Highlights and Hoorays Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024

Join Southwest Contemporary and the Santa Fe Arts and Culture Department for a free, lively panel discussion and open Q+A exploring the current state of art criticism and art writing in New Mexico and the greater Southwest region at 5:30 pm on Friday, Sept. 20 in the Santa Fe Community Convention Center.

Art and cultural criticism can play many roles within the arts ecosystem and beyond. Featuring a panel of art industry professionals, writers, and critics, we'll discuss how critical discourse constructively serves artists, institutions, and the general public, how it propels creative work forward, and what is at stake within the unique cultural environments of Santa Fe, the state of New Mexico, and the Southwest region.

We'll also speak to the challenges and opportunities for arts writing to advance the arts and support critical thinking more broadly.

Panelists include Southwest Contemporary's Visiting Critic Darren Jones (New York and Florida), curator Jaime Herrell (Enrolled Cherokee Nation/European, based in Marfa and Santa Fe), artist and cultural worker Edgar Picazo Merino (Ciudad Juárez and El Paso), and writer/editor/curator Nancy Zastudil (Albuquerque). The panelists will be joined by SWC publisher and editor Lauren Tresp for a conversation moderated by SWC editorial director Jordan Eddy.

This Critical Commons panel event is free with registration thanks to support from the Santa Fe Arts and Culture Department doors open at 5 pm | panel begins at 5:30 pm.

Click here to register. Registration is free.