the idea: create an opportunity for local artists to share their work, ideas, and innovation in order to foster a healthy arts community.

the ideator: Katherine Vetne

As a recent Bachelor of Fine Arts graduate, I found myself longing for the kind of artistic community that had created the backbone of my degree program. As a student in an art program, I was surrounded by the thoughts and feedback of my peers and professors, and I was constantly being exposed to the work of my peers. Graduating and making work in my first apartment left me in a strange bubble of silence, and I found myself wanting for a community of artists.

So, a few months after graduating, I began posting on Craigslist that I was looking to start or join a critique group. I ended up getting tons of responses that others were interested in the same thing, but no one seemed to have an existing group going.

After a few weeks of posting we held our first meeting in a coffee shop, where those who showed up talked about what they were looking for in a critique group, and what their artistic background was. We had (and still have) such a range of experience. There were college students, self-taught artists of all ages, and people with MFA degrees with substantial exhibition records. Soon after, I held the first critique in my apartment.

That was over two and a half years ago. The group now has about 30 members, and anywhere from 6-10 usually show up to a given critique. We meet at least once a month for critiques, sharing the responsibility for hosting the group. We go to shows, visit museums, go hiking, and have other “field trips” as well. We even had our first group show at a local arts/music/culture venue.

I’ve long stopped advertising on Craigslist. At some point, members began referring other artists they knew, that that kept the group active and ever-changing. Recently, I’ve had to begin turning new members away! While I hate to cut off an opportunity to meet new artists, the group can only get so large in order for it to maintain sustainability. This brings me to the most significant lesson I’ve learned through organizing my group: there is an enormous need for things like this, especially in Boston, where there is a huge artist population.

My group is something I put together to benefit my career, and it just so happens to benefit the careers of others, too! So far, it’s had an enormous impact on my life and my work, completely turning around my practice from that time shortly after graduation, where, alone in my studio in my new apartment, I wondered how anybody continues to make work after school. Since my group is free of charge, I need to limit the size and reach of the group. This means there’s a huge opportunity for some entrepreneurial/artistic spirit to begin another critique group, or start several!