arts writing presentation for class, fall 2015

1. In myriad forms

2.  Arts criticism, which contextualize
 Arts Reviews, which evaluate
 Interviews
 Response pieces
 Cultural essays
 Event coverage
 Other stuff not on this list

3.  A standard technique for arts criticism is to
evaluate an artistic piece formally, and then
consider how to arrange those elements:
Typical formal analysis:
 Description
 Analysis
 Interpretation/Reflection
 Judgment

4.  Description is the objective information
about the piece itself, such as:
 Who made it
 When
 What is it (form)
 What does it look like/sound like/tell/show?
This description should show, rather than
tell, meaning it should avoid the dreaded
ADJECTIVE

5.  Analysis looks at the descriptive elements
and discusses how they were used and what
is conveyed by how they were used.
 Analysis means discussing individual features
in a piece of art (no matter what form) as
well as the entire piece as a whole.
 Example: If a filmmaker uses a hand-hand
camera to film a 10-minute horror video for
YouTube (description), the analysis might
look at the camera angles, the moodiness,
the script, but also the piece as a whole.

6. Think of the example in “Tell It Slant,” of
Lawrence Weschler’s essay “Inventing
Peace,” in which he looks at a Vermeer
painting, The Head of a Young Girl” as he
considers the Bosnian war crimes tribunals
What is your response to the piece about
which you’re writing? Are there connections
outside of it to your personal life/ larger
events/other works of art?

7.  #Fail?
 Kidding: Judgment does not have to be the
typical thumbs up/thumbs down approach,
although it can be
 Judgment can be for parts or a whole
 By what criteria do you think the piece
succeeds or fails?
 Does it belong in conversation with other
comparable pieces and fail or succeed in
comparison?

8.  While every piece may not be as extended
and interpretive as Weschler’s, using these
elements in some degree can produce:
 A reflective piece in response to art
 A review of art/tv/theater/book etc
 A cultural essay
 Humor

9.  Interviewing “creatives,” (artists, writers,
photographers, actors, directors etc) is also a
way to bring your questions about the piece
(your descriptions, analyses, responses and
judgments) to the source
 This can create an interesting piece of
writing in itself
 Interviews can be used to craft profiles of
artists, or as stand-alone Q&As:

10.  For example, The NYT Arts Beat interviewed
Josh Oppenheimer, a filmmaker originally
from Santa Fe who recently received a
MacArthur genius grant:
 First, let’s listen to AO Scott’s review of
Oppenheimer’s The Act of Killing
 So what is art’s journalism?

11.  We are going to watch a short (10 minute)
film
 Take notes
 Afterward, you will write a short piece on
the documentary, in which you:
 Describe
 Analyze
 Reflect
 Judge
 Not necessarily in that order

12.  A documentary by Jessie Auritt
 Length: 10 minutes, 37 seconds
 WINNER: Grand Jury Award for Short Documentary 2013
Slamdance Film Festival
 WINNER: Best Documentary Short, 2012 Williamsburg
Independent Film Festival
 WINNER: Neighborhood Award, 2013 Lower East Side Film
Festival
 WINNER: Audience Favorite 2013 Media Film Festival
 OFFICIAL SELECTION: 2012 Doc NYC Film Festival
 OFFICIAL SELECTION: 2013 Independent Film Festival
Boston
 OFFICIAL SELECTION: 2013 Arizona International Film
Festival
 OFFICIAL SELECTION: Rooftop Films 2013 Summer Series

13. Take 15 minutes to write a short piece on “The
Birdman,” in which you devote a little time
to:
 Describe
 Analyze
 Reflect
 Judge
Not necessarily in that order. Just try to
acknowledge each of these critical elements

14.  Next week, Joanne LeFrak will visit from
SITE Santa Fe; the following week, we’ll take
a field trip to the museum.
 Your goal is to find a piece to write about.
You can review, you can write a critical
response, in some cases Joanne may be able
to arrange an interview with an artist
 I am open to ideas, as long as it falls under a
general rubric of “arts writing.”