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Friday, September 4, 2026

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Oliver Grant

Oliver Grant writes about musicians as working people with gear, schedules and rent. He covers string-driven genres and dance floors alike, runs studio-visit series, reviews soundtrack albums, and reports the economics that keep artists and institutions running.

Business Correspondent

Independent editorial contributor covering music, working artists, scenes and the creative economy.

Articles by Oliver Grant

Who Actually Pays For The Public Library — And Why Washington Barely Does

Who Actually Pays For The Public Library — And Why Washington Barely Does

Oliver Grant

Chart of museum store revenue sources across books, merchandise and licensing

Why the Museum Store Matters More Than You Think

Oliver Grant

Conservation scientists examining a painting under lab imaging equipment

How Conservators Date a Painting Without a Signature

Oliver Grant

Empty granite plaza at dawn where a sculpture once stood

Public Art Controversies: A Field Guide

Oliver Grant

Arts administrators reviewing grant applications at a community table

How the NEA Was Born

Oliver Grant

Empty rural dirt road and farmhouse under a wide plains sky

The FSA Photographers Who Defined America

Oliver Grant

Close-up of a vintage ribbon broadcast microphone on a stand

When Radio Orchestras Ruled the Airwaves

Oliver Grant

Families in parked cars watching a movie screen at twilight

How Drive-In Theaters Conquered America and Vanished

Oliver Grant

Museum of Science and Industry building beside Jackson Park lagoon at dusk

The World's Fairs That Redrew the American Imagination

Oliver Grant

Ceramic mids glazed by hand drying on a wooden workshop shelf

Why America Fell So Hard for Maker Culture

Oliver Grant

Families and visitors walking toward a modern museum in a wooded hillside

The Rise of the Regional Art Museum Changes the Map

Oliver Grant

Vintage 78 rpm shellac record held in hand near a gramophone

Who Owns a Song From the American Songbook?

Oliver Grant

Gallery wall of abstract canvases with an empty bench before it

Why Americans Love Hating Modern Art

Oliver Grant

Weathered storefront facade with fresh paint and restored cornice brickwork

The New American Main Street Is Quietly Winning

Oliver Grant

Chart mapping how status signals shifted from visible luxury to quiet taste

How Taste Became a Status Symbol Again

Oliver Grant

Empty suburban street with parked minivans and mowed front lawns at dusk

How Suburbs Redesigned American Leisure

Oliver Grant

Chart comparing permitted and prohibited uses of museum art sale proceeds

The Deaccessioning Debate, Explained Without Shouting

Oliver Grant

Chart showing falling attendance and rising costs for regional theaters

Why Community Theaters Keep Closing

Oliver Grant

Album listening time measured against single-track plays across decades

What Streaming Did to the American Album

Oliver Grant