Clockwise from top left: Harry Gamboa Jr. Photo by Barbara Carrasco. │ Lynell George Photo by Aaron Salcido. │ Carolina Miranda Photo by Mel Melcon. │ Lyndsey Preston Zappas Photo by Jeff McLane.
Art writing comprises much more than just criticism. It encompasses profiles, news, reviews, and essays, and can range from the academic to the journalistic to the poetic. Good art writing illuminates the context and background surrounding an artist, work of art, or movement, reaching out to histories and cultures beyond the gallery walls. The digital revolutions of the past couple of decades may have lowered the barriers for entry to the field; however, they have also created a crisis of monetization, forcing publications — not to mention writers and editors — to navigate a new commercial landscape to remain profitable.
This Thursday, Art + Practice and the California African American Museum (CAAM) will bring together three Angeleno arts writers for a discussion on the contemporary state of the discipline, hosted by artist and author Harry Gamboa Jr. Panelists include Carolina Miranda, staff writer for the Los Angeles Times, who brings her insights and wit to examine the intersection of art and gentrification, politics, race, and architecture; journalist and essayist Lynell George, whose book After/Image: Los Angeles Outside the Frame collects several of her essays exploring the hidden life of the city under the surface; and artist Lindsay Preston Zappas, founder and editor-in-chief of Contemporary Art Review Los Angeles, a print and online art journal created in 2015. The talk is part of the Points of Access series, organized jointly by Art + Practice and CAAM, that invites artists to discuss their practices and careers, sharing what they’ve learned along the way.
When: Thursday, September 19, 7–8:30pm
Where: Art + Practice (4334 Degnan Blvd., Leimert Park, Los Angeles)
More info at Art + Practice.
