Everyone's A Critic

We just returned from Westminster Forum, where we heard Kathy Halbreich, the redoubtable director of the Walker Art Center, give a talk on "the missing pieces in arts and culture reporting." We've frequently heard the complaint that there is neither quality nor quantity enough in contemporary arts criticism, and this is undoubtedly true.

Here is a partial explanation. We live in a culture where everything is reduced to its entertainment value—the Walker itself has no small amount of programming designed to compete directly with the theaters, the concert halls, and the sporting arenas. Despite the sincere wishes of Ms. Halbreich to distinguish cultural institutions from entertainment enterprises, that doesn't mean much to a ten-dollar bill looking for a box office.

Just so, we here in the media find we are competing too. It's an attention economy we live in today, and anyone trying to make a living by calling attention to himself must compete with an army of rivals, some high-brow, some low-brow, some no-brow. In other words, at a general-interest magazine, we compete with what we cover. Hmmm, maybe we should write more negative reviews. Kidding.

Still, we think her point was well taken: Along with the populist mumbo-jumbo and meretricious pandering, we need to be pushing the envelope. That's just sound business practice. We've long believed that our magazine should be a healthy mix of comfort food and cultural derring-do.

Also, we now believe we'll go to Westminster at every future opportunity. The lunch was awesome, and the company very flattering indeed. And, being a house of God, our prayerful petition that the Deputy Editor not get another parking ticket was answered satisfactorily. Hurray!—The Editor in Cheese