Three things

1. The British Academy has released a report on the cultural worth of the humanities. A lot of studies that defend the arts stress economic value (museums bring X number of dollars to the community, etc.), but this one tries to quantify both the financial importance of cultural institutions and the less immediately tangible "public value". (via the Art History Newsletter)
2. Is this an updated Ad Reinhardt "How to Look at Modern Art in America"?
3. Finally, an open letter to Bravo: If you don't allow full episodes of "Work of Art" to be seen on your site or via Hulu, I can't watch the show and I can't write about it. Which would be a shame because it's so much fun. I don't have cable, and I won't subscribe for just forty minutes of content a week, even if the bon mots and wallpaper-as-portrait from episode #1 (which is available online) are great stuff.