“Write About Visual Art – Critical MAS” Workshop

In July 2019 ECA collaborated with artist and writer Vicki Amorose and the City of Eugene Cultural Services department on the workshop “Write About Visual Art – Critical MAS”.

In this 4 week seminar, Vicki presented ideas and approaches to writing about art outside the normal conventions of academic theory or journalistic criticism. In turn the writers turned their attention to Eugene’s Visual Arts Week, including the Mayor’s Art Show, BRIDGE Exhibitions, and the Salon des Refuses. Writers selected the art they wanted to write about. Most chose one piece to focus on; others wrote their overall impressions. 

From Vicki’s statement about the workshop:

I conducted this project as an experiment, a socially engaged art piece, a writing workshop, and an opportunity to talk and think about art. Our conversations were energizing. I found ideas and questions from our sessions would pop into my head frequently over the course of our four weeks together. From the viewpoint of a socially engaged artist, everyone who showed up for this workshop was my collaborator.

Read more from her statement on our blog. You will also find the complete list of piece’s written as the final project here.

On Thursday, August 29th, participating writers joined in the Jacob’s Community Room gallery where the Mayor’s Art Show was held and did a live reading of their work.

Special thanks to Vicki Amorose for conceptualizing and teaching the class, and to the City of Eugene Cultural Services department, and Chanin Santiago for coordinating the reading event.