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THE CURMUDGEON: Vol. 3 – Photos and the Visual Arts

by Basil Considine -

The above blank image is like a student copying Kandinsky’s white canvas for a class assignment: it says nothing. This is usually not what is desired.

Dear Visual Artist PR Person,

Thank you for your recent email. While you certainly used a great number of words to describe art created in an exclusively visual medium, I reached the end of your email with one significant problem: I have no idea what this art looks like. I’m not even sure what medium it is, to be honest.

I note that your press release includes the note “Photos available upon request.” Might there be a connection between this and the aforementioned vagueness?

As the saying goes, a picture says a thousand words.

~Me

Takeaways:

  • Editors and writers usually have short evening deadlines. If a request comes up last-minute, it’s better to have already delivered images into their hands.
  • When photos are available, include them in your email or an easy way to access them.
    • Large/High-resolution photos can easily be made available via a Dropbox link or other cloud file sharing service.
  • It’s super helpful to have references related to the medium in which an artist is working: visual samples for visual artists, music samples for musicians, etc.

Basil Considine

Basil Considine is the Performing Arts Editor and Senior Classical Music and Drama Critic at the Twin Cities Arts Reader. He was previously the Resident Classical Music and Drama Critic at the Twin Cities Daily Planet and remains an occasional contributing writer for The Boston Musical Intelligencer and The Chattanoogan. He holds a PhD in Music and Drama from Boston University, an MTS in Sacred Music from the BU School of Theology, and a BA in Music and Theatre from the University of San Diego.

Basil was named one of Musical America's 30 Professionals of the Year in 2017. He was previously the Regional Governor for the National Opera Association's North Central Region.

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