America turns 250 in under three months, and the mood isn’t fireworks, it’s unease. The New York Times finds historians scrambling to meet the public’s “hunger for meaning” as the anniversary approaches, while museums across the country roll out their celebratory exhibitions (New York Times). Meanwhile the National Garden of American Heroes, Trump’s promised 250-statue monument, supposedly ready for July 4, hasn’t even had its site finalized, per CNN. The sculptors who applied still haven’t heard a word.

Contrast Budapest, where 16 years of Orbán just ended. Hungary’s arts world is cautiously recalibrating (Ocula), and pianist András Schiff, who vowed in 2010 never to return while Orbán was in power — has accepted an invitation to perform in the city he left (Telex). Two nations, two anniversaries, the same question about who is shaping the culture.

Elsewhere: 120,000 authors have filed claims in the Anthropic copyright settlement (Reuters), AI may have authenticated a disputed El Greco (Scientific American), and book-ban attempts just hit a record high (AP).

All of our stories below.

Ballet BC is an impressive troupe, but it has long specialized in contemporary work; it’s been more than a decade since there was a resident company focused on classical and neoclassical style. That’s why choreographer Joshua Beamish founded Ballet Vancouver, which debuts this week. – The Georgia Straight (Vancouver)

Last summer, Prof. Aono, who had meticulously updated the record year after year, died after a battle with cancer. That prompted supporters of his work to start looking for a worthy successor. – The New York Times

This is happening through the city’s Office to Residential Conversion Program, which allows developers to take empty commercial buildings and turn them into living spaces. The program gives developers a tax deferral as long as 10% of the units in the building are sold or rented below market value. – KNKX

“A wave of leadership changes is widely expected across major museums and cultural bodies, which could lead to the return of (figures) who were previously sidelined. There is, however, reason for caution. Magyar is himself a former Fidesz party member and a conservative politician, and some analysts warn against expecting rapid transformation.” – Ocula

Claims have been filed for 91% of the more than 480,000 ‌works covered by the settlement, according to a court filing
, opens new tab in the case on Thursday. – Reuters

While the V&A complies with all legal minimum-wage requirements, with some workers paid a living wage or above, campaigners say some of the lowest-paid contractors in London are not in receipt of the living wage. The UK minimum wage is £12.71 an hour and the living wage in London is £14.80 an hour. – The Guardian

“The stimulus, cognition, response model of the brain is wrong. The brain prepares for a response and then perceives a stimulus. A brain is not reactive. It’s predictive. Action planning comes first. Perception comes second, as a function of the action plan.” – Picower Institute

“A previously unknown verse attributed to Federico García Lorca has been discovered 93 years after the celebrated Spanish poet and playwright is believed to have jotted it on the back of one of his manuscripts.” – The Guardian

Using artificial intelligence, researchers analyzed The Baptism of Christ at the microscopic level, looking for trends in the texture of the paint at the resolution of a single paintbrush bristle. The results suggest El Greco painted the majority of The Baptism himself—but some experts caution more research is needed. – Scientific American

More than a century ago the rise of the player piano prompted strikingly similar debates about automation, artistry and fair compensation. Of all the technologies that have reshaped music, it is the closest historical parallel to AI. – Scientific American

The level of prioritization it takes to truly produce something great puts you directly in conflict with people in your life. – The Argument

“Porchlight Music Theatre, an Equity-affiliated, nonprofit Chicago company founded in 1994, will stage its full upcoming 2026-27 season at the Victory Gardens Biograph Theatre, a historic venue in Lincoln Park that has been mostly dark since the pandemic.” – Chicago Tribune (Yahoo!)

The exhibitions showcase both the traditional and the unexpected, from portraiture to multimedia installations, from founding documents to found objects. Across the country, the joy, sorrow and humor of the nation’s history are on display.  – The New York Times

Increasingly, historians are asking if they need to do more to meet the public’s hunger for meaning and inspiration. – The New York Times

Research suggests uncertainty can be more distressing than negative certainty. In one study, people were calmer when they knew they would receive an electric shock than when there was only a 50% chance of one. – The Guardian

A set of 13th-century murals from the Sijena Monastery in Spain were taken to Barcelona for safekeeping during the Spanish Civil War and are now in the National Art Museum of Catalonia — which is defying a court order to return them, saying the artworks are too fragile to be moved. – ARTnews

“Barack and Michelle Obama‘s production company Higher Ground is transitioning to an independent operation following eight years at Netflix.” – The Hollywood Reporter

“Across a career that stretched more than four decades, Hayward developed a reputation for paintings that were both restrained and intensely physical. His best-known works used dense layers of oil paint and repeated diagonal strokes to build ridged, meditative surfaces that explored color, gesture and the material force of paint itself.” – San Francisco Chronicle (Yahoo!)

Plans for Trump’s National Garden Of American Heroes still haven’t been submitted to the agencies which must approve it. The choice of site hasn’t even been finalized. Artists and foundries that applied to work on the sculptures haven’t heard anything back — and the statues are supposed to be finished by June. – CNN

“Nearly a year and a half after its prior effort to acquire the right-wing conspiracy-centric brand Infowars was nixed by a bankruptcy judge, The Onion is moving forward with a new effort to take over the company and secure justice for the families of Sandy Hook victims.” – The Hollywood Reporter

“The ALA on Monday issued its annual list of the books most challenged at the country’s libraries, part of the association’s State of America’s Libraries Report. … The (list) usually features 10 books, but this year has 11, with four tied for eighth place.” – AP

Shortly after authoritarian president Viktor Orbán took office in 2010, Schiff vowed that he would not return to his homeland as long as Orbán was in power. With the latter’s resounding loss in last week’s elections, Schiff has accepted the invitation of Budapest’s mayor to give a large public concert there. – Telex (Hungary)