Reviewing the Arts

Reviewing the arts is an important process and requires critical thought. Campbell Titchener’s reviewing the arts article describes five elements in writing successfully and I would recommend using his method. A strong opening, closing, identification, summary and opinion are all important elements in writing a solid review. Although personal opinion is important, I also it’s important to not get carried away. That makes the whole piece sound biased. Even with my opinion adding the other side always makes things more credible.
To truly review the arts one must experience the arts. A reviewer cannot form a view by hearing one track, tasting one dish, seeing half a performance, or seeing one work of art. As a reviewer it is important to immerse myself in the subject I am writing about. I cannot only review things I’m familiar with or only things I enjoy. That would be too easy as well as too one sided. Like Laura Kipinis in “(Male) Desire and (Female) Disgust: Reading Hustler” it is important to review things even I despise.
In her review of the pornographic magazine Kipinis states “any automatic assumptions about Hustler-variety porn aide and abetting the entrenchment of male power might be put into question by actually reading the magazine.” This coming from a feminist who had wanted to review the magazine several times before, always unable to out of disgust. Sometimes unfounded assumptions get in the way of understanding an art form. Every form of art is worth being reviewed. I have to go at a review with an open mind and try to understand.
Professional reviews are important to maintain and set apart from user-generated reviews on sites like Yelp. Professionals review everything. The space, the audience, the work, the timing, everything. User generated reviews are solely based on opinion and personal experience ignoring more of the elements. This type of review is good if you just want feedback on where to grab a bite to eat, but if you really want quality a professional review will be much more beneficial.
To review the arts it’s important to be able to set up for a mixed amount of knowledge beforehand. When I reviewed Dave Chappelles Block Party for example, I knew nothing about Dave except his name. If not for background readings on what was going on at the time of his departure from his successful show I would of thought that Block Party was simply a concert movie. Instead it was about uniting people together from all walks of life and to celebrate hip-hops underground artists. If you know something before reviewing it the overall work will be benefited by being able to compare it to previous works.
I’ve really learned a lot about reviewing the arts. I realize now that most reviewers don’t have a choice on where they go or what they review which is something I struggled with at the beginning. I’ve also realized that it’s good to read other notable reviewers work to learn other ways of writing and take something from each of them.
I’ve learned to take user generated reviews with a grain of salt. Some of those can easily be from the source being reviewed itself. Open mindedness and critical thinking are two elements to making a case in a review. Links, photos, and videos to other sites also make a review successful so the reader can look further into things themselves and explore a topic in greater length. I have a greater understanding and appreciation of reviews and will continue to write them.

Harrison Haiku

The Harrison Red Line stop is the entryway to Columbia College Chicago in the South Loop neighborhood. Like the neighborhood itself, the station is gritty and cold. Columbia is known for being an innovative art and media school and this station falls short of what the school is capable of. If the point is to provide public art for thousands of people it should be bold, graphic and able to grab the attention of riders. Instead small type in tiny ITC Franklin Gothic font blends into the light of the dimly lit archway. Columbia adopted the Harrison stop along with Jones College Prep to provide public art for the thousands of commuters that pass through the station everyday. Haikus, 17 syllable poems, show a glimpse of the work by Columbia poets.
The poetry itself feels like the beginning of an untold story. Like a fragment, the haikus offer only a glimpse or a thought of an idea. Unfinished with the promise of possibilities. None of them make sense without a larger context. Although the haikus are short, they don’t stand out enough to be read by passers by. I personally use the station twice a week and no matter how long I have had to wait for a train, reading these excerpts would be the last thing I would do.
The colors are what stand out the most at the Harrison station. Hues of green and orange from Columbia’s color palette speckle throughout from the mezzanine to the subway below. Bold leaves (of change?) stamp the walls prominently, but fail to impact riders and students alike. They leave the viewer, confused and annoyed at the meaningless stamps.
To be fair, the idea is there. Columbia needs to take responsibility and really represent the school in a way that creates positive attention and not an afterthought. Photographs, murals, and light exhibits are just a few ideas to make the station one we can all be proud of. How affective these haikus are is anyone’s guess. The intention is excellent, but the layout is easily missed. Most people would only see a blur of typeface while commuting, but few probably are able to stop and read what they actually say.