeared from the Galleria d’Arte Moderna Piacenza in February 1997 while the alarm system was incapacitated due to ongoing renovation work.”

The Difficulties Of Making Dance In Los Angeles

“The connective fibers of our town are missing. That is what we started to realize with Sasha (Anawalt) starting to do the Dance Map. We suddenly realized how many dance circles there are in Los Angeles. The circles aren’t connected, so you don’t realize we’re the leading social dance town or that with Latin Dance we’re huge.”

Lebanese Comics Magazine Tries Crowdfunding To Survive After Prosecutions

“A Lebanese satirical comic last week threw what may prove to be either its final launch party – or the first of its resurrection. The event marked Samandal magazine’s attempt to crowdfund its way out of oblivion after three of its editors were convicted of crimes against religion and fined for their work, nearly putting the experimental comics collective out of business.”

Staff Turmoil At Orlando’s New Performing Arts Center

During the past nine months, the Orlando Sentinel interviewed more than a dozen former midlevel and high-level center staff members. The ex-employees, all of whom said they left of their own accord, characterized their former work environment as “toxic.” All requested anonymity, citing potential damage to their careers; in the close-knit arts world, many will likely need to do business with the center again.