Artists Who Write
Sharmistha Ray
ONLINE - 8 weeks
Payment Plans + Financial Aid

Day of the week: Tuesday

8 Weeks of Classes: September 27, October 4, October 11, October 18, October 25, November 1, November 8, November 15

Time: 6-8pm (EST)

Length: 2 hrs.

About this course:

‘Artists Who Write’ is a laboratory for artists who are writing and thinking experimentally about art writing. This course will investigate what the purpose of “artist writing” is: what are its forms, audiences, and potential benefits? We will look at writings by artists as distinct from other forms of art writing. How, when, and why do artists engage in criticism? Do artists convey a special knowledge through writing that cannot be replicated in the work of academics, critics, curators, and historians? If so, how is this meaning made explicit?

Artists in this course will:

• Undertake a series of workshops, research activities, and writing assessments that include going to see exhibitions in NYC, create a reading list, in class writing exercises, and peer-to-peer work. 

• Learn how to develop a concept for a written draft, create an outline, and write an effective conclusion, with an emphasis on developing their own unique perspective. 

• Read and analyze writings by contemporary practitioners from a selection of significant contemporary artists including Hito Steyerl, Raqs Media Collective, Glenn Ligon, Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, and others, while also reading other forms of writing applications that include the personal essay, collaborative writing, and the artist interview.

• Produce original writing while developing a unique lens on their own practice, resulting in several drafts of work. While the course will touch upon a broad range of topics in writing, areas of focus for writing assignments will be art criticism, the artist interview, and one piece of experimental writing.

• Engage with a cross-section of visiting artists, critics, and poets, who will address significant aspects of art writing from the personal to the practical, which foreground this medium as an effective tool of communication in the public domain. Topics covered will include: how to get started; approaching a publication you want to write for; diverse methodological context-based approaches and applications of contemporary artist writing; emerging critic programs; the mechanics of art blogging; the artist podcast; and scripting an effective artist interview. 

• Each class will be recorded for artists to review artist talks and presentations; in addition the chat will always be saved for those wanting to review notes from their critique or presentation.

Guest Speakers:

Financial Aid is available. NYC Crit Club provides payment plans, BIPOC scholarships and additional aid based on extenuating circumstances. Please click here to learn more before checking out.