My thinking about critique was piqued for three (and then more) reasons this fall. Before the semester started in a meeting with John and Anne, Anne suggested we watch this video, The Room of Silence addressing ways in which some BIPOC students feel in critiques. I began to think a lot about race and critiques. I had always fancied myself a good listener and clung to the words of a non-white student who assured me that I was “warm” when I questioned my own critiquing deficinecies. But learning to question what we think we know, is I think one of the major lessons of 2020 and this semester I’ve been feeling that I need to challenge my assumptions–and be open to others challenging them. Which of course is what we are supposed to be teaching in critiques anyway…
https://vimeo.com/161259012?fbclid=IwAR3tgZ3ykRhKLzT01ICCmYd-OPs_r8YvX-wuVOHJObfC3EeYMuuBUzRyx0k
The second thing was well, the semester itself. Teaching in person small classes spaced out with no darkroom time, no close time and a mid-level asynchronous class with 30 students known by name only– I began to get frustrated by the lack of deep engagement. No one it seemed could say anything even slightly critical or negative about each others work. So when I do its sounds like I’m just out of it or adhering to old ideas.
And then a former student sent me this Tik/Tok by Ghost Honey–which is funny and was funny until I realized that as much as old school art school critiques drove me crazy– the only thing that still happens is that people say “I like the colors”–
https://twitter.com/tylergaca/status/1313308793237721088?lang=en
And then someone posted Terry Barretts tips for running a critique and that launched a discussion on the Photography Professors page that made me realize that I do not use silence well, at all. And I wondered what I could do to get better at this thing I’ve been supposedly good at for the past 20 years.
And well, I have a lot more to say but its Wednesday and FotoFika day and I am looking forward to hearing what others are thinking as well.
Looking forward to beginning to dig more deeply into this issue later today.
Betsy