Praise Shadows Art Gallery and Boston Art Review are partnering to present the 2023 Boston Art Writing Fellowship. A continuation and evolution of the Praise Shadows Mentorship Program, this year’s program will shift the focus from curatorial work to the critical skills of writing, editing, and storytelling in the contemporary art landscape. It is designed to support two individuals based in Boston between the ages of 18–21 who are interested in expanding their knowledge of the city’s contemporary art community through hands-on experience in writing articles, artist interviews, and exhibition texts while deepening their understanding of the operations behind a commercial gallery.
This is a five-month commitment that will begin with a crash course in art writing led by the team at Boston Art Review. In this part of the program (February–March, $600 honorarium), individuals will partake in regularly-scheduled workshops and field trips (examples include a studio visit, a museum tour with a curator, visits to local galleries, etc.) to cultivate both their writing practice and relationship to Boston’s art community. At the end of this portion, each individual will be paired with a member of the BAR team to formally pitch, develop, and complete a written piece to be published on the BAR website in summer 2023.
For the second half of the program (April–June), fellows will extend their immersion through paid part-time internships at Praise Shadows Art Gallery in Coolidge Corner, Brookline. Here, they will learn the inner workings of a contemporary art gallery, including exhibition and inventory management, marketing and press release writing, and person-to-person interactions with the general public. During this time, the gallery will also create special sessions with guest speakers, including an executive at Higher Ground (the Obamas’ media company), an arts publicist, and more.
Fellows will continue to meet with their BAR mentor to finish and submit their final work at the end of June for publication on the BAR website in summer 2023. Upon publishing their work, fellows will receive an additional $300 honorarium.
The schedule and specificity of curriculum, including workshop topics and final deliverables, are subject to change based on the fellows’ availability and personal goals.
Decisions will be made without regard to race, gender identity, religion, ability, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the United States.
About Boston Art Review
Founded in October of 2017, Boston Art Review (BAR) is an independent publication committed to facilitating active discourse around contemporary art in Boston. BAR actively fosters the work of both emerging and established artists, writers, critics, curators, and scholars and is committed to uplifting the work of underrepresented individuals and communities. Boston Art Review provides a space for critical perspectives, interviews, reviews, artist projects, and collective initiatives. Through our website, newsletter, social media, events, and print publication, Boston Art Review stands as an accessible, go-to guide for contemporary art in Boston. Learn more about the team members who will be contributing to this program.
About Praise Shadows
Praise Shadows Art Gallery is a Boston area art gallery founded in late 2020. It is a hybrid space emphasizing exhibitions by emerging and mid-career contemporary artists, a retail space for art books and lower-value works made by artists, and mentorship for young talent in the Greater Boston area.
Support
Boston Art Review is supported through the BAR Giving Circle. Programs like this are made possible with support from art_works, Boston Center for the Arts, Boston Cultural Council, Cambridge Arts, and VIA Art Fund / Wagner Foundation. If you’re interested in learning more about how to support this program, please contact Jameson Johnson.
