BmoreArt

Especially at a local and regional scale, the arts are the marrow of a healthy city. They connect, inspire, educate, and serve as the impetus for all manner of convenings, as well as sustainable economic development. News outlets, at a local and regional scale, are crucial for the health of democracy and for the health of our cities. 

We cannot have a functioning cultural ecosystem without a publication to share trusted  information, offer critical discourse, and encourage people to show up and support. It is essential that citizens know what’s going on in their city. This is not frivolous. This is not extra.

“There is a long line of Post correspondents who immersed themselves in the local art scene, who became knowledgeable about the ins and outs of Washington’s art and nonprofit gallery scene, and even developed an understanding of the economy around the art business and the difference between Washington and other cities,” recounts gallerist Mary Early, of Hemphill, via email.

“While Washington may now seem to have a dearth of art galleries, it has a wealth of museum institutions, museum workers, and art and culture producers,” says Early. “The Post’s coverage is valuable to readers, artists, and the cultural community at large. Who do we rely on to report on what is new and interesting? The paper of record. Whether people are reading digitally or are print subscribers, coverage of the local art scene is essential. I’d like to hear the Post editor’s rationale for eliminating the already small amount of space devoted to local visual arts coverage.”

“As a curator and an arts administrator dedicated to supporting artists’ developing careers, I am devastated by this announcement,” says Lily Siegel, Executive Director of Hamiltonian Artists in DC. “Artists rely on coverage of their work for a number of reasons—not just to drive audience, but to provide context, historic record, and feedback. Curators, gallerists, collectors, artists, journalists, the art engaged public, all look to local journalism first for discovery. Without local coverage, we lose the opportunity for national and international coverage of the arts. Mark Jenkins made sure that the public had a glimpse into the strong creative communities in the Washington metro area. His weekly column enriched the lives of those who live here and visit and helped so many artists be seen, appreciated, and grow their careers.”

“The Post has a long tradition of covering visual art from various beats and sections of the paper and is home to two art critics, which is quite rare,” says Mary Louise Schumacher, executive director of the Rabkin Foundation, known for giving a prize to visual arts writers across the U.S. “But it is sad nonetheless to see dedicated, local coverage carved away. These writers are at the center of our most important conversations.”

According to Victoria Reis, Executive and Artistic Director at Transformer DC, “The Post’s cancellation of Mark Jenkins “In the Galleries” column is incredibly disappointing… It will isolate & disconnect DMV communities from gaining understanding of area artists and arts organizations, most of whom are already navigating extensive challenges in achieving critical press coverage. It belies and belittles independent and non-profit arts venues in the DMV.”

A city’s arts coverage will never garner as many online clicks as a national story, especially one centered around politics and outrage. However, the readers of regional cultural criticism are much more engaged than the average reader. These are the readers who are going to show up to events. These are the readers who are going to eat in the restaurants on the way to the theater. These are the readers who are going to buy the art. These are the readers who are sustaining a local economy instead of purchasing unnecessary plastic objects from Amazon. These readers are much more likely to subscribe to a regional newspaper.

Without a publication functioning at a regional scale, local institutions, businesses, and organizations will suffer. The people who want to live in a city because of all the “nice things,” because of all of the excellent cultural offerings—whether galleries, museums, pop up art, fairs, exhibitions, experimental performance—will be disengaged and uninformed. 

Culture bubbles up from the bottom, it does not trickle down. The assumption that national audiences and headlines, that a bottom line based solely on web traffic, is a healthy business model is incorrect and irresponsible. 

If no one knows what’s going on in their region, and there’s no publication of record informing and engaging with audiences, why should locals subscribe? Why support a locally based newspaper, when they can get national headlines for free elsewhere? 

When we’re writing, we aren’t just thinking of our contemporary peers in the arts as our readers, exclusively. Art criticism and local coverage is an essential point of access to a city’s culture for newcomers or the curious, the young audiences that every museum and institution needs to court. 

In cities such as Baltimore or Washington with both large transient populations and a legacy of inequality, it’s important that the public knows that cultural activities and venues exist for them—not just the niche subscribers of a gallery’s mailing list or Instagram followers of a DIY space. For many readers, receiving a well informed, locally based introduction to enter into a relationship with culture, makes all the difference. We cannot have a healthy cultural ecosystem if the newspaper of record chooses to disregard it.

Mark Jenkins’ contributions to local and regional arts organizations, artists, and audiences cannot be overstated. A newspaper with broad public appeal—both local and national—should have the ability to appreciate his insight, research, experience, and commitment to inclusivity. Jenkins’ labor has brought exponential value to Washington, DC as a cultural hub, has helped to build careers and communities, and the Washington Post should know better.