Poetics in Practice: Art Writers Panel

Join us for a panel on art writing with Camille Bacon, Amarie Cemone Gipson, Daria Simone Harper, and Jessica Lynne during the weekend of EXPO CHICAGO.

Taking up the question of “poetics in practice,” the panel will consider the function and responsibility of art writing in the contemporary moment, the lineages we draw from and are in dialogue with, and what it means to build a viable writing life as writers working in a field that has historically underfunded the production and development of critical discourse. Together, we will ponder, imagine, muse, and speculate towards a reality that can better support the creation and proliferation of our work, as well as that of fellow writers.

This is a hybrid event, which will be offered in-person and via livestream. 

Camille Bacon is a Chicago-based writer who is building a “sweet black writing life” as inspired by the words of poet Nikky Finney and the infinite wisdom of the Black feminist tradition more broadly. Through a practice that involves rigorous research and oration in addition to writing, she examines the material function of aesthetics and poetics. More specifically, she is interested in illuminating how aesthetics and poetics can catalyze a collective reorientation towards relation, connection, and intimacy and away from apathy and amnesia. Her work has appeared in Frieze, Cultured Magazine, Studio Magazine, Momus, and Burnaway, among other outlets. She currently manages McArthur Binion’s studio in Chicago, and formerly held positions at GRAY art gallery and the Studio Museum in Harlem.

Amarie Cemone Gipson is an art worker, DJ, and creative director. She has held curatorial positions at the Studio Museum in Harlem, the Renaissance Society, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Contemporary Austin, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Independently, her writing has been published in several journals and magazines including Artforum, ARTNews, ARTS.BLACK, Cite, ESSENCE, Gulf Coast, Houstonia, and THE SEEN. Currently based in her hometown of Houston, she created an open format dance party called PHYSICAL THERAPY where she serves as creative lead and resident DJ. As a culmination of her decade-long journey through the realms of art, music, and media, Gipson founded The Reading Room, a Black art reference library whose collection holds more than 300 publications and ephemera with an emphasis on Blackness, visual culture, and the American South. 

Daria Simone Harper is a multimedia journalist and writer based in Brooklyn. She is currently Assistant Editor on the Digital Content team at David Zwirner Gallery New York. Through herstorytelling, she aims to amplify emerging Black and brown visual artists, as well as preserve the history of the trailblazing artists, thinkers, and creators who paved the way for us. Her byline is featured in publications including Artnet News, Artsy, Burnaway, CULTURED Magazine, ESSENCE, i-D, W Magazine, and more. She has interviewed and written features on established artists and cultural workers including Carrie Mae Weems, Stanley Whitney, and Antwaun Sargent, among others. Daria also hosts The Art of It All, an art and culture podcast featuring conversations amongst emerging and established artists and arts professionals of color.

Jessica Lynne is a writer and art critic. She is a founding editor of ARTS.BLACK, an online journal of art criticism from Black perspectives. Her writing has been featured in publications such as Artforum, The Believer, Frieze, The Nation, and Oxford American, where she is a contributing editor. She is the recipient of a 2020 Research and Development award from the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts and a 2020 Arts Writer Grant from the Andy Warhol Foundation. She is the inaugural recipient of the Beverly Art Writers Travel Grant awarded in 2022 by the American Australian Association. 

In-Person Attendance
All guests over the age of two must wear a mask inside the Poetry Foundation building. If you are unwilling to comply with this requirement, you will not be granted entry to the event. Please note that some performers may choose to perform without a mask. Guests are encouraged to register in advance.

Livestream Attendance
The livestream link will be shared with registered guests on the day of the event. In order to receive the livestream details, please register in advance here.

Poetry Foundation’s events are completely free of charge and open to the public. This event will include CART captioning and ASL interpretation. For more information about accessibility at the Poetry Foundation, please visit our Accessibility Guide.