Art Camp!

Richard Burnett, from The Boys Are All Right, 2007.

I'm happy to officially make it known that I've been accepted to participate in the 2009 International Arts Journalism Institute in the Visual Arts, a program sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the U.S. State Department and hosted by American University. This institute — which brings together 12 U.S. critics with 12 critics from abroad for a two-week conference — follows in the mold of journalism institutes for dance, music, and theater.

This year, the Institute is based in Washington, D.C., which means specifically for me that I will be decamping at American University for two weeks, just miles from my home (and bed, and fridge, and dog). A regular work staycation. Over the course of the Institute (June 12–26), we fellows will travel to New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore; meet with various cultural workers, attend lectures, and participate in workshops; and otherwise share our work and our opinions.

Here are the participating writers from the States:

Gretchen Giles (California)
Leanne Naase Goebel (Colorado)
Kriston Capps (DC chillin', PG chillin')
Janina Ciezadlo (Illinois)
Doug MacCash (Louisiana)
Kent Wolgamott (Nebraska)
Phillip Harvey (New York)
Rachel Wolff (New York)
A.M. Weaver (Pennsylvania)
Michelle Jones (Tennessee)
Gaile Robinson (Texas)
Jen Graves (Washington)

And from across the world:

Adisa Basic (Bosnia)
Kathleen May (Colombia)
Giovanni Mosquera (Colombia)
Amira El-Naqeeb (Egypt)
Heba El-Sheikh (Egypt)
Vinayak Parab (India)
Ilham Khoiri (Indonesia)
Bambang Widjanarko (Indonesia)
Maria Sharon Arriola (Philippines)
Eileen Legaspi-Ramirez (Philippines)
Bongani Madondo (South Africa)
Milagros Socorro (Venezuela)

Now, Gaile Robinson's byline I know well from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. And Jen Graves should be a Stranger to no one. Rachel Wolff is a regular contributor to New York Magazine and so on. But none of the writers from other nations are names I know, and I'm thrilled to meet them. I feel a like a Lantern making the trip to Oa for the first time.

Posted by Kriston at June 2, 2009 1:06 PM