Maybe the critics are already dead * Oregon ArtsWatch

"The title might seem a little ironic, considering Hicks has covered arts and culture in the Pacific Northwest since 1978. But the heart of the argument - that critics more often stand in between their readers and art, representing a barrier to deeper understanding and appreciation, rather than offering them "a fresh perspective, a new way of entering into the discussion that any decent work of art invites" - echoed a sentiment I've held for a long time."

"The "Death" of the Art Critic For decades, critics have pronounced criticism an endangered practice. A dying art. Whether they describe it as in "decline" or a rather irreversible state of "crisis," the proverbial finger is usually pointed at media cuts, shortening attention spans or the rise of the art market (e.g., dealers, collectors, curators) as conflicting with genuine reflection on art itself."

"Just recently this October, I attended an invite-only Critical Conversations event titled "Artist-Centered Curation and Writing" at the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art. During the first panel, Portland-based novelist and playwright Jon Raymond declared that "the ecology of art writing has been damaged over the last several years." As legacy media organizations shift more resources away from arts journalism and an influx of amateur commentators on social media fill the void, Raymond bemoaned, "language has been effectively numbed.""

Attention to how people talk about art highlights a gap between audiences and artworks created by traditional criticism. A long-standing argument asserts critics often stand between readers and art, acting as a barrier to deeper understanding rather than offering fresh perspectives. The term "critic" is framed as misguided. Criticism is described as endangered by media budget cuts, shortened attention spans, and commercial pressures from dealers, collectors, and curators. Observers note that the ecology of art criticism has been damaged, with legacy outlets retreating and social media amateurs dulling language. Forums on artist-centered curation and critique aim to restore more direct engagement.

Read at Oregon ArtsWatch * Arts & Culture News