Critique Group

The CCAM Crit Group is a context for individuals producing visual, technological and/or sonic culture in Chicago to engage inquiry-motivated discussions on this work. Discussions are led by participants and can unfold in dynamic and responsive ways depending on the needs of the group. This group emerged from the recognised need for artists and culture makers to engage with long-form focused discourse outside and beyond the context of BFA or MFA environments. A social continuum of practices and processes is essential not only for individuals, but also to bolster the rich fabric of intersecting practices that exist in our city. This group seeks to deepen dialogue among participants beyond praise or art direction into a call and response between input and output, public and private, that positively feeds back into our shared creative work.

Discussions will be prompted by presentations of a work in process, a current or upcoming exhibition, a text, a film, a thought experiment, an observation, a question etc. The content presented need not be art, although will be approached as a contingent example of culture. The format of gatherings foregrounds one presentation per discussion, which will determine its own duration. Considering the work of peers is an integral motive for initial investment as well as continued participation. Participants are not required to present work in order to participate. Those who do sign up to present will be responsible for determining the location of discussion in dialogue with CCAM organizers.

Reading Group

The CCAM Reading Group is a context for individuals working across visual, technological, and/or sonic culture in Chicago to gather around shared texts and develop a collective practice of reading, thinking, and conversation. The group is designed for people who want sustained engagement with ideas outside the pace and norms of degree programs, and for those who are looking for a supportive way to build a relationship to theory without intimidation or gatekeeping. Sessions are facilitated to hold an inviting container, with an emphasis on curiosity as opposed to comprehension and a focus on the social life of ideas.

Readings are selected as materials for use rather than mastery: short and medium-length texts, excerpts, liner notes, interviews, manifestos, program notes, or other forms that circulate through cultural work. The format may include reading aloud together, shared annotation, summarizing and diagramming concepts, and guided discussions that makes space for different vocabularies and levels of familiarity. Participants are encouraged to bring materials that resonate with selected texts and references from their own practices, and to treat the group as a site for making connections between texts, between projects, and between people.