Based on the leadership literature, this paper aims to investigate personality traits and motivation to lead in administrative leaders and non-leaders in the field of art, in a Norwegian context. Data was gathered from 141 administrative leaders from music and arts schools, and from 213 performing artists. For comparison purposes, a sample of 83 corporate leaders and 69 non-leaders was collected. The results indicate that motivation to lead among artistic individuals was almost identical related with leaderlike characteristics as for corporate individuals. Individuals entering administrative leadership positions in the field of art were also associated with leaderlike characteristics when compared with non-leaders. The only unexpected finding was a negative relationship between extraversion and individuals in administrative leadership positions. Also, motivation to lead did not differentiate administrative leaders and non-leaders in the field of art. The results are discussed in terms of how leadership characteristics operate in the field of art, and the effect of domain-specific characteristics in this setting.

This article interrogates the idea of ‘smartness’ as embraced by artistic and design representations of future domestic spaces. Through an analysis of works of individual artists, designers, and curators (Aideen Barry, Kuba Jekiel, Rowan Elselmy) as well as collectives (UCL, Liminal Space, Dark Matter Labs, Superflux, the Hub for Biotechnology in the Built Environment, SquintOpera), we explore how these creative interventions reconfigure the well-established techno-centric narratives around smart homes. Our interpretations are enriched by insights drawn from self-conducted interviews with creators, as well as those expressed in available feature texts and media commentaries. Engaging with theoretical frameworks originating in cultural studies, critical futures studies, and speculative design, our analysis demonstrates how the discussed projects recalibrate the neoliberal paradigm of smart living, offering unconventional and inspirational understandings of smartness. The article contends that ‘smartness’ cannot be seen as a fixed technological ideal; rather, it should be approached as a fluid, context-specific concept, calling for a more nuanced approach to the smartification process of modern society, across material, ideological, and axiological dimensions.

In light of the challenges of talent loss and industrial decline in peripheral cities, this study examines how some of them are repositioning themselves as creative hubs by leveraging local resources to attract creative talents, and how cultural and creative industries (CCIs) strategies in such cities shape migrants’ mobility and creative practice. Taking the design-craft cluster in Jingdezhen, China as a case study, the research draws on in-depth interviews with 32 migrant artisans. The findings are twofold. First, artisans’ migration is primarily motivated by the pursuit of autonomy. Their migration decisions reflect macro-level pressures, destination-based attractions, and embedded social-productive networks that serve as “anchors” for retention. This dynamic is captured by the proposed Push-Pull-Anchor model. Second, under the governance model of state-owned enterprise-led individual entrepreneurship, municipal CCIs strategies prioritize economic performance while lacking adequate infrastructure and welfare support for individual artisans. Although this approach has stimulated local economic growth, it has also generated productive gentrification and puts artisans’ autonomy at risk.

Traditional Minangkabau weaving has been widely studied from symbolic and historical perspectives, yet research highlighting the role of individual artisans as key agents of cultural preservation at the community level remains limited. This study aims to analyze the role of Jumatul Khaira in preserving weaving culture in Balai Cacang over the period 1975–2024. It employs a qualitative approach with a historical research method and a descriptive-historical design, involving purposively selected participants including the principal artisan, customary leaders, family members, and local community members. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, field observations, literature review, and documentation, and were analyzed using source criticism and interpretive synthesis. The findings show that cultural preservation has been carried out through hands-on weaving practice, the use of digital media as a means of cultural exposure, and social and customary collaboration; however, the regeneration of weavers has not proceeded effectively due to economic factors, social perceptions, and limited ongoing training. These findings underscore the importance of individual actors in sustaining intangible cultural heritage and provide practical implications for the formulation of preservation strategies based on community empowerment and the strengthening of the creative economy at the local level.

Background and Aims: Background and Aims: Yu Opera, originating in Henan Province, China, faces challenges in maintaining cultural relevance amid rapid urbanization and evolving entertainment preferences. Individual artists, notably Liu Xiaoyan, play a crucial role in preserving and innovating traditional arts. This study aims to examine Liu Xiaoyan’s transmission of the artistic and cultural essence of Yu Opera through an interdisciplinary approach. Methodology: Employing qualitative ethnographic methodologies, the research integrates field observations and semi-structured interviews with three purposively selected informants. The key informants targeted were Liu Xiaoyan, who provided insights into her artistic philosophy and methods, a professionally trained student educator, and a cultural outreach specialist. Key data collection tools included observation and structured interview forms. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify recurring themes such as technique preservation, pedagogical innovation, emotional transmission, digital outreach, and cultural dialogue. Results: Liu Xiaoyan effectively integrates traditional vocal and performance training with contemporary pedagogical approaches, using immersive stage performances as educational tools. Her structured mentorship emphasizes both technical mastery and emotional interpretation. Furthermore, Liu innovatively utilizes digital platforms like livestreaming and multimedia storytelling to attract younger audiences, demonstrating an effective blending of tradition and innovation. Conclusion: Liu Xiaoyan’s interdisciplinary transmission model successfully bridges traditional preservation with modern adaptation, highlighting the crucial role individual agency plays in cultural heritage sustainability. Her approach provides valuable insights for cultural educators and policymakers seeking effective methods to preserve intangible cultural heritage within rapidly modernizing societies.

This analytical manuscript systematizes principles of financial planning and management for tattoo studio operations and translates classical corporate finance and managerial accounting tools into the context of creative service businesses. The study proposes an applied framework that connects demand forecasting, capacity utilization, pricing architecture, cost control, and cash-flow governance into a single managerial cycle. A structured approach is presented for annual budgeting with monthly rolling updates, contribution-margin analysis for services, cash conversion planning, and risk-adjusted reserve policies. Practical instruments are offered, including a standard chart of cost categories for studios, pricing and discount rules aligned with utilization levels, and KPI dashboards for sustainability. The paper’s results can be used by tattoo studio owners, individual artists, and investors to build resilient and scalable business models while maintaining service quality and brand premium.

Artistic imperative and epilepsy of Van Gogh.

The article presents two approaches (methods) or two psychological attitudes that exist in the consciousness of different artists toward the creation of art. Referring to the work of renowned figures in both world and contemporary Ukrainian art, the study illustrates the emotional response of the artist to reality, which serves as the primary impulse for awakening creative energy and imagination. It is emphasized that a dominant sensuous-emotional perception of events and phenomena becomes the precondition for a sensuous-spontaneous type of artistic production (Impressionism, Fauvism, Expressionism). Alongside this, a rational-discursive line of development in visual art is outlined (Naturalism, Realism, Constructivism, etc.). The philosophical foundation of this duality is traced (Hegel’s rational-logical concept and the criteria of sensuous art formulated by Kant and his followers). Through the analysis of works by Ukrainian artists Tetiana Yablonska, Liubomyr Medvid, Viсtor Sydorenko, Oleksandr Zhyvotkov, Halyna Neledva, and Anatolii Kryvolap, the study reveals the existence of forms of “pure,” immediate sensibility in art as well as models of rational thought. Phenomenal instances of “synthetic” forms of artistic thinking are demonstrated, namely, the fusion of sensuous and rational creativity within a single artistic individuality. The article also highlights how, in the artist’s consciousness, the mundane is transformed into the poetics of an artistic phenomenon. The author traces the change and transformation of the ontological essence of the model as the stimulus of imagination.

Introduction. Avant-garde painting of the beginning of the 20th century is rich in new directions, trends, new aesthetic concepts of avant-garde artists. For a deeper study of the characteristics of avant-garde painting there is a need to expand the conceptual and methodological apparatus of aesthetics. We consider in this article the methodological foundations of the study of Russian avant-garde painting of the beginning of the 20th century, systematize those methods that are most effective in the philosophical-aesthetic and the art-critical analysis of visual art. Methodology and sources . Based on well-known principles in the methodology of science, the article focuses on the specificity of art criticism methods, which together with philosophical and aesthetic create a unified methodological basis for considering avant-garde painting. Results and discussion . The emergence of the avant-garde is primarily related to a departure from the classical tradition in art and the formation of new methods and means of artistic expression. Avant-garde art sought to create its own author’s «philosophy of art», to bring it to the general public, but like all philosophies, it remained an elitist and subjectivistic understanding of the world by individual artists. As a result of the understanding of existing aesthetic and art-historical methods of painting analysis, the article describes a complex system that includes a list of methods combining aesthetic and art-historical approaches to the study of works of avant-garde painting: historical-biographical method; method of comparative analysis; formal-stylistic method; method of criticism and connoisseurship; iconographic and iconological methods; structural-semiotic and semiotic-hermeneutic methods. This list can be continued, it is far from being exhausted by the mentioned methods, but in our study we define it as sufficient and necessary to achieve the stated goals. Conclusion . The methodological bases of the study of Russian avant-garde painting from the beginning of the 20th century allow us to systematize a rather fragmented material concerning the study of fine art in the Silver Age, linking together philosophical-aesthetic and art-historical approaches.

Using an interdisciplinary perspective at the intersections of anthropology, Jewish Studies, and critical academic scholarship of heritage, this special issue presents ethnographic examples to explore the relationship between minority groups and the state through the prism of representations of Jewish cultural heritage in the European public sphere. On an empirical level, the articles focus on personal, community-led, and wider public discussions of the way Jewish experience and histories of migration have been (or should be) represented in museums and historical sites, in musical productions and open-air displays, at sites of restitution and in virtual spaces. In this introductory article we summarise the main points of each contribution and some of their connected themes. We then briefly discuss the articles we brought together and outline the main matters of theoretical concern they raise. Key are the aspirations that members of Jewish communities have in negotiating representations of Jewish heritage in Europe and the agentive capacity that diverse Jewish publics, including individual artists and professionals, demonstrate in shaping these representations to achieve, disrupt, or suspend state-sponsored consensus about the preservation of minority heritage.

The relevance of the study. It consists in considering the Ravel's music not only in the con- text of the author's artistic evolution, but also as but also as a unique example of composer's skill - an attribute of a true Master, whose creative process is subordinated to certain structural principles. The main objective of the study is to clarify the basic rational positions of Ravel's compo- sitional mastery, that modus operandi (the artist's usual way of solving creative problems) that defines him as an artistic individuality (which is understood as the integrity of the artist's artistic world). The methodology includes biographical (to clarify the circumstances of Ravel's life and ed- ucation), phenomenological (to study the composer's artistic individuality), and structural (to understand the main guidelines of creative activity). Abstracting from stylistic and genre premises, let us try to understand what place skill occupies in the structure of composer's activity, which unites motivating motives, guidelines, actions and goals. This general structure is made specifically artistic by two additional parameters: the measure of talent and one of its components - the "instinct of workmanshipl (so-called Т. Veblen term).Results and conclusions. Like any human activity, composer practice is a special type of communication. Its unity is ensured by a structure that includes “motives, certain guidelines, actions, and goals.”It is made specifically artistic by additional parameters: the measure of talent and the “instinct of mastery,”(оr “the instinct of workmanship” by T.Veblen), which sets the intensity of using the primary resource of talent and regulates the vectors of its training, development, and existence. Ravel's music is a model of composer's skill. The report clarifies the basic options of his composer's skill, his “the instinct of workmanship”, that modus operandi (the artist's usual way of performing certain creative tasks, which determines the integrity of his artistic world). During his formative years, D'Annunzio's "bella figura" was important, among other things. Through the prism of D'Annunzio, Ravel reads the epigrams of Clément Marot. The Renaissance poetics of the style marotigue, strangely rhyming with the eclecticism of decadence, passing through the filters of the composer's good taste and dandyism, leaves behind the habit of distancing himself from the objects of reproduction. This guideline becomes the cornerstone of Ravel's compositional mastery. The second operating option involves reproducing one's Presence in the text as a deviation from the “zero degree of writing.” Ravel tested, varied, and maximized his authorial “degree of displacement” in his compositional writing on his way to the late style dépouillé.(this is clearly visible in his polyphonic technique of competition and original fugues, and the Piano Trio). The third option of Ravel's mastery is a special mechanism of catharsis. Ravel, like M. Proust, understood well that ideas, including musical ones, are "produced" by suffering, and the transformation of suffering into an idea causes a feeling of pleasure, including through the awareness of the skill with which this transition was made.

The research topic is the development of Shanghai's "Western Art Societies" in the first half of the 20th century and their role in the establishment and localization of oil painting in China. The object of the study is the activities of art societies in Shanghai that operated outside the academic system and influenced art education, exhibition practices, stylistic transformation, and public perception of oil painting. The author examines the following aspects in detail: the historical evolution and organizational mechanisms of the functioning of Shanghai's "Western Art Societies"; their contribution to the dissemination and popularization of oil painting, as well as to the enhancement of academic education; the role of societies as intermediaries in the formation and transformation of artistic styles. Special attention is given to analyzing the multifaceted role of these societies as educational and cultural centers, platforms for creative experimentation, and bridges between art, society, and state ideologies. The research methodology is based on an interdisciplinary approach that includes historical-chronological analysis, iconographic methods, and comparative art historical research. This complex of methods allows for the identification of both the artistic features of the activities of Shanghai's "Western Art Societies" and their socio-cultural significance in the process of forming a local tradition of oil painting. The main conclusions of the study are that Shanghai's "Western Art Societies" played a role not only as intermediaries in conveying Western artistic styles but also as active participants in the process of their localization and nationalization in China. The author concludes that it was precisely due to the collective activities of these associations that Shanghai oil painting acquired specific regional characteristics and became an important element of the cultural modernization of the 20th century. The author's unique contribution to the study of this topic lies in the systematic analysis of "Western Art Societies" as a collective phenomenon, rather than just focusing on individual artists or institutions. The work demonstrates that these societies fulfilled the functions of art education, public enlightenment, and the formation of a social environment in which the transformation of artistic language occurred. The novelty of this research lies in the fact that it is the first comprehensive examination in Chinese historiography of the relationship between academic education, the activities of art societies, and the processes of socio-cultural adaptation of Western painting in Shanghai.

Abstract The following essays by Vincent Brown, Paul Chan, and Kim Lane Scheppele are edited versions of talks given at the panel discussion “The Arts at Risk: A Convening” on May 27, 2025, at the Miguel Abreu Gallery in New York, organized by members of the October editorial board.1 We asked these thinkers to address the issue of “rewriting history ” in the first months of Donald J. Trump's second term as president. Censorship of the arts in the service of right-wing politics is nothing new in the United States—indeed, the culture wars prosecuted by Senator Jesse Helms in the late 1980s and ’90s offer a prefiguration of our current cultural conjuncture. But whereas Helms & Co. targeted individual artists, ranging from Robert Mapplethorpe to Karen Finley, who were typically engaged in queer or otherwise sexually non-normative practices, the Trump administration has focused more of its energy on historical narratives.2 It has attempted, among its many fiats and diktats, to displace the New York Times’ 1619 Project of critical historiography with its own MAGA version of 1776; to restrict the discussion of race in the art-historical stories told at the Smithsonian Institution and elsewhere; and to erase figures such as Harriet Tubman from national parks and monuments. In the texts published here, each author develops a powerful model of how history is currently being rewritten and how this affects the practice of art. Brown shows how the fitful efforts to introduce Black histories and perspectives into American education have been aggressively foreclosed by the administration; Scheppele outlines the “constitutional revolution” that the Supreme Court is facilitating by rewriting the laws of the land to consolidate a unitary presidency; and Chan proposes that a “fog of wealth” in American politics and culture has deadened our senses to experience. By bringing together the perspectives of a legal scholar, a historian, and an artist, we hope to offer a preliminary road map to the Trump administration's policy of rewriting history.

Abstract The mikvah as a subject and as a personal experience began to receive attention only with the advent of a Jewish feminist art in the 1960s, and in the Jewish American art world rarely. As topic for exploration, it has been associated with goddesses as a female experience. Yona Verwer, following a different path, reveals her mikvah experiences in entirely personal imagery with both religious and political overtones. In this regard, she is a pioneer in establishing a mikvah iconography relevant to the experiences of individual artists.

Abstract. In Taiwanese temple decorative arts, door god paintings serve not only religious purposes but also reflect the distinct styles of individual artisans. With the advancement of digital preservation, Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers new opportunities for identifying and preserving traditional stylistic lineages. This study investigates Pan-style door god paintings, a prominent artistic lineage, and proposes a classification framework combining image feature extraction and machine learning.Fuzzy Color and Texture Histogram (FCTH) is used as the primary image descriptor. Models are trained and validated using the WEKA platform with two supervised algorithms: J48 decision tree and Random Forest. J48 offers interpretable classification logic, while Random Forest improves overall stability and accuracy through ensemble voting.Experimental results demonstrate that Random Forest outperforms J48, achieving an average accuracy of 91.2% versus 85.6%. Feature importance analysis highlights edge texture and color saturation—particularly in red and gold—as key indicators of Pan-style characteristics, which typically feature rich coloration and symmetrical composition.This study confirms that AI-driven classifiers are effective for distinguishing Pan-style aesthetics in temple paintings and can support restoration decision-making. The methodology offers a scalable model for polychrome heritage classification and preservation, adaptable to broader cultural heritage contexts.

ABSTRACT African American poet Russell Atkins (1926–2024) is an esteemed figure among readers and critics of experimental English poetry. His honours and awards include an Honorary PhD from Cleveland State University (1976), an Individual Artist Grant from the Ohio Arts Council (1978), a Lifetime Literary Achievement Award from the Poetic League (1997), a Bread Loaf Writers Conference Fellowship (1956), appointment to the literature advice panel of the Ohio Arts Council and National Endowment for the Arts (1973–1976), and many more recognitions of his influence and significance. Atkins is widely regarded as a “poet’s poet” whose prodigious body of work is both highly original and deeply resistant to conventional analysis. Atkins’s verse plays, which he referred to by several different names (poetic dramas, plays in poetry, poems as dramas, poems in play form, and poetry-dramas) have received little academic attention compared to the wealth of analysis on his poems. However, Atkins’s relatively understudied poetry-dramas offer important insight into the theories, techniques, and themes employed in his verse. This article provides a close focus on the poetry-dramas as literarily valuable in their own right and as an interpretive lens for Atkins’s well-respected but difficult poetry.

The purpose of the study is to analyse modern approaches to vocal interpretation of the parts of W. A. Mozart’s opera ‘Don Giovanni’, to identify stylistic features of performance and technical challenges faced by opera singers in the context of modern performing practice. Research methodology. The study uses an interdisciplinary approach that combines methods of musicological analysis, vocal pedagogical practice, and stage interpretation. The basis is the structural-analytical method, with the help of which a detailed analysis of the part of Don Giovanni was carried out from the standpoint of musical form, texture, melody, and harmony. A comparative-interpretative method was also used to analyse the performers’ recordings, which allowed to identify individual and general trend features of interpretations. Scientific novelty. For the first time, a holistic analysis of modern interpretations of the Don Juan part has been carried out, with an emphasis on the technical difficulties inherent in the baritone texture, as well as stylistic transformations that occur under the influence of modern stage direction and changes in the vocal school; key interpretative trends of the early 21st century have been identified. Conclusions. As a result of the study, it was found that the modern interpretation of the Don Juan part is the result of a deep interaction between traditional singing technique and the latest approaches to the stage image. The greatest technical challenges remain control over dynamics, purity of intonation and flexibility of phrasing. At the same time, the interpretation depends on the individual style of the performer, which enriches the palette of stage solutions. Current interpretations differ significantly in stylistic approach: from classically balanced to expressively modernised, depending on the director’s plan and the concept of the production, which necessitates the need for performance flexibility and the ability to adapt technical techniques to stage dramaturgy. The main technical challenges include the need to maintain stable vocal support in conditions of active stage action, accurate intonation in complex ensemble episodes, working with the timbre palette to convey the character of the hero, as well as the ability to organically combine singing with acting. In addition, there is the challenge of maintaining stylistic compliance with the traditions of Mozartian performance in conditions of updated directorial interpretations. The performing interpretation of the part of Don Giovanni in the 21st century demonstrates a synthesis of academic heritage and modern artistic individuality, which, in turn, confirms the thesis about the evolutionary nature of opera art, where interpretation is a dynamic phenomenon that reflects the change in aesthetic guidelines in culture as a whole.

The article examines the complex phenomenon of lexical and stylistic connotations in literary translation, emphasizing how emotional, cultural, and aesthetic shades of meaning influence translation decisions. Lexical units in literary works often go beyond their direct meanings and carry stylistic coloring that reflects the author’s worldview and artistic individuality. Translating such connotative richness requires the translator’s sensitivity to both linguistic and cultural contexts. Through examples from English, Russian, and Uzbek literature, the paper explores how metaphors, idioms, and culturally marked words are reinterpreted in translation. The study reveals that literal translation may distort the stylistic beauty of the text, whereas adaptive strategies—such as contextual substitution and compensation—help to preserve the emotional depth and artistic resonance of the original.

The article raises the issues of the presence of Ukrainian ceramic artists in the world art process: participation in exhibitions, residencies, art projects, creative unions and international organizations. The creation of individual artists: Olesya Dvorak-Galik, Valentina Bero, Elizaveta Portnova and their works is analyzed, and the activities to popularize Ukrainian art and Ukrainian culture during the Russian-Ukrainian war are considered.

The main purpose of the current article is to empirically evaluate a set of innovative approaches to organizing the educational process in an opera choir and their effect on student motivation and self-expression. The sample included 100 second-year students of Suzhou Vocational University who studied at the Department of Music. The research tools were the Scale of Motivation to Study in an Opera Choir and the Scale of Self-expression in an Opera Choir. As an educational intervention, an influence program included a set of innovative ways to organize the learning of choral opera. The study revealed significant improvements in the motivation and self-expression of students using innovative approaches to learning choral opera. Regarding the indicators of self-expression in the influence group, the students increased Emotional Expression by 6.68 points, Artistic Individuality by 6.66 points, and Creative Interpretation by 7.08 points. These data demonstrate that innovative teaching methods can significantly improve the studied aspects of learning. Statistically significant results in the influence group, in contrast to the control group, confirm the effectiveness of integrating innovative approaches into the educational process. Therefore, integrated innovative methods can play a key role in shaping the future of choral opera. The results have practical value, confirming that the integration of innovative methods into the educational process in an opera choir can significantly improve the motivation and self-expression of students. The scientific value lies in the rationale for using innovative approaches in education. The study highlights their potential role in the development of choral opera.