Join us Thursday, August 30th at the MIA at 7:00 when we talk with MPR’s Marianne Combs about what it takes to cover the arts. In a culture where everyone’s a critic, how does one both cover the story and connect with their audience? Find out more here!
Nearly every aspect our culture has its own version of gate keepers or guides. Sports broadcasters help us deconstruct and interpret games while feeding us analyses which deepens our understanding of every layup or touchdown. Political analysts help frame narratives about issues and help us wade through government jargon so that we can make informed choices. And nearly every art form has its champions, who help us decide which productions and events are worth seeing and which belong on the cultural scrap heap.
A modern issue that we have is that everyone is an amateur critic now. Smartphones have given us the ability to rate the sandwich we had for lunch or our vacation to Florida. The internet has democratized these aspects of our lives, but we still rely on critics for their expertise. Many of the rating sites on the internet are anonymous, allowing people to snipe at others without needing to stand behind their opinions. Attaching your name to your view lends it credibility, even if your thoughts are not always well received.
What does it take to be an arts journalist? There’s more arts in our community than could ever be covered by one person or even one news organization. Should you only cover the spectacular or should you devote column space to an artist who just puts bananas on chairs? Can you remain objective or is your voice required in order to provide a proper presentation of the piece? We plan to explore these ideas with Marianne next Thursday, Augusts 30th at 7pm at the MIA.
From MPR, “Marianne Combs is a reporter for MPR’s Arts Desk, where she reports on the arts for Minnesota Public Radio News. Combs joined Minnesota Public Radio in 1993. Since then, she has hosted State of the Arts, a weekly program dedicated to Minnesota’s arts community, and worked as a reporter, producer and anchor at stations in Duluth, Rochester and St. Paul. In 1997 Combs left Minnesota Public Radio to work with the Peace Corps in Cote d’Ivoire, West Africa, where she served for three years.”
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