The Visual Art Critic



April 29, 2003 - 10:00am to 12:00pm

The University of Chicago Gleacher Center, 450 North Cityfront Plaza Drive

Andras Szanto, Deputy Director, National Arts Journalism Program, Columbia University

In dialogue with James Elkins, Professor of Art History, Theory, and Criticism, School of the Art Institute.

In 2002 the NAJP completed an intensive survey of visual arts critics and released the results in a detailed report. Does the popular news media provide sufficient exposure for artists, arts institutions and the ideas that govern their work? The findings of this unprecedented survey suggest that although arts critics have carved out an important role at many news publications, on the whole criticism has been struggling to keep up with the swift evolution of the art world. Art is underrepresented in news coverage and critics are underemployed. These signs of vulnerability contrast with the art world’s exuberance during the last two decades.