This spring, the Galleries at Herron School of Art and Design will present "60 wrd/min art critic," an ongoing performance art project by Chicago Tribune columnist Lori Waxman, providing Indiana artists the opportunity to submit their artwork for critical review and published recognition. Waxman's performance will occur April 30–May 2, 2019, in Herron's Basile Center for Art, Design and Public Life, located in Eskenazi Hall, 735 W. New York St.
Since 2005, Waxman's internationally acclaimed performance has resulted in more than 700 written reviews for underserved and underrepresented visual artists across the United States and Europe. In her words, the project aims to "get the community thinking about where the responsibility for art criticism resides" by raising awareness of the lack of arts coverage in certain regional communities, especially at a time when art columns are disappearing from newspapers and magazines. "60 wrd/min art critic" also reveals the art critique in real-time as artist, artwork, critic, and review all exist in the same space.
During the three-day presentation at Herron, Waxman will review artwork by 30 artists of all ages, skill levels and artistic disciplines by appointment only. Reviews are free of charge and will be scheduled and written in twenty-five-minute increments in Waxman's pop-up office from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 30, and Wednesday, May 1, and from 1:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 2.
Artists may request an appointment at any time by emailing critic@60wordmin.org, stating date and time preferences. Waxman's reviews will be posted in Eskenazi Hall during the performance and published online by NUVO in the following weeks.
Indianapolis is among sixteen U.S. cities to host "60 wrd/min art critic," including Detroit, Michigan; Durham, North Carolina; Lexington, Kentucky; and Portland, Maine. In 2012, a 100-day version of the performance was included in dOCUMENTA, a major survey of international contemporary art held every five years in Kassel, Germany. A book collecting 241 reviews written during dOCUMENTA (13) was later published by Onestar Press, Paris.
"60 wrd/min art critic" is a project of the Creative Capital/Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant Program. This performance is made possible by the Indiana Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. To learn more about Waxman's project, visit 60wrdmin.org.
Waxman's performance is free and open to the public. Parking is free in the Sports Complex Garage adjacent to Eskenazi Hall or on levels 5 and 6 of the Riverwalk Garage, courtesy of The Great Frame Up Indianapolis, with validation from the Herron galleries. Visit HerronGalleries.org for more information.