BURNAWAY’s Art Writers Mentorship Program:
Learn From the Best

Do you want to learn how to write about art, or hone your observational and writing skills? Then you need BURNAWAY’s Art Writers Mentorship Program! Our program is designed to give you the practice, feedback, and exposure you need to launch or refine your professional writing practice, whether writing art criticism, catalogue essays, research papers, books, or your own blog. You’ll have the opportunity to work with seasoned professionals to take your writing to the next level.

Our six-month program consists of monthly workshops, free public talks by visiting critics, pre-session assignments, reading lists, peer-to-peer critiques, and mentor feedback. In addition to the writing of essays, profiles and reviews, workshops have focused on such essential skills as learning how to pitch to different magazines, conceptualizing a niche art publication, crafting a book proposal, and how to really look at and clearly describe art.

Past participants have ranged from recent graduates to long-established professionals. Many of them now regularly contribute to BURNAWAY, as well as such publications as Art Papers, Modern Painters, ArtsATL, and the Huffington Post.

Here are the mentors for Cycle 4, beginning on July 23:

Raphael Rubinstein, renowned poet, critic, and professor of critical studies at the University of Houston. He is the author of Polychrome Profusion: Selected Art Criticism 1990-2002 and The Miraculous (Paper Monument), among other books, and the editor of the anthology Critical Mess: Art Critics on the State of their Practice. From 1997 to 2007, he was a senior editor at Art in America, where he continues to be a contributing editor. In 2010, his blog The Silo won a Creative Capital/Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant.

Rainey Knudson, founder and executive director of Glasstire, the online magazine covering visual art in Texas and Southern California. Launched in 2001, Glasstire was one of the earliest online-only art magazines in the country. Rainey is the sometimes editor and a regular contributor known for her wit and candor.

Daniel Bosch, poet and associate professor of English at Emory University. He has also taught at Boston University, Harvard University, and Tufts University.

Victoria Camblin, the editor and artistic director of Art Papers.

Donna Mintz, artist and freelance critic based in Atlanta.

Stephanie Cash, executive editor of BURNAWAY and former news editor at Art in America.

The cost for the program is $1,300, which includes all mentoring sessions, public talks, instructional materials, breakfast and lunch during the monthly Saturday sessions, access to a variety of local events, and a network of peers and professional connections. Payment plans are available.

Testimonials:

“The Emerging Art Writers Mentorship Program has given me the professional and practical skills necessary to succeed in the world of art writing. I came into the program with a BFA and MFA in writing, along with extensive writing and editing experience; however, I have learned so much from this incredible workshop series. The quality of my prose, my understanding of the art world, and my ability to communicate about creativity have flourished because of EAWMP. Burnaway is training the next generation of art writers, and I’m thankful to take part in this program.”   —Matthew Terrell
“Art writing is a niche area, and there are few opportunities to gather not only with leading professionals in the field but colleagues with similar interests. I found Burnaway’s Emerging Art Writers Mentorship Program a unique and rewarding program in which to think through broad issues and hone specific writing skills. It was stimulating to have discussions with a diverse, interesting group of art writers.”     —Linnea West

BURNAWAY believes that critical dialogue plays a vital role in developing and enriching a city’s cultural life. We’re committed to preserving and promoting the craft of art criticism as a means to educate new audiences and challenge established ideas.

For more information, please contact Stephanie Cash at [email protected] or 404-602-9513.