BmoreArt: Hosting ARTS.BLACK Editors for Second Re-Model Speaker Series

The Birth of ARTS.BLACK & its Place in Art Criticism: An Interview with Editors Jessica Lynne & Taylor Renee Aldridge by Kelly Louise Barton

Published by BmoreArt on June 5, 2017

Founded with the belief that art criticism should be “an accessible dialogue,” ARTS. BLACK is a journal dedicated to providing Black perspectives in the contemporary art world. Led by editors Taylor Renee and Jessica Lynne, ARTS.BLACK was a direct result of a simple question posed to Facebook: “Where are all the Black art critics?”

Asked with the intention of simply finding critics to follow, they soon found that even their attempt to crowdsource these voices yeiled few results. This question brought to light to both Taylor and Jessica, that not only were they not alone in having difficulty finding these voices they wanted to read, but that they also had an interest in creating a platform to make tracking them down a little easier.

Pulling from their ties to both the publishing and art worlds, Renee and Lynne impressively collaborate remotely from Detroit and NYC, respectively, and have been constantly striving to provide discourse in the art world as they “question, celebrate and talk back to the global world of contemporary art.” They managed to sneak a few moments away to answer a few questions about their vision, their work, and how they manage to maintain a healthy balance between the two.

Read the interview here at BmoreArt.

More information about the Event:

Join BmoreArt for a lively discussion with Arts.Black founding editors Jessica Lynne and Taylor Renee Aldridge at The Motor House on Saturday, June 24.

Doors open at 5 pm for a 5:30 lecture followed by Q&A.

Tickets are free but limited so please reserve yours here.

Taylor Renee Aldridge is a Detroit based writer and curator. Taylor is the 2016 recipient of The Andy Warhol Foundation Creative Capital Arts Writers Grant for Short Form Writing. She received her M.L.A from Harvard University with a concentration in Museum Studies and a B.A from Howard University with a concentration in Art History. Taylor has worked at the Ethelbert Cooper Gallery of African & African American Art (Harvard University), and has been awarded the Goldman Sachs Junior Fellowship at The National Museum of American History (Smithsonian Institutions). She has written for the Detroit MetroTimes, ARTNews, ContemporaryAnd, SFMoMA’s Open Space and Hyperallergic.

Jessica Lynne is a Brooklyn-based arts administrator and critic. She received her BA in Africana Studies from NYU and has been awarded residencies and fellowships from Art21 and The Cue Foundation, Callaloo, and The Center for Book Arts. Jessica contributes to publications such as Art in America, The Art Newspaper, The Brooklyn Rail, Hyperallergic, and Pelican Bomb. She’s co-editor of ARTS.BLACK, a journal of art criticism from Black perspectives, and a founding editor of the now defunctZora Magazine. Currently, Jessica serves as the Manager of Development and Communication at Recess.

The Re-Model: Strategic Career Thinking from Art World Insiders

A Speaker Series from BmoreArt

The Re-Model is a new speaker series designed to bring nationally recognized artists and arts professionals to Baltimore to challenge existing structures of success and to build awareness and diversity within current models for best professional practices. From insider tips to creating productive relationships with galleries to funding models for ambitious projects, Re-Model speakers will candidly discuss their art careers in conjunction with the projects and publications they have created.

Lectures will be free and hosted quarterly at The Motor House, located at 120 W. North Avenue in the Station North Arts & Entertainment District. Each talk will be followed by an informal reception for speakers and guests to network and purchase books and publications.

This event was generously sponsored by the Robert W. Deutsch Foundation, with additional support from The Motor House and Hotel Indigo.