The Only Way To Save Arts Critics? Artists Must Speak Up

“I know from interviewing creative artists that they prize a detailed review by someone they trust to know their stuff, even if they disagree with it. If honestly and intelligently provided, it’s food for growth. If the professional critics have any value in this current world, that is where it lies. Let the artists defend the critics. If they don’t, let the critic die.”

How (And How Not) To Argue Against Selling Off Detroit’s Art

Terry Teachout: “It’s only a matter of time before a less pusillanimous liberal commentator [than Peter Schjeldahl] reminds us of the pithy words of Bertolt Brecht: ‘Grub first, then ethics.’ Anybody who doesn’t want Detroit to sell its art must be prepared to go up against arguments like these. What’s more, the counterarguments will have to persuade locals who know how it feels to call the cops and get a busy signal.”