Critical Commons is a Southwest Contemporary initiative that embraces creative and critical discourse, on and off the page. Each program is a community event designed to engage stakeholders (artists, writers, thinkers, cultural workers, and the public) in discussions of the roles and impacts of cultural discourse across the Southwest and West, with attention to the unique needs of communities in the vast Intercoastal U.S. that are so often overlooked by mainstream art media.
Rooted in a belief that critical thinking about arts and culture contributes to an empowered, empathetic society, art writing and art criticism are integral to Southwest Contemporary‘s editorial mission. We are committed to fostering dialogue about culture that stimulates thought, speaks truth to power, and catalyzes generative conversations.
Critical Commons Santa Fe
September–October 2024
sponsored by the City of Santa Fe Arts and Culture Department
Art-Industry Speed Networking
At Art-Industry Speed Networking, artists, gallerists, curators, museum workers, writers, and more gathered for lightning-fast rotations of rapid-fire one-on-one conversation.
Critical Commons Panel Discussion
Speakers:
Darren Jones, Southwest Contemporary Visiting Critic
Jaime Herrell, associate curator, Ballroom Marfa
Edgar Picazo Merino, artist, writer, curator, and director, Azul Arena
Nancy Zastudil, independent editor, writer, and curator
Art Writing Workshop
A cohort of twenty-five emerging arts writers participated in a three-session workshop focused on developing a critical mindset, sharpening analytical and interpretive skills, contextualizing criticism within the broader landscape of art discourse and publishing, and practicing their writing craft.
Critical Commons Tucson
November 17, 2023, 6 pm
hosted at Etherton Gallery in partnership with MOCA Tucson
Speakers:
Erin Joyce, critic, curator, and scholar of contemporary art
Lauren Tresp, publisher and editor, Southwest Contemporary
Lynn Trimble, critic and journalist
Southwest Contemporary magazine and MOCA Tucson present a lively panel discussion and open Q+A exploring the current state of art criticism and art writing in Arizona and the greater Southwest region.
Art and cultural criticism can play many roles within the arts ecosystem and beyond. We discussed how critical discourse constructively serves artists, institutions, and the general public; how it propels creative work forward; and what is at stake within the unique cultural environment of the Southwest region. We also spoke to the challenges and opportunities for arts writing to advance the arts, support critical thinking more broadly, and resist the almighty algorithm.
Critical Commons Denver
December 2022
Redline Contemporary Art Center
Speakers:
Tya Anthony, education and community director, RedLine Contemporary Art Center
Kealey Boyd, writer and art critic
Natalie Hegert, arts editor, Southwest Contemporary
Lauren Tresp, publisher and editor, Southwest Contemporary
Derrick Velasquez, artist and exhibition organizer
In Denver, we joined forces with Redline Contemporary Art Center to present a lively panel discussion and open Q+A exploring the current state of art criticism and art writing in Colorado and the greater Southwest region. We discussed the role criticism plays within the arts ecosystem, what is at stake within the region, and the challenges and opportunities for arts writing to advance the arts in the future.
Critical Commons Salt Lake City
February 2022
Utah Museum of Contemporary Art
Speakers:
Natalie Hegert, arts editor, Southwest Contemporary, and critic-in-residence, UMOCA
Laura Hurtado, executive director, UMOCA
Darren Jones, art critic, editor, and educator
Jared Steffenson, curator of exhibitions, UMOCA
Lauren Tresp, publisher, Southwest Contemporary
Hosted by the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, Critical Commons SLC was an evening of dialogue, dinner, and existential pondering in celebration of the launch of Southwest Contemporary‘s print issue Vol. 5—Collectivity + Collaboration and UMOCA’s exhibition Our Wake Up Call For Freedoms. In an expansive and eclectic conversation, we contemplated art and cultural criticism, collective practice, and how these subjects converge.
