The Arts Fuse Newsletter, May 28
Coming Attractions, Reviews of Boston Calling 2025, Stage Productions of “The Prom" and "Light in the Piazza," Jazz Albums from Trumpeter Paolo Fresu, and the Poetry Criticism of David Shapiro
From The Editor's Desk:
A shout-out to Hyperallergic editor Hakim Bishara’s refreshing polemic on the state of art criticism, which he aptly characterizes as alive and kicking. His kick-ass pick-me-up should serve as a clarion call to those who lament the end of arts commentary because they are fixated on the curtailment of cultural evaluation in mainstream media. These naysayers neglect the ample evidence that serious consideration of the arts — across platforms like Substack, YouTube, Instagram, etc. — more than makes up for the loss of what was (and is) the work of critics who, even on their best days, churned out publicity-adjacent mediocrity.
From Bishara’s essay: “Good art criticism airs buried truths, challenges tastemakers, questions our beliefs. It links the art on the wall to the world outside, and gets to the bottom of how and by whom it’s marketed, bought, and sold. At the very least, it motivates readers to go out and see the work to make their own judgment. At best, reading criticism can be as transformative as viewing a great piece of art.”
“The real problem with art criticism today is the profusion of bad-faith actors, useful idiots, vapid scenesters, pitiful star-fuckers, press-release recyclers, dull theorists, hopeless graphomaniacs, paid influencers, cheap provocateurs, and apolitical, nihilist hacks.”
I couldn’t have said it better myself about arts commentators in the Boston area and beyond. The problem isn’t that criticism is disappearing, but that we need to make what we have now better — more iconoclastic, more provocative, more thoughtful, more articulate, and more persuasive. A conversation worth having would focus on finding ways to strengthen incisive evaluation and banish marketing chatter, rather than indulging in hand-wringing about the supposed decline of arts reviewing or calling for the extinction of gatekeepers. It is the inept critics we can do without.
Bishara doesn’t list one role that good arts criticism plays — it serves as a defense against autocracy. For Hannah Arendt, critical dialogue strengthens community because it purges the culture of pollutants: reasoned judgement both exposes and demolishes unexamined assumptions of value. “Unlike speculative thought, which rarely bothers anyone, critical thought is in principle antiauthoritarian,” she wrote. Thinking and writing critically about the arts nurtures democracy.
—Bill Marx, Editor-in-Chief
Archive: From the Editor's Desk 2025
Coming Attractions Through June 9 — What Will Light Your Fire
Compiled by Arts Fuse Edito
Our expert critics supply a guide to film, visual art, theater, author readings, television, and music. More offerings will be added as they come in.
Music Festival Review: Boston Calling 2025
By Paul Robicheau
The 2025 edition of Boston Calling largely appealed to a younger demographic, despite highlighting some older bearers of nostalgia.
Theater Review: Wheelock Family Theatre’s “The Prom” — More Than Entertainment
by Joan Lancourt
Theater like this is especially crucial at a time of destructive national division: it is explicitly aimed at intergenerational audiences, it takes on issues that confront family and community, and it makes the experience of learning and relearning elemental democratic lessons both fun and communal.
Jazz Album Reviews: Sardinian Trumpeter Paolo Fresu — Lessons Learned from Miles
By Allen Michie
On two recent releases, trumpeter Paolo Fresu shows us exactly what he has learned from Miles Davis, and how that has expanded rather than limited his music.
Book Review: Life in a State of Sparkle — The Writings of David Shapiro
By Michael Londra
While David Shapiro’s criticism is audacious, his interviews are self-deprecating and offbeat, filled with surprising reveals.
Theater Review: “The Light in the Piazza” — In Love with Love, Ironies Be Damned
By Martin Copenhaver
The lush, lyrical, and demanding score is the main attraction, and the excellent Huntington Theatre Company cast is, for the most part, up to the challenge of singing it.
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Editor-in-Chief
Bill Marx
wmarx103@gmail.com
