APG’s longest running program, now referred to as Critique Classique, is held in person at the gallery on the 3rd Sunday of each month from 2-4:30pm (with a short 10-15 minute break in the middle) Here are some notes about upcoming meetings:

July
Critique Classique will be meeting next on July 21 from 2-4:30pm. Up to 8 people can sign up (sign up on sheet upon arrival), discussion is now 15 minutes and there is an 8 image print max. **You can show your work digitally! Just let me know in advance so we can set up screen. Bring images on a flash)

August
We will hold Critique on August 18th @ 2pm, and Forest McMullin, formerly a professor of photography at SCAD, will be standing in for Beth Lilly who will be travelling. Forest McMullin is a freelance photographer, artist, writer, and educator based in Atlanta. He has work in the permanent collections of Hunter Museum of American Art, George Eastman Museum, Georgia Council for the Arts, American Society of Media Photographers, Visual Studies Workshop, Rochester Institute of Technology, The Buffalo Museum of Science, Savannah College of Art and Design, and Southern Poverty Law Center. 

September
We had a special session of critique in May and it was a HUGE success! We’ll call it Extended Play Critique and we’ll be doing it again September 15 from 2-4:30pm. For this special version, we limit presenting artists to 4 people who get 30 minutes each and they can bring as many as 80 prints to be reviewed. Can be prints or digital! The purpose of this special critique is to take a deep dive into a project: maybe pull together a selection of images from a body of work or to create an exhibition or a portfolio. Maybe you have several projects and need help finding the right path forward. Beth Lilly will lead with her reactions/thoughts/advice for this special critique and then open the floor for group discussion. If you are interested, you will need to sign up in advance by emailing her – beth@atlantaphotographygroup.org. Priority will be given to artists who did not present at the last Extended Play critique.

APG believes that critique plays a crucial role in an artist’s growth and development. As part of our mission to support photographic artists, we feel it is important to offer a variety of options so that each artist can find the group that is the best fit for them.  Not certain of the value?  Consider this:

1. Feedback and Improvement: Constructive criticism provides valuable insights that help artists see their work from different perspectives. It highlights areas that need improvement and offers suggestions for growth, ultimately enhancing their skills and artistic vision.
2. Learning and Development: Critique exposes artists to diverse viewpoints and approaches, allowing them to learn new techniques, styles, and concepts. Engaging with feedback fosters continuous learning and development in their artistic journey.
3. Self-reflection: Evaluative feedback prompts artists to reflect on their own work critically. It encourages introspection, enabling artists to understand their strengths and weaknesses better, leading to more refined artistry.
4. Building Resilience: Dealing with critique develops resilience and the ability to handle rejection or differing opinions. It strengthens an artist’s confidence and prepares them to face challenges in their career, fostering growth both professionally and personally.
5. Community and Networking: Engaging in critique sessions or receiving feedback from fellow artists fosters a sense of community. It creates networking opportunities, allowing artists to connect, collaborate, and learn from each other.
6. Audience Perspective: Understanding how an audience perceives their work is crucial for artists. Critique provides insights into how their art is received, helping them communicate their ideas more effectively and connect with their audience on a deeper level.

Moderator’s Bio

Beth Lilly is a photographic artist whose work explores the formation of personal and cultural identities and the role choice, chance and circumstance play in that ongoing evolution. Lilly earned an MFA in Photography from Georgia State University and an A.B.J. in Telecommunication Arts from the University of Georgia. Her work resides in the permanent collections of the High Museum, the New Mexico Museum of Art, The Ogden Museum of Southern Art, MOCA GA, the Zuckerman Museum and many other institutional and private collections. Her critically acclaimed performance/interactive project “The Oracle @ WiFi” was published by Kehrer Verlag and other projects have been featured in monographs ‘Noplaceness: Art in a Post-Urban Landscape’ and ‘Earth Now: American Landscape Photographers and the Environment’. Her work has been reproduced and reviewed in such publications as Blind Magazine, F-Stop Magazine, Lensculture, Art Papers, Papermag, Burnaway, The Bitter Southerner, Atlanta Magazine and ArtsATL. Select exhibitions include New Mexico Museum of Art, The High Museum of Art, Spalding Nix Fine Art, the SE Center for Photography, Whitespace Gallery, the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, and the Center for Fine Art Photography. In addition to her personal work, she teaches, curates, and serves on the Board of the Atlanta Photography Group.

Guest Moderator’s Bio

Forest McMullin is a freelance photographer, artist, writer, and educator based in Atlanta. He has work in the permanent collections of Hunter Museum of American Art, George Eastman Museum, Georgia Council for the Arts, American Society of Media Photographers, Visual Studies Workshop, Rochester Institute of Technology, The Buffalo Museum of Science, Savannah College of Art and Design, and Southern Poverty Law Center. He recently finished his first novel, a thriller about a photo-journalist who gets mixed up with a group of neoNazi bank robbers and based on his experiences photographing radical racists in the 1990s.

Guidelines for APG Critique Group:

Membership Requirement: APG Critique Group is exclusively for APG members. Active membership is required to participate in presenting work for critique.

Drop-in Observers: We welcome drop-in observers from the local APG community who want to engage with the artistic process, but are not prepared to present their own work. Drop-in observers do not need to register.

Limited Presenter Slots: This APG Critique Group session offers a maximum of 8 presenter slots. This limitation ensures that every participant has 15 minutes to present their work and receive feedback.

No Registration: People will sign-up to present when they arrive at the critique and are accepted on a first-come basis, with a preference for people who did not present during the previous month’s session.

Presentation Format: Each presenter can present 8 images. While physical prints are preferred, we have the capability to display digital work on a large viewing screen if necessary. Please ensure that your digital files are properly formatted and ready for presentation.

The critique group is free for members.

By following these guidelines, we aim to create a supportive and constructive environment for artistic growth and development within the APG community.

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