Criticism and Philosophy

Feminist installation by Patricia Miranda

The Art Biz ep. 61: The Value of Critique Groups for Artists with Patricia Miranda

My experience with critiques is limited to memories of undergraduate painting classes with George Bogart. I was crammed into a space outside the studio classroom with my fellow students.—some of us lucky to snag a bench—to talk about our work.

The only session I remember vividly was one in which I had a very early work in progress that was about my 25-year-old cousin, who had recently been killed in a small plane crash. I struggled with that piece and it was getting nowhere.

“Maybe it’s too soon,” is what I recall Professor Bogart saying. It was, indeed, too soon. And I didn’t have a strong vision for the piece—just the desire to depict this fond memory.

I strongly believe that artists need critique in order to improve. Artists who have been part of formal and ongoing critique groups find them invaluable to their creative development, which is why I’ve prescribed them to many clients over the years.

In the latest episode of the podcast, I talk with Patricia Miranda, founder of The Crit Lab, which uses a structured pedagogy designed to deepen discussion around members’ work.

Miranda has been leading 7 separate critique groups in 3 states and has recently transitioned successfully to online sessions in the wake of Covid.

I encourage you to listen to this episode more than once. And then return to it later. There’s much to consider.

The Art Biz ep. 61: The Value of Critique Groups for Artists with Patricia Miranda Read

art critics Roberta Smith (New York Times) and Jerry Saltz (New York Magazine)

Art Critics Really Said This

Last week I sat in the audience and listened to husband-and-wife art critics Roberta Smith (New York Times) and Jerry Saltz (New York Magazine). They were in town at the invitation of Denver’s Clyfford Still Museum. (The photo here was taken from my seat.) What struck me most was not just how much art they

Art Critics Really Said This Read

If Everyone is an Artist

If everyone is an artist, where does that leave you? What do you call yourself? How does what you do differ from the “artist” who discovers the cure for an epidemic or the “artist” who maneuvers a brilliant business takeover?

If Everyone is an Artist Read

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Your Artist Mailing List: Rethinking + Assessing

Get a transcript of episode 182 of The Art Biz (Rethinking Mailing Lists for Artists) followed by a 3-page worksheet to evaluate the overall health and usage of the 3 types of artist lists.

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