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American Culture ClubAMERICAN CULTURE, ARTS & IDEAS

Society

Reporting on how Americans actually live alongside one another, from congregations and unions to block associations and school boards. The section documents which shared institutions are holding, which are emptying out, and what replaces them. For readers interested in social change described through people rather than statistics alone.

Chart showing falling attendance and rising costs for regional theaters
Society

Why Community Theaters Keep Closing

America has thousands of volunteer stages and loses a stubborn handful every year; the causes are older than the recession everyone blames.

Oliver GrantJanuary 12, 2026 · 6 min read
Older visitors examining paintings in a bright American art museum gallery
Society

Who Actually Goes to Museums in America

The National Endowment for the Arts has been counting museum visitors for four decades, and the answer is more complicated, and more gray-haired, than the brochure suggests.

Imani BrooksJanuary 4, 2026 · 6 min read