Track Changes: A Handbook for Art Criticism - Paperback

by Mira Dayal (Editor), Josephine Heston (Editor)

Critics who prioritize social, ideological, or political concerns are often admonished for "having an agenda." But judgments are never neutral, and writers who articulate their commitments can productively heighten the stakes and impact of criticism.

In Track Changes: A Handbook for Art Criticism, twenty-five art writers and editors share strategies for critical writing and editing that encourage solidarity and reparative decision-making to actively challenge structural inequalities within the art world.

This collection begins with a practical overview of the editorial process, followed by case studies, conversations, manifestos, and reflections on technical and ethical choices.

Track Changes is a rigorous and supportive guide to art criticism--a mentor in book form.

Author Biography

Mira Dayal (she/her) is an Indian American artist, writer, and editor based in New York. She has published extensively in local and international art publications and contributed to numerous exhibition catalogs, most recently for the Hammer Museum's 2023 edition of "Made in LA" and the New Museum's 2022 Triennial. As a critic, she focuses largely on nuanced engagements with emerging and under-represented artists. Josephine Heston (she/her) is a New York City-based queer cultural producer who supports the production of creative projects across art and design. She is a co-founder of rehearsal, a residency for emerging artists and art workers that provides a practice space for developing socially-motivated work, and was formerly editor-in-chief of the Journal of Art Criticism. Previously, she has worked in programming at organizations such as CUE Art Foundation and A.I.R. Gallery, with a focus on developing mentorship programs for emerging and underrepresented artists and writers. She received her degree in Art History with a minor in Architecture from Barnard College.