#BeACritic: Tim Marlow Public Lecture & Winners Announced
We are delighted to announce the winners of this year’s #BeACritic competition — and news that our lead critic will give a (free) public lecture in May…
We’ve had a very difficult decision to make. We recently called out for you to come forward and #BeACritic — offering a masterclass with Sony Award-winning broadcaster, writer and art historian Tim Marlow.
As the new Artistic Director at the Royal Academy, and with over 20 years’ experience presenting arts programmes for the BBC, Sky Arts, Channel 4 and Five, in addition to writing extensively for newspapers and magazines on arts and culture – including the Times, the Guardian, the Independent on Sunday, Arena and Art Monthly — Marlow was the perfect person to invite to Liverpool to teach this year’s #BeACritic cohort.
In addition to hearing all of Marlow’s career advice, those selected will also be commissioned to write critiques, receiving £100, editorial feedback and support.
We received 65 superb applications from across the North-West, and were heartened to see such an incredibly high standard — but completely devastated that we could only take 15 of you. Shortlisting completely anonymously to keep things fair, we were looking for the following: excellent writing skills; a commitment to the North-West art scene; clarity of communication; and a demonstration that this opportunity would benefit any career plans.
And that final 15 are:
Jade French, 26; Garry Cook, 40; Laura Harris, 23; Ellie Woods, 21; Andrew Anderson, 29; Hannah McHaffie, 23; Denise Courcoux, 31; Sara Jaspan, 25; Cameron Procter, 21; Thomas Bolger, 22; Kellie Grogan, 25; Stephanie Gavan, 23; Emma Nuttall, 29; David Graham, 42; and Jo Hall, 48. The writers hail from across Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Cheshire.
However, they aren’t the only ones able to enjoy Tim Marlow’s expertise — you can too. For the first time in the #BeACritic project, our lead critic will deliver a one-off public talk at Tate Liverpool. Asking the big questions — Why does art matter? What does it tell us about ourselves and the culture in which it was/is created? How do we assess the importance of art? — yet promising no definitive answers, Marlow will discuss some of the art projects that have shaped his illustrious career, including his new role at the Royal Academy. Helping draw all this from Marlow will be Tate Liverpool’s Artistic Director Francesco Manacorda, who will host an informal Q&A after the talk.
Sound interesting? We have around 50 free tickets available so look sharp and book now to avoid disappointment.
Laura Robertson (TDN Editor)
Book now! Tim Marlow on The Value of Art: A #BeACritic event, part of a wider campaign to encourage more critical discussion of the arts. Tate Liverpool, Auditorium, Saturday 16 May 2015, 11am-12.30pm. FREE — booking essential; we expect this will be a very popular event so reserve your ticket here to avoid disappointment!
The #BeACritic campaign: launched in April 2014 by Liverpool John Moores University’s School of Art and Design, Arts Council England and The Double Negative, in a move to encourage more critical discussion of the arts and to develop vital writing skills. See our original callout and all published #BeACritic articles here
