Thank God it's Linkday

Reader, I think that my last couple of posts reveal the following truth: that my brain has become a bit fried from exposure to art and other things, and it's a good time to just do some linking and shout-outs to cool things found 'round the interwebs. So here we go—some good stuff to see and watch and listen to if you ain't already holiday-nogged out of your mind:


Art Fag City's Year-End Fundraiser
Blogger extraordinaire Paddy Johnson has commenced her second annual year-end fundraiser to support her web-crit outpost Art Fag City. She's looking to raise $8,000 by January 1 to keep the blog going. All donations get a tax receipt, and also get a Travis Hallenbeck ringtone. The top donor will get the Saul Chernick print pictured above. Genius, and a great way to support art/art crit in a time of shrinking column-inches for same.


"The irrelevance of museums as social institutions is a matter of record"
I came across this video via prolific museum-ops blogger Nina K Simon. In this five-minute video, Robert Janes, editor of Museum Management and Curatorship, calls out the problems he sees in the current museum world—namely, that museums are already irrelevant in the social sphere thanks to an emphasis on marketplace rather than quality exhibitions. I'm not 100% in agreement with his take, but it's a helpful reminder that we in Toronto are not alone in our displeasure/frustration with our museums. I hope we can find ways to change this situation for the better in the year to come.


Don’t Call Him a F*$@ing Starchitect!
This one comes via thoughtful writer Hrag Vartanian's blog. As Vartanian notes,
When London’s Independent newspaper used the “s” term in front of Frank Gehry, the Toronto-born architect went nuts: "I don’t know who invented that fucking word ’starchitect’. In fact a journalist invented it, I think. I am not a ’star-chitect’, I am an ar-chitect…" Yikes, chill dude you are a starchitect, you really are.
Well put. (Image via Curbed)


Canuck Art Best-of Lists Begin!
Yesterday, both Akimblog and Canadian Art released their year-end best-of lists. I work for the latter, but I honestly think it's still worth a read. Torontoites should also peruse David Balzer's year in review piece from this week's Eye and Torontoist's Heroes and Villains lists, in which the Power Plant gets a shout-out. And yes, I will plug Sally & LM's top ten fiesta yet again, which hasn't started publishing yet but is accepting submissions until December 27.

Lead photo taken by me at the Toronto Sculpture Garden

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Notes on the Ideal Reader

Further to John Bentley Mays' recent notes on role of the "ideal reader" in art criticism, I wanted to go public with the "ideal readers" I keep in mind when writing different kinds of pieces.

When I'm doing a Q&A for the National Post, I tend to keep my sister in mind. She's an intelligent and accomplished person, and does not work anywhere remotely near the sphere of the arts. The arts also don't particularly lie in her usual area of interest. Keeping her in mind helps me (I hope!) in trying to make links between art and the "real world" or art and more newsy events.

When I'm doing a review for NOW or the National Post, I tend to keep a close friend or two in mind, one who likely knows something about art. The reason to think of a good friend is it helps keep me honest—I have to think, well, what would I really tell this person about the show? Would I honestly recommend they go see it? Would I tell them not to waste their time? Or would I take the "meh, whatever, either way" route?

I do know when I'm writing for the National Post in reviews, I tend to let the language get a little more convoluted and flowery than for NOW--I'd actually like to pull it a bit more back to basics (which is to say, to a more conversational tone) but that's gonna take some work!

When I'm writing in-house stuff for Canadian Art, previews and the like, I tend to think of people I see around in the art world, folks who aren't close emotionally but who have some background or interest in art and who might also have more of an interest in background or history issues in terms of institutions or galleries.

Finally, when I'm writing for this here blog, well, to be honest (geez, this will sound just great!) I guess the ideal reader is myself—though I'm verrrrrrrrry happy to have a few Unedit my Heart readers who aren't me, I think it also likely comes across that this is a working-it-out-in-the-brain or writing-it-down-in-case-the-brain-forgets-it type of space. Admittedly, I do also sometimes think of colleagues with similar interests, and what they might be wanting to know about, but that's much rarer, likely (yipes!) 1 to 5% of the time.

Anyone else (if anyone's still reading...) find that thinking of an ideal reader helps them in the writing process? Anyone going to use that strategy when writing their top 10s for Sally & LM? (Anyone can submit, due December 27, details here! Do it!)

Image from the Blogger Institute

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