First, some news: the Palm Springs City Council took a stance against Desert X‘s partnership with Saudia Arabia and decided not to fund the installation of an artwork by Christopher Myers. Matt Stromberg reports on the story and talks to Myers, who sees this as “a missed opportunity.” 

An interview published on the Getty offers insight into contemporary life in Palmyra. As Michael Press writes, “Life in Palmyra did not stop in the third century but has gone on more or less continuously at the site for the 1,700 years since.” Press wishes the Getty would probe this contemporary history even more. 

Last but not least, a new feature documentary called 18th and Grand premieres tomorrow at City of Industry’s ArcLight Drive-In and seems absolutely fascinating. Lexis Olivier-Ray gives us a preview of the film, which dives into the history of the Grand Olympic Auditorium, a notorious boxing arena that at one point was converted into a punk rock arena. Hyperallergic has some exclusive clips.