Krista Franks
I am a completing my final year at UGA majoring in both magazine journalism and fabric design and earning a minor in Spanish. Art and writing are my passions. I enjoy visiting art museums and galleries and appreciate all genres of art. In the future I hope to combine my two passions by writing about art, and I hope to continue creating artwork as well.
I was once told that as an artist the worst response your work can receive is indifference. Whether someone loves your work or hates it, the fact that they feel strongly about it makes it successful. You have evoked human emotion and wakened the human spirit. Over the past few months while examining the role of the critic and assuming that role myself, I have kept this concept in mind. Artists speak to audiences through their work, and it is the critic’s role to instigate conversation about that art, whether by praising it or by berating it. In order to accomplish the goal of igniting dialogue, it is important that a critic be in tune with his/her immediate reactions, and it is vital that he/she not only communicate those reactions but also the reasons for them. A review should cause the reader to evaluate his/her own reactions on a deeper level. Traditionally, readers have found criticism in newspapers, and they responded by having a conversation with those in close proximity. However, with the growing popularity of online journalism and blogging, readers may participate in a broader conversation, transcending physical distance and, for the first time, publicly and uninhibitedly criticizing the critic. For the critic, accustomed to criticizing the works of others, this is new territory. He/she is now subject to public criticism him/herself. Perhaps it might be good to remember that the worst response is indifference. The critic, like the artist, should seek to invigorate others into purposeful conversations.
Click here to see a sampling of my work.
Ugochi Amuta
I’m a graduating senior at the University of Georgia, majoring in Magazines. After graduation, I’m going to be a rock star and freelance writer. What fun!
For the past few months, I have assumed the role of a critic and I must say that it has been an eye-opening experience. For the first time, I have come to fully appreciate the reasons why I love specific genres of art, books, movies, music, and food. Now, it’s not enough for me to merely mention why I like an art form, it’s important for me to explore the very essence of these art forms and emphasize how/why they enrich people’s lives or don’t. Its not easy being a critic because every human being has subjective perspectives about what they like or do not like. It’s okay for critics to have subjective viewpoints, however; they must be objective in their subjectivity. A critic must not let his/her personal biases cloud his/her logical reasoning. For instance, the fact that I hate romantic comedies does not give me the right to completely slam every romantic comedy I review. I have the responsibility of analyzing every aspect of such movies, highlighting both its good and bad sides and at the same time, making readers aware of my personal biases.
“Critic” is not just an official job title reserved for professionals in the industry. A critic is that little girl who is passionate about fairytale books. That man who loves different genres of music is also a critic. We are all critics in some way. So “professional critics” should always keep this in mind when reviewing art forms. It is unacceptable to be a stuffy, narrow minded critic. It is equally intolerable to be a critic who has no strong viewpoint but consumes everything without question. Between these two extremes lies a middle ground-and on this middle ground stands the best critic.
Tiago Moura
I’m a graduate of the University of Georgia, where I majored in magazine journalism and English. My classmates and I started this blog to express our critical voice on the latest books and art.
Critics have always allowed for consumers to filter through the multitude of content in our media, but with the advent of blogs, consumers have a large number of critics to select from as well. Thus, criticism will need to meet certain criteria in order to be considered valuable by the public. Instead of the ready-made judgments any consumer can formulate, each critic must defend whatever he or she finds important, and bring that to the foreground.
For me, a work that conceals astute commentary in subtlety already deserves some merit, but as a critic I need to draw that commentary out, analyze its worth in the context of the artist’s purpose and today’s culture. I also find it important to share this analysis in a clear and concise way. The more subtle the work and the more complicated its subject, the clearer I must be in my writing. This idea actually follows a tried and true journalistic principle: The more complicated a subject, the more simply you need to tell it.
This blog serves as an outlet for my criticism, where these ideas can be applied. I welcome blogs for what they will do for critical voices everywhere, and appreciate this “flood” of ideas as good for the consumer, who now has a wider array of critics in the media to choose from than ever before. As long as there is good critical writing, there will be an audience for it, and this blog only gives us a chance to prove ourselves as critics in today’s world.
