What's a human worth? Art's value debated amid AI, market, and funding crises
A roundup of stories questioning the value of art and human creativity. Michael Rushton revisits Pierre Bourdieu's claim that aesthetic taste is class signaling, arguing it undermines cultural funding rationale (For What It's Worth). A study gave struggling artists $1,000/month for 18 months with no strings attached, gaining traction as AI threatens creative work (The Conversation). Pop tours are not selling this summer; a promoter calls prices 'obscene' (LinkedIn). The Ansel Adams Trust is furious at a gallery selling an AI color version of Moonrise Over Hernandez, questioning the human behind the image (ARTnews). At the Kennedy Center, the opera house orchestra of 61 musicians paid per performance has gone silent with no performances (The New York Times). Alamo Drafthouse movie theater chain nudges patrons to order on phones mid-movie, causing backlash (The New York Times).
Key facts
- Michael Rushton revisits Bourdieu's claim that aesthetic taste is class signaling.
- A study gave struggling artists $1,000/month for 18 months with no strings attached.
- Pop tours aren't selling this summer; a promoter calls prices 'obscene'.
- Ansel Adams Trust is furious at a gallery selling an AI color version of Moonrise Over Hernandez.
- Kennedy Center opera house orchestra of 61 musicians paid per performance has gone silent.
- Alamo Drafthouse nudges patrons to order on phones mid-movie, causing backlash.
- The stories circle the question: what is art actually worth, and who decides?
- AI's impact on creative work is a key concern in the study and the Ansel Adams dispute.
Entities
Artists
- Ansel Adams
- Pierre Bourdieu
Institutions
- Ansel Adams Trust
- Kennedy Center
- Alamo Drafthouse
- For What It's Worth
- The Conversation
- ARTnews
- The New York Times
Locations
- Washington
- United States