Anti-Racism + critique
7/6/2020
BOSSCRITT was founded on the idea that critique can be a productive, supportive, and healthy part of a creative practice.
However, the problematic dynamics of art critique within academia are troubling. There is an inherent imbalance of power between reviewer and student. Culturally incompetent reviewers regularly inflict psychological violence on artists with marginalized identities.
At it's best, critique is a dialogue that fosters community and helps us grow as artists. My goal for BOSSCRITT, which I have not explicitly expressed until now, is develop antiracist, feminist, queer, and otherwise egalitarian methods of critique that disrupt the white supremacist and hierarchical culture that permeates art critiques, and the arts in general.
As founder, I have not done enough to work towards this goal. I mistakenly thought that new critique methods could emerge through a passive style of community building. I believed that if I continued to bring us together as a group, these revolutionary critique methods would emerge. I was wrong.
Building an antiracist community requires consistent and focused action. In that spirit, BOSSCRITT is beginning a research project to learn how social equity and racial justice can be fostered through art critique. The goal of this project is to learn more about the existing problems in critique culture and to explore antiracist critique practices.
This project is at the very beginning stages. I invite you to join me in this effort. All are welcome. My goal for July is to assemble a coalition. The coalition's first task will be to determine next steps, including how we will communicate with the larger BOSSCRITT group and how we will seek perspectives and feedback from artists, educators, and other folks invested in social equity, racial justice, and art critique.
Please let me know if you'd like to be involved.
Take care,
Courtney Stock, founder