Revolutionary Art and Culture Residency
Spring/Summer 2025
Meeting 1
April 10th, 6-8 cst
Decolonizing Art Criticism – Dismantling the White Gaze
This session introduces historical gatekeeping in art criticism and explores how BIPOC art has been marginalized through Eurocentric frameworks. We will discuss decolonial theory, analyze critiques that failed to consider cultural nuances, and examine alternative frameworks for critique rooted in BIPOC perspectives
Critical Framework:
Commentary: Identifying and challenging white-dominant narratives in art.
Storytelling: Centering personal and community histories in critique.
Critique: Moving beyond passive analysis to engaged, culturally fluent interpretation.
Essential Questions
What does it mean to decolonize art criticism?
How does the white gaze distort perceptions of BIPOC art?
How can critique center cultural authenticity over Eurocentric validation?
Interactive Components
Live Critique Lab: Analyze critiques of the same BIPOC artwork by different critics. Kara Walker
Gallery Visit Assignment: Apply decolonial critique.Use this guide for help and read for next meeting.
Personal Project: each of you has something to work on that we have already discussed. Need a chat? Text/email me: 4146880833 or nakeysha@genreurbanarts.org.
Reading
Topdog and Underdogs- a report by Critical Minded (Introduction + Facing Critics of Color)
"The Dominance of the White Male Critic" – Elizabeth Méndez Berry & Chi-hui Yang
“Critical Genealogies: Writing Black Art” —bell hooks
"Museums are hiding their imperial pasts – which is why my tours are needed" — Alice Procter
Meeting 2
May 8th, 6-8 CST
Cultural Storytelling as Critique – Reclaiming Narrative Power
This session explores the power of storytelling as critique, highlighting oral traditions, folklore, and personal memory as critical frameworks for engaging with art. We will examine how storytelling has been used historically in Indigenous, African, and Latinx artistic traditions.
Critical Framework
Commentary: Decolonizing written critique by integrating oral and cultural traditions.
Storytelling: Using first-person narratives as critical tools.
Critique: Honoring the cultural and historical depth of an artwork.
Essential Questions
How do storytelling and oral traditions shape BIPOC art and critique?
How can personal and collective memory be used as a critical tool?
What are alternative ways to merge cultural storytelling with critique?
Interactive Components
Embodied Writing Exercise: Participants write a critique of a selected artwork using personal memory and storytelling techniques. Irving Herrera Decolonizing Critique Guide.
Critique Across Mediums: Participants compare written critiques, oral storytelling, and visual responses to the same artwork to understand how medium affects interpretation.
Meeting 3
June 26th, 6-8 CST
The Politics of Representation – Who Gets to Tell the Story?
This session examines power dynamics in representation, from museum curation to mainstream media reviews. Participants will analyze how institutions control narratives around BIPOC art and explore alternative modes of representation that uplift BIPOC artistic agency.
Critical Framework:
Commentary: Analyzing institutional control over art narratives and how to disrupt it.
Storytelling: Documenting first-hand perspectives and experiences as acts of representation.
Critique: Developing frameworks that expose tokenization and advocate for authentic storytelling.
Essential Questions
How does art function as resistance for Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities?
In what ways can critique honor the radical roots of BIPOC creativity?
How do we move beyond aesthetics to critique the social impact of art?
Interactive Components
Live Artist + Curator Discussion: A BIPOC artist and curator discuss how they navigate the politics of representation in institutional spaces.
Museum Intervention Exercise: Create a museum exhibit to reframe the narrative around a historically misrepresented BIPOC artwork. Use canva.com or some other platform that allows you to visually create to execute.
Reading
TBA
Meeting 4
July 10th, 6-8 cst
The Art of Resistance – Art as Protest & Liberation
Focusing on art as protest, resistance, and healing, this session will analyze movements such as the Black Arts Movement, Indigenous visual sovereignty, and Latinx muralismo. Participants will explore how art critiques can move beyond formalism to engage with activism, social justice, and liberation movements.
Critical Framework:
Commentary: Addressing political and social stakes in BIPOC artistic movements.
Storytelling: Centering activism and resistance within artistic interpretation.
Critique: Developing methodologies for critiquing art beyond Western aesthetic principles.
Essential Questions
Who determines the cultural value of art, and why?
How do museums, galleries, and critics control representation?
How can we develop critique that resists tokenization and extractive analysis?
Interactive Components
Live Artist + Curator Discussion: A BIPOC artist and curator discuss how they navigate the politics of representation in institutional spaces.
Museum Intervention Exercise: Create a museum exhibit to reframe the narrative around a historically misrepresented BIPOC artwork. Use canva.com or some other platform that allows you to visually create to execute.
Reading
TBA