Craig Judd is Education and Public Programs Manager, Biennale of Sydney. He coordinates dynamic programs of lectures, performances, screenings, artists' talks, and web casts for the Biennale of Sydney. In addition he has produced a number of education resources documenting the past three Biennale of Sydney exhibitions. Also a curator, his art historical exhibitions - Wild Thang: Post Pop from the MCA, People and Destiny: George Lambert and Federation - have toured New South Wales Victorian and Queensland regional galleries. He was also the coordinating curator of The Arts of Islam: Treasures from Kuwait at Art Gallery of New South Wales, as well as co-curator (with Amanda Lawson) for The Gold Project Bathurst Regional Gallery.

Craig Judd writes extensively on contemporary and historical art in catalogue essays and feature articles.  He has lectured in art history at Sydney College of the Arts, National Art School, College of Fine Arts University of New South Wales and at the Art Gallery of New South Wales and Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney. In 2005 he is co-curating (with Jo Holder), a commemorative exhibition celebrating the influence of the late Joan Kerršs revolutionary work on Australian art history and her input into post-colonial and regional heritage debates.

ABSTRACT

Re-presenting the artist

Writing for and about artists is a process of negotiation between not only the artist but also with editors gallerists and institutions There are a number of protocols that have to be established so that actual writing can begin.  An understanding of the target audience, final location and ultimate use of the text is essential. Obviously a text for lower secondary audiences has different emphases in the type of language and manner of address to a refereed journal article. Catalogue essays are different again to a critical review and so on. There are some artists who are very active in the development and propagation of information about their work. Some have a keen awareness of the importance of the clear reception of their art and conversely there are some who claim not to care one way or the other. This paper is an introduction to some of the pleasures and pitfalls of re-presenting the artist in text.