ABOUT:
Held each summer, Art Writing Incubator (AWrI) is Burnaway’s signature annual writing intensive, which cultivates the next generation of critics through a series of workshops with leading culture writers from around the country and one-on-one tutorials with Burnaway’s editors. The Art Writing Incubator aspires to foster new voices in the field of art criticism, by emphasizing the discipline’s capacity to galvanize a more equitable, nimble, and dynamic cultural landscape.
STRUCTURE:
Currently, AWrI is entirely virtual. Over the course of the four-week program, a series of speakers give a public lecture related to their personal critical practice, which is free and open to the public. The lecture is followed by a private workshop for AWrI participants to ask questions and brainstorm under the direction of the visiting speaker. In addition to these Saturday workshops, AWrI students are paired with a member of Burnaway’s editorial masthead for one-on-one sessions in order to develop a long-form essay that can serve as a writing sample or possible pitch. These one-on-one sessions will take place before the public lectures on Saturday mornings. Additionally, students will learn practical skills necessary for a career in art criticism, including how and where to pitch.
2026 EDITION:
Applications for Burnaway’s 2026 Art Writing Incubator are open now through May 15, 2026 at 11:59PM EST. Learn more about the session and apply here.
EXPLORE PAST EDITIONS:
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