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A column by Richard Brody, the New Yorker’s longtime movie critic, caught my eye this week: a “defense of the traditional review,” in response to the New York Times’ decision to shuffle their arts writers around and move away from criticism. 

That decision, of course, comes the same week that the government stripped funding from NPR and PBS; if fewer Times Broadway reviews have little bearing for those outside New York, the downstream effects of public radio cuts will very much affect the local arts. In pockets of the country—especially the South—where no other local media exists, people can find out about the arts by turning on the radio or navigating to a regional site. 

Brody cites critic Pauline Kael’s line “Without a few independent critics, there’s nothing between the public and the advertisers,” writing that social media has further collapsed that already tenuous boundary. Making space to read, write, and publish arts coverage, he says, is not a “matter of critics taking themselves seriously but of taking art seriously.” 

With that in mind, if you are not already a fan of INDY film critic Glenn McDonald (one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet!) and his Incoming! movie column and longstanding reviews, they’re really special and make going to the movies extra special. And of course, if you’re able, please help us keep our arts coverage alive by becoming an INDY Press Club member. 

“When you write a book to make yourself happy, you don’t always know if it’s going to make someone else happy, too,” says Hillsborough writer Libby Buck. Photo by Gunther Campine.

The North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) will pause its annual summer concert series while renovating the Joseph M. Bryan, Jr., Theater in the Museum Park. While the amphitheater restoration is underway, the museum will offer performing arts and film series and events both on and off its campus, reimagining ways in which audiences can engage with the People’s Collection and bridging music, dance, film, and literary arts and theater experiences to the visual arts.

Interested in programs and activities for young artists? Learn more about offerings for families at ncartmuseum.org/familyprograms 

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If you’re looking for a summer vacation read, let me recommend delightful Hillsborough writer Libby Buck’s new book, Port Anna, released earlier this month. A “love letter to Maine,” it’s a lush, gentle read about romance, ghosts, and second chances. (And ICYMI: Here are other recent releases by local writers—on postpartum depression, Southeastern phenomena, and early Indigenous civilizations.)

The Nasher Museum of Art has a new photography exhibition that just opened; writer Brian Greene gives a behind-the-scenes look at how it came together. (I’m going to see it this weekend!). A profile of drag, burlesque, and cabaret emcee Kayla Knott, aka Holly Pocket. 

Here are some ideas of things to do this weekend. 

ICYMI: In praise of Blue Note Grill. Uproar Festival is still on! Local chef Adé Carrena wins Chopped. A tour of three new Durham bars.

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Cicely Mitchell has announced a new Durham festival: the Missy Lane Block Party. A new pizza spot, Dino’s Pizza, just opened in Durham and Hillsborough is getting a new pizza/pasta joint. Raleigh restaurant week runs through August 3. Fancy Gap has a new song out. OUTSOUTH Queer Film Festival is around the corner. A group of refugee kids are helping cook meals for families displaced by flooding. 

Want even more local arts and culture content? Support us by joining the INDY Press Club.

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Sarah Edwards is culture editor of the INDY, covering cultural institutions and the arts in the Triangle. She joined the staff in 2019 and assumed her current role in 2020.