{"id":798492,"date":"2026-05-15T15:46:39","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T15:46:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/798492\/"},"modified":"2026-05-15T15:46:39","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T15:46:39","slug":"why-working-visual-artists-fear-theyre-competing-with-ai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/798492\/","title":{"rendered":"Why working visual artists fear they&#8217;re competing with AI"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Professional visual artists hate generative AI. This should come as no surprise, but <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/dl.acm.org\/doi\/pdf\/10.1145\/3772363.3799003\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">a new survey released last month<\/a> by a trio of researchers at Carnegie Mellon University breaks down just how much: 99% of respondents out of a pool of 378 verified professional visual artists noted their dislike for the technology, with 92% categorizing it as \u201cstrong dislike.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Even more jarring, the survey found that 80% of respondents believe that they\u2019re in competition with the technology. The artists expressed deep concerns about the impact AI is having on their careers, with 54% saying it has diminished their income, 75% their job and clientele security, and 90% their income opportunities. Another 77% said it had negatively impacted their career growth, 61% the future of their career, and 74% their career sustainability.<\/p>\n<p>The jobs most heavily affected include commercial artists, graphic designers and concept artists in entertainment whose work is sometimes entirely replaced \u2014 or largely commandeered \u2014 by images generated using tools like Midjourney, Adobe Fireplay or DALL-E; but fine artists working in traditional media are also experiencing a devaluation of their work and a shrinking pool of employers. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m working on getting out of the field and planning to get my PhD in something non-art related because I can\u2019t see my current work as being sustainable when I see them actively replacing me [with] chatGPT,\u201d a costume designer and illustrator said in the survey, which notes, \u201cDemoralization, disempowerment, disrespect, stress, and fear are also commonly expressed, not only regarding individual careers but also extending towards the field at large.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s been pretty demoralizing at times seeing a lot of younger artists giving up because they don\u2019t see a future in art. That they\u2019re abandoning their creative passions because of AI,\u201d another illustrator said. A comic artist, writer and painter noted that AI underscores that art is not important to the general public. \u201cIt has been demoralizing largely because generated AI images look like crap but there is a segment of the population who seem to not care,\u201d the artist said.<\/p>\n<p>Then there is the unnervingly meta task of artists trying to prove they are human, or that they did not generate their work using AI.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI find users online to be more critical, looking at art less to enjoy it and more so to figure out if it\u2019s AI generated or not. There\u2019s a lot of pressure and anxiety in proving you are a real person now,\u201d one illustrator and designer said. Another artist and sculptor said, \u201cI have seen false accusations for use of AI in work from other artists who do not use AI and I am fearful of being accused of this as well, I now record the creation process of most things so that I have proof AI was not utilized.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This study affirms the findings of a less formal ongoing survey conducted by <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bloodinthemachine.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Brian Merchant, a former Times technology columnist who now writes an indispensable newsletter on Substack called \u201cBlood in the Machine,\u201d<\/a> which keeps razor-sharp track of the ways AI is affecting labor, and the pattern of Big Tech deflecting responsibility for harm. <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bloodinthemachine.com\/p\/artists-are-losing-work-wages-and?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">As part of an ongoing series titled, \u201cAI Killed My Job,\u201d<\/a> Merchant invited visual artists to write to him about their experiences, and published the most compelling \u2014 and crushing \u2014 responses.<\/p>\n<p>In that column, Merchant discusses the \u201cgood enough\u201d principle of AI-generated art, noting, \u201cCreative workers aren\u2019t typically worried that AI systems are so good they\u2019ll be rendered obsolete as artists, or that AI-generated work will be better than theirs. Their fear is that clients, managers, and even consumers will deem AI art \u2018good enough\u2019 as the companies that produce it push down their wages and corrode their ability to earn a living.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>An idea highlighted in the following letter published by Merchant from an anonymous source:<\/p>\n<p> \u201cI\u2019ve been out of work for a while now. I made children\u2019s book illustrations, stock art, and took various art commissions.<\/p>\n<p>Now I have several maxed out credit cards and use a donation bin for food. I haven\u2019t had a steady contract in over a year. two weeks ago, when a client who has switched to AI found out about this he gave me $50 out of \u2018a sense of guilt.\u2019 Basically pity for the fact that Illustrator, as a job, does not exist anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One thing Merchant is exceedingly good at is reminding readers that there is a surge of dissent swelling from the proletariat \u2014 and that after you\u2019re done feeling the necessary despair, you can join the anti-AI resistance. For visual artists that can be as simple as utilizing a growing number of defensive tools when it comes to protecting art, most notably <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/glaze.cs.uchicago.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Glaze<\/a> and <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/nightshade.cs.uchicago.edu\/whatis.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Nightshade<\/a>. The former adds the smallest pixel-sized changes to your artwork, which serves to confuse AI so it can\u2019t train on your style; the latter \u2014 as the name implies \u2014 acts more like a poison that corrupts AI training data so it can\u2019t scrape from a protected image. <\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m Arts editor \u2014 and proud Luddite \u2014 Jessica Gelt. This is your arts and culture news for the week.<\/p>\n<p>        You\u2019re reading Essential Arts     <\/p>\n<p data-element=\"module-description\" class=\"mt-0 mb-4 max-w-150 font-cms-font-service-text text-xs-2 text-cms-color-description-text leading-4.5\">Our critics and reporters guide you through events and happenings of L.A. <\/p>\n<p data-element=\"module-disclaimer\" class=\"inline-block max-w-lg mt-0 mb-3 font-cms-font-service-text text-xs text-cms-color-disclaimer-text [&amp;_a]:text-cms-rich-text-link-color-text\"> By continuing, you agree to our <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/terms-of-service\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Terms of Service<\/a>, which include arbitration and a class action waiver. You agree that we and our third-party vendors may collect and use your information, including through cookies, pixels and similar technologies, for the purposes set forth in our <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/privacy-policy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Privacy Policy<\/a> such as personalizing your experience and ads. <\/p>\n<p>        The week ahead: A curated calendar<\/p>\n<p><b>FRIDAY<\/b><\/p>\n<p>            <img class=\"image\" alt=\"Celeste Butler-Clayton as Coretta Scott King in &quot;Experiencing the Dream: The MLK Musical.&quot;\"   width=\"1200\" height=\"1801\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778859988_134_.jpeg\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>         <\/p>\n<p>Celeste Butler-Clayton as Coretta Scott King in \u201cExperiencing the Dream: The MLK Musical.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>(Triple T Photography)<\/p>\n<p><b>Experiencing the Dream: MLK the Musical<\/b><br \/>The show\u2019s 26 songs will be recorded live with an orchestra of 27 musicians under the direction of Leon Lacy, with orchestrations by Felipe Paccagnella, vocal arrangements by Tony Jones and musical direction by arranger\/producer William Taylor. The cast includes Eric Dawkins, Bishop Jonathan Mason, Yolanda Gibbons, Patricia Jackson, James Singleton, Melvin Crispell, Pam Blackmon Kendle and Celeste Butler-Clayton. Written by Kesha L. Ealy and Marcus S. Mason. Mason also composed the music.<br \/>7 p.m. Greater Emmanuel Temple, 3740 E. Imperial Hwy., Lynwood. <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eventbrite.com\/e\/experience-the-dream-a-live-recording-of-mlk-the-musicals-music-tickets-1984454915071\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">MLKthemusical.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Riverdance 30 \u2014 The New Generation<\/b><br \/>The Irish music and dance phenomenon marks its three decades with a special anniversary tour.<br \/>7:30 p.m. Friday; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scfta.org\/events\/2026\/riverdance-30-the-new-generation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">scfta.org<\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>SATURDAY<\/b><\/p>\n<p>            <img class=\"image\" alt=\"Ryuichi Sakamoto, left; Bang on a Can All-Stars.\"   width=\"1200\" height=\"626\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778859989_298_.jpeg\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>         <\/p>\n<p>Ryuichi Sakamoto, left; Bang on a Can All-Stars.<\/p>\n<p>(The Wallis)<\/p>\n<p><b>Ryuichi Sakamoto<\/b><br \/>Contemporary music sextet Bang on a Can All-Stars pay tribute to the Japanese composer with works from his album \u201c1996,\u201d which included pieces from his film scores, including \u201cMerry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence\u201d (1983), \u201cThe Last Emperor\u201d (1987), for which he won an Academy Award, \u201cThe Sheltering Sky\u201d (1990) and \u201cLittle Buddha\u201d (1993).<br \/>7:30 p.m. The Wallis, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills. <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/thewallis.org\/show-details\/bang-on-a-can-all-stars-ryuichi-sakamoto-1996\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">thewallis.org<\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Vijay Iyer and Wadada Leo Smith<\/b><br \/>The longtime collaborators perform music from their 2025 album \u201cDefiant Life\u201d which Iyer noted \u201cwas shaped by our ongoing sorrow and outrage over the past year\u2019s cruelties, but also by our faith in human possibility.\u201d<br \/>8 p.m. UCLA Nimoy Theater, 1262 Westwood Blvd. <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/cap.ucla.edu\/event\/vijay-iyer-and-wadada-leo-smith\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">cap.ucla.edu<\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Radiance + Reverie<\/b><br \/>Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra music director Jaime Mart\u00edn leads the group in Mozart\u2019s \u201cHaffner\u201d Symphony, \u201cSelah,\u201d a world premiere of a new Double Concerto by Christopher Cerrone performed by violinist Anthony Marwood and cellist Coleman Itzkoff, and Tchaikovsky\u2019s \u201cMozartiana.\u201d<br \/>7:30 p.m. Saturday. Zipper Hall, 200 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A.; 4 p.m. Sunday. The Wallis, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills. <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.laco.org\/events\/martin-marwood-mozart\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">laco.org<\/a><\/p>\n<p>            <img class=\"image\" alt=\"Mads Mikkelsen and Zlatko Buri\u0107 in 'Pusher II: With Blood on My Hands.&quot;\"   width=\"1200\" height=\"796\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778859990_430_.jpeg\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>         <\/p>\n<p>Mads Mikkelsen and Zlatko Buri\u0107 in \u2018Pusher II: With Blood on My Hands.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>(Jens Juncker-Jensen \/ NWR \/ Magnolia Pictures )<\/p>\n<p><b>Pusher trilogy<\/b><br \/>Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn\u2019s gritty triptych takes us through the violent criminal underworld of Copenhagen in three interconnected films, each with a different protagonist: \u201cPusher\u201d (1996), starring Kim Bodnia; \u201cPusher II: With Blood On My Hands\u201d (2004), starring Mads Mikkelsen; \u201cPusher III: I\u2019m The Angel Of Death,\u201d starring Zlatko Buri\u0107.<br \/>5 p.m. Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd. <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.americancinematheque.com\/now-showing\/nicolas-winding-refns-pusher-trilogy-5-16-26\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">americancinematheque.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Jodi Siegel<\/b><br \/>The singer-songwriter and guitarist is joined by guitarist Greg Por\u00e9e and percussionist Justin Por\u00e9e for an evening of blues, R&amp;B, soul and jazz.<br \/>8 p.m. Sierra Madre Playhouse, Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sierramadreplayhouse.org\/event\/siegel2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">sierramadreplayhouse.org<\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>SUNDAY<\/b><br \/><b>Celebrating Photography<\/b><br \/>The Getty has a series of events inspired by the exhibition \u201cPhotography and the Black Arts Movement, 1955\u20131985\u201d (which continues through June 14). It begins Sunday with a free, daylong Family Festival featuring live music, dance, storytelling and interactive workshops. On Wednesday evening, moderator Karen Grigsby Bates and authors Dr. Karin L. Stanford and Mark Speltz discuss the new book \u201cMarching West: The Los Angeles Civil Rights Movement in Photographs.\u201d Thursday morning, the panel \u201cBackstage: An Unfurling of the JPC: Black Photography &amp; Visual Culture\u201d examines how the Johnson Publishing Company and its photographers impacted Black visual culture and the larger field of photography. Finally, on June 7, authors Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe (\u201cViewfinders: Black Women Photographers\u201d) and Deborah Willis (\u201cBlack Photographers, 1840 to 1940: An Illustrated Bio-Bibliography\u201d) discuss their work as artists and historians.<br \/>Family Festival, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday; \u201cBackstage: An Unfurling of the JPC,\u201d 10 a.m. Thursday (also online); \u201cMarching West,\u201d 7 p.m. Wednesday (also online); \u201cViewfinders,\u201d 4 p.m. June 7 (also online). Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Drive, L.A. <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.getty.edu\/exhibitions\/black-arts-movement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">getty.edu<\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>F For Fake<\/b><br \/>A 35 mm screening of Orson Welles\u2019 1973 enigmatic docudrama profiles professional art forger Elmyr de Hory as a starting point for examining authenticity and authorship.<br \/>6 p.m. Brain-Dead Studios, 611 N. Fairfax Ave. <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/studios.wearebraindead.com\/movies\/f-for-fake\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">studios.wearebraindead.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Philip Glass and the Poets<\/b><br \/>The first major Philip Glass 90th birthday celebration (he was born Jan. 31, 1927) features Timo Andres on piano and spoken word performance by Taylor Mac, with special guest appearances by Lucinda Childs and the San Francisco Girls Chorus and their artistic director Val\u00e9rie Sainte-Agathe.<br \/>7 p.m. UC Santa Barbara, Campbell Hall. <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/artsandlectures.ucsb.edu\/events-tickets\/events\/25-26\/philip-glass-and-the-poets\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">artsandlectures.ucsb.edu<\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>TUESDAY<\/b><\/p>\n<p>            <img class=\"image\" alt=\"Gustavo Dudamel will lead the L.A. Phil in Wagner's &quot;Die Walk\u00fcre&quot; in three parts, Tuessday-Sunday at Disney Concert Hall.\"   width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778859991_454_.jpeg\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>         <\/p>\n<p>Gustavo Dudamel will lead the L.A. Phil in Wagner\u2019s \u201cDie Walk\u00fcre\u201d in three parts, Tuessday-Sunday at Disney Concert Hall.<\/p>\n<p>(Etienne Laurent \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n<p><b>Die Walk\u00fcre<\/b><br \/>Conductor Gustavo Dudamel and the L.A. Phil, along with director Alberto Arvelo, tackle the second installment in Wagner\u2019s epic Ring Cycle in three stand-alone parts with opera stars Jamez McCorkle, Jessica Faselt, Christine Goerke and Ryan Speedo Green, and scenic designs by Frank Gehry.<br \/>Act I, 8 p.m. Tuesday and Friday; Act II, 8 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday; Act II, 8 p.m. Thursday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.laphil.com\/events\/performances?Venue=LA+Phil&amp;Season=upcoming\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">laphil.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>WEDNESDAY<\/b><br \/><b>Being There<\/b><br \/>Peter Sellers received an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of a simple gardener catapulted into the media spotlight and presidential politics in Hal Ashby\u2019s prescient 1979 satire. Shirley MacLaine, Jack Warden and Melvyn Douglas co-star. Screening in 35 mm with an appearance by cinematographer Caleb Deschanel.<br \/>7:30 p.m. Academy Museum, 6067 Wilshire Blvd. <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.academymuseum.org\/en\/programs\/detail\/being-there-019be210-d889-23c4-fc46-fb61ed623eb5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">academymuseum.org<\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Life of Mozart<\/b><br \/>The Pasadena Choral Society presents the composer\u2019s unfinished \u201cRequiem\u201d within a dramatic framework using Mozart\u2019s own words. Milo Brody plays Mozart, accompanied by pianist Tali Tadmor, with solos by soprano Erika Boychenko, alto Ali Frazzini, tenor Eric Wernerand bass Chris Tickner.<br \/>7:30 p.m. San Marino Community Church, 1750 Virginia Rd #0412. <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/givebutter.com\/lifeofmozart\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">givebutter.com\/lifeofmozart<\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Primary Trust<\/b><br \/>Times theater critic Charles McNulty described Eboni Booth\u2019s 2024 Pulitzer Prize-winning play as \u201ca quirky, small-scale, quietly reflective work that\u2019s as tenderhearted as it is spryly comic and as poignant as it is ultimately uplifting,\u201d when it had <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/entertainment-arts\/story\/2024-10-08\/primary-trust-eboni-booth-2024-pulitzer-prize-west-coast-premiere-la-jolla-playhouse\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">its West Coast premiere<\/a> at La Jolla Playhouse. Once again directed by Knud Adams, it arrives in Los Angeles with a cast that includes Ugo Chukwu, Rebecca S\u2019manga Frank, Petey McGee and James Urbaniak, with music by Luke Wygodny.<br \/>Through June 28 Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.centertheatregroup.org\/shows-tickets\/taper\/2025-26\/primary-trust\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">centertheatregroup.org<\/a><\/p>\n<p>            <img class=\"image\" alt=\"Studio installation view from &quot;A Palace in Time&quot; at the Skirball beginning May 20.\"   width=\"1200\" height=\"1321\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778859992_554_.jpeg\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>         <\/p>\n<p>Studio installation view from \u201cA Palace in Time\u201d at the Skirball beginning May 20.<\/p>\n<p>(Courtesy of Robert Russell and Lisa Edelstein.)<\/p>\n<p><b>Skirball Spring Exhibitions <\/b><br \/>The Skirball Cultural Center launches three new exhibitions next week: \u201cInventing America: The Comic Book Revolution\u201d; \u201cOutsiders, Outcasts, Rebels + Weirdos: Punk Culture 1976\u20131986\u201d; and \u201cRobert Russell and Lisa Edelstein: A Palace in Time.\u201d All three open May 20, Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.skirball.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">skirball.org<\/a><\/p>\n<p>THURSDAY<\/p>\n<p><b>Ain\u2019t Misbehavin\u2019<\/b><br \/>Grammy Award-winning artist Ledisi headlines this Ebony Repertory Theatre production, in association with Fig Street Films, of the Tony Award-winning revue, a tribute to the music of Fats Waller. Directed by Wren T. Brown, with choreography by Dominique Kelley and music direction by William Foster McDaniel. Chester Gregory, Connie Jackson, Marty Austin Lamar and Natalie Wachen co-star.<br \/>May 21 through June 8. Nate Holden Performing Arts Center, 4718 W. Washington Blvd. L.A. <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/ebonyrep.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">ebony rep.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Arts anywhere<\/p>\n<p>New and recent releases of arts-related media.<\/p>\n<p>            <img class=\"image\" alt=\"Shaina Taub, Jenna Bainbridge and the cast of &quot;Suffs&quot; during the 77th Annual Tony Awards in 2024.\"   width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778859993_826_.jpeg\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>         <\/p>\n<p>Shaina Taub, Jenna Bainbridge and the cast of \u201cSuffs\u201d during the 77th Annual Tony Awards in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>(Theo Wargo \/ Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)<\/p>\n<p><b>Suffs<\/b><br \/>When the national tour of Shaina Taub\u2019s musical about the suffragette movement marched through the <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/entertainment-arts\/story\/2025-11-21\/suffs-review-women-vote-musical-theatre-hollywood-pantages\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Hollywood Pantages last fall<\/a>, Times theater critic Charles McNulty wrote that it \u201cis as informative as it is uplifting. It is above all a moving testament to the power of sisterhood. The struggle for equality continues to face crushing setbacks today, but Taub wants us to remember what can happen when people stand united for a just cause.\u201d Captured on Broadway in December 2024, \u201cSuffs,\u201d starring Taub, who also wrote the book, music and lyrics for the show, debuted on PBS\u2019 \u201cGreat Performances\u201d earlier this month and is streaming online until the end of July. <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/wnet\/gperf\/suffs-about\/17498\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pbs.org<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Kevin Crust<\/p>\n<p>Culture news and the SoCal scene            <img class=\"image\" alt=\"Johnie's Coffee Shop in Los Angeles May 8.\"   width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778581581_669_.jpeg\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>         <\/p>\n<p> Johnie\u2019s Coffee Shop in Los Angeles May 8. <\/p>\n<p>(Ariana Drehsler \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/entertainment-arts\/story\/2026-05-12\/gary-baseman-menu-drawings-johnies-new-exhibition\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Artist Gary Baseman staged his first hometown show in more than a decade<\/a> at the long-shuttered, but still iconic Johnie\u2019s Coffee Shop along Miracle Mile on Wilshire Blvd. The Googie-style structure opened its doors for the exhibit, which featured a variety of Baseman\u2019s drawings on menus from L.A.-area restaurants.<\/p>\n<p>The <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/entertainment-arts\/movies\/story\/2026-05-12\/rex-reed-dead\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">critic Rex Reed died this week at the age of 87 <\/a>and Times theater critic Charles McNulty wrote <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/entertainment-arts\/story\/2026-05-12\/rex-reed-appreciation-new-york-film-theater-tv-critic\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">an appreciation of the often acerbic provocateur.<\/a> \u201cHe didn\u2019t mince words or allow nuance or second thoughts to stand in the way of a zingy phrase or a colorful wisecrack. Unbridled opinion was his stock-in-trade,\u201d McNulty wrote.<\/p>\n<p>McNulty also weighed in with a review of a revival of<a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/entertainment-arts\/story\/2026-05-13\/exit-king-review-theater-absurd-ionesco-a-noise-within\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> Eug\u00e8ne Ionesco\u2019s \u201cExit the King,\u201d directed by Michael Michetti at A Noise Within. <\/a>Ionesco, a Romanian-born French playwright, is one of the pillars of the Theatre of the Absurd, McNulty writes, adding, \u201cThe existential philosophy of Camus and Sartre, self-evident truths for these absurdist writers, is conveyed less through the content than through the style of their plays. Language is no longer a means of communication but a mark of the unbridgeable distance between human beings.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>            <img class=\"image\" alt=\"People play a satirical video game installation titled \u201cOperation Epic Furious Strait to Hell&quot;\"   width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778859997_881_.jpeg\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>         <\/p>\n<p>People play a satirical video game installation titled \u201cOperation Epic Furious Strait to Hell,\u201d created by guerrilla art group Secret Handshake.<\/p>\n<p>(Heather Diehl \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>You can order a Diet Coke, or bomb Iran in <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/entertainment-arts\/story\/2026-05-11\/iran-war-video-games-operation-epic-furious-secret-handshake-dc\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">a new video game about the Iran war called \u201cOperation Epic Furious: Strait to Hell,\u201d<\/a> which was installed near the National Mall in Washington, D.C. by the anonymous arts activist group Secret Handshake. For the past year and a half the group has secured permits to erect an ongoing series of satirical public sculptures \u2014 mostly about President Trump\u2019s alleged ties to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein \u2014 on and around the National Mall. This is the group\u2019s first foray into video games.<\/p>\n<p>Times classical music critic Mark Swed devoted a recent column to the <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/entertainment-arts\/story\/2026-05-11\/houston-brooklyn-show-what-robert-wilson-still-means-to-la28\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">genius of the American theater director, playwright and performer Robert Wilson,<\/a> who died last year at the age of 83. \u201cSo far this year, there have been, or will be through the end of June, major Wilson opera and theater productions in Moscow; Paris; Ljubljana, Slovenia; D\u00fcsseldorf, Germany; Adelaide, Australia; Kaunas, Lithuania; Vienna; Rome; Tokyo; Luxembourg City, Luxembourg; Berlin; Riga, Latvia; and Sophia, Bulgaria. That is to say, pretty much Wilson business as usual,\u201d Swed writes, before examining two new performances of Wilson\u2019s work in Brooklyn and Houston.<\/p>\n<p>            <img class=\"image\" alt=\"A man in a subway station.\"   width=\"1200\" height=\"1799\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778859998_284_.jpeg\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>         <\/p>\n<p>Artist Todd Gray stands in front of his work inside the Wilshire\/La Cienega Metro Station on May 1 in Los Angeles. <\/p>\n<p>(Carlin Stiehl \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n<p>Iris Kwok marked the opening of L.A. Metro\u2019s new D Line extension by profiling <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/entertainment-arts\/story\/2026-05-08\/meet-4-artists-behind-public-art-youll-see-at-metros-d-line-stations\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">four of the artists behind the public artwork in three new stations. <\/a>Nine artists in total worked on site-specific installations: Mariana Castillo Deball, Eamon Ore-Giron, Ken Gonzales-Day, Todd Gray, Karl Haendel, Soo Kim, Fran Siegel, Susan Silton and Mark Dean Veca.<\/p>\n<p>Julius Miller broke the news that a series of <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/entertainment-arts\/story\/2026-05-14\/the-broad-yoko-ono-exhibit-peace-billboard-campaign\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">seven digital billboards promoting peace will go up across the city as part of the Broad Museum\u2019s upcoming exhibit, \u201cYoko Ono: Music of the Mind,\u201d<\/a> which opens May 23. The billboards arrive nearly 57 years after Ono and John Lennon \u201cerected a billboard near the Chateau Marmont emblazoned with the words, \u201cWAR IS OVER! If You Want It.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Culver City\u2019s <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/entertainment-arts\/story\/2026-05-10\/culver-citys-wende-museum-of-cold-war-announces-expansion\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Wende Museum of the Cold War announced it will build a $16-million expansion in Hawthorne.<\/a> It plans to transform a newly purchased Midcentury Modern building into a research institute and interactive storage facility for its collections \u2014 \u201ca \u2018living archive,\u2019 as it\u2019s calling the facility,\u201d writes Deborah Vankin. The opening is currently set for 2028.<\/p>\n<p class=\"infobox-title\">Enjoying this newsletter? Consider subscribing to the Los Angeles Times<\/p>\n<p class=\"infobox-description\">Your support helps us deliver the news that matters most. <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/subscriptions\/digital-only.html?pid_campaigns=7442_MTRDigitalWB2,7443_MTRDigitalWB2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Become a subscriber.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>                  <img class=\"image\" alt=\"Alvin Ailey's American Dance Theatre's Chalvar Montei \"   width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778859999_591_.jpeg\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>         <\/p>\n<p>Alvin Ailey\u2019s American Dance Theatre\u2019s Chalvar Montei leaps for the stars. The troupe will perform as part of the Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at the Music Center.<\/p>\n<p>(Dario Calmese \/ Courtesy La Jolla Music Society <br \/>)<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/musiccenter.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Music Center<\/a> announced its lineup this week for the 2026\u201327 season of <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/musiccenter.org\/dance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at the Music Center<\/a>. Highlights include the Joffrey Ballet\u2019s West Coast premiere of \u201cThe Sleeping Beauty,\u201d Compa\u00f1\u00eda Nacional de Danza\u2019s North American premiere of \u201cDon Quixote,\u201d and the Los Angeles premiere of a Jerome Robbins ballet festival curated by Tiler Peck. Alvin Ailey Dance Theater is also part of the lineup, and choreographer Sonya Tayeh will unveil an L.A. premiere set to the music of Sin\u00e9ad O\u2019Connor.<\/p>\n<p>The Los Angeles Philharmonic has announced the <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theford.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">2026 summer season at the Ford.<\/a> The open-air venue across from the Hollywood Bowl is now in its seventh season under LA Phil leadership, and shows are set to run through Oct. 31. Grab your picnic basket and select a date from a wide variety of shows including dance, music and film. Stand-out acts include Bilal and DJ Rashida, Matteo Bocelli, Jacob Collier, Judy Collins and Bruce Cockburn, Ani DiFranco and Valerie June, Helado Negro and Reyna Tropical, Joe Hisaishi, Iron &amp; Wine, the L.A. Phil, and Punch Brothers.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/instituteoflatinoart.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Institute of Latino Art has opened in Pomona<\/a>, with a grand opening reception scheduled for June 13. Occupying the former Latino Art Museum space, the new gallery was founded by artist Oscar Magallanes. A news release notes, \u201cILA represents a new artist-led institution in the Inland Empire, working to connect regional communities with contemporary Latin American and Chicano art. The inaugural exhibition, \u2018Reclamation: Art in Contested Spaces,\u2019 features NSRGNTS, Lapiztola, and Rub\u00e9n Ortiz-Torres.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jessica Gelt<\/p>\n<p>And last but not least<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/entertainment-arts\/story\/2026-05-14\/yorkshire-travel-guide-literary-journey-james-herriot-dracula-brontes\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Times columnist Mary McNamara went to Yorkshire<\/a> and wrote that it was the bucket-list literary trip of her dreams. Mine too!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Professional visual artists hate generative AI. This should come as no surprise, but a new survey released last&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":798493,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5123],"tags":[1582,276,18282,18286,18287,18283,2961,224,2444,5337,18284,18278,18280,18281,18285,18279,4370,645,2452,8066],"class_list":["post-798492","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-ca","tag-california","tag-design-columnist-carolina-a-miranda","tag-existential-questions","tag-group-show","tag-l-a-museum","tag-la","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-times","tag-losangeles","tag-matthew-lopez","tag-opera","tag-pauline","tag-performance","tag-private-jet","tag-schindler-house","tag-show","tag-story","tag-week","tag-work"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116579375709858061","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/798492","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=798492"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/798492\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/798493"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=798492"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=798492"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=798492"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}