Facilitator: Shantay Robinson, PhD – Adjunct Professor of Writing for Artists at George Mason University

Writing art reviews is an artform all its own. Art reviews are necessary to the art ecosystem because if there isn't a catalogue for an exhibition, once it's been uninstalled, what’s left of that exhibition is a review that an art critic has written. Writing art reviews can be learned, and artists are already well equipped to write them. The public benefits from art reviews because it makes art more digestible and engaging. But not only does the public benefit from art reviews, it helps artists see their work from another perspective. And once they see their work from a different point of view, they can hone their artistry to make it even more effective. Every art review and every reviewer is different, but this interactive workshop will introduce artists to the basics of art reviewing, so they can express their viewpoints on exhibitions with confidence.

Bio: Shantay Robinson is a Museum Correspondent for Smithsonian Magazine, Resident Scholar at Black Art in America, and regular freelance contributor to ARTnews. In 2015, she participated in the inaugural class of Burnaway Magazine’s Art Writers Mentorship Program and in 2017 she was chosen for the CUE Art Foundation’s Art Critic Mentoring program. In 2019, she was a panelist at Prizm Art Fair during Miami Art Week. In 2020, she served as visual arts judge at Shreveport Regional Council’s Critical Mass 8 Art Competition. And in 2022, she moderated a panel on the African American Quilting Tradition for Africa International House in Chicago. In 2024, she earned her doctorate in Writing and Rhetoric from George Mason University. 

Writing art reviews is an art form—and essential to the art ecosystem. Reviews engage the public, but they also give artists a powerful gift: perspective. Seeing work through another lens helps artists refine their voice and sharpen their impact. This interactive workshop covers the basics so you can write with clarity and confidence.

Writing art reviews is an artform all its own and necessary to the art ecosystem. Writing art reviews can be learned, and artists are already well equipped to write them. Writing reviews helps artists see their work from another perspective. And once they see their work from a different point of view, they can hone their artistry to make it even more effective. This interactive workshop will introduce artists to the basics of art reviewing, so they can express their viewpoints on exhibitions with confidence.

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