About Art F City

“An ambitious option [to mainstream print criticism] that combines criticism, reporting, political activism and gossip on an almost­24­hour news cycle. That mix would probably be even more varied, and transcultural, if a few forward­thinking, art­minded investors would infuse some serious capital into such enterprises so they could pay writers a living wage.” —Holland Cotter, Lost in the Gallery Industrial Complex, the New York Times, January 17, 2014

Art F City creates and archives critical discourse, and commissions ambitious artist projects. Through a daily mix of blunt criticism, commentary and community-minded journalism, we add an unparalleled dosage of purposeful opinion to the contemporary art community.

Art is without a public purpose if it is not tested and understood. To this end, Art F City provides a moderated public forum across comment threads, artist essays, and roundtable criticism. Our nine-year archives provide an extensive historical record of that discourse. By encouraging a critical and informed audience, our public initiatives fill a critical need for all creative makers.

Art must be interrogated.

Editorial Director: Paddy Johnson

Paddy Johnson is the founding Editor of Art F City. In addition to her work on the blog, she has been published in magazines such as New York Magazine, The New York Times and The EconomistPaddy lectures widely about art and the Internet at venues including Yale University, Parsons, Rutgers, South by Southwest, and the Whitney Independent Study Program. In 2007, she received a scholarship to attend iCommons conference in Croatia as the art critic. In 2008, she served on the board of the Rockefeller Foundation New Media Fellowships and became the first blogger to earn a Creative Capital Arts Writers grant from the Creative Capital Foundation. Paddy was nominated for best art critic at The Rob Pruitt Art Awards in 2010 and 2013.  In 2014, she was the subject of a VICE profile for her work as an independent art blogger.

Check out what Paddy’s written.

Senior Editor: Michael Anthony Farley

Michael Anthony Farley writes and curates content for the blog. From 2008 to 2011, he was a founding member and visual arts director of the Baltimore nonprofit arts space The Annex Theater. Since leaving that position to attend graduate school, his criticism has been featured in a number of publications, he has served as a curator for Miami’s Zones Art Fair, and his work has been exhibited internationally.

Check out what Michael’s written.

Senior Editor: Rea McNamara

Rea McNamara writes and curates content on the blog and off. Her writing has been published in Art + Auction Magazine, BLOUIN ARTINFO, the National Post, FASHION Magazine, Little Brother Magazine and more. Committed to arts-based community development, she has facilitated projects for the non-profit Art Starts, and curated limited-run event series, including Sheroes, which has been recognized as a pioneering GIF event. From 2014 to 2015, she was the cultural programmer at Toronto’s Drake Hotel Properties, curating exhibitions, events, performances and residencies for its three properties. Currently, she is the senior editor of experimental video art label Undervolt & Co.; recent curatorial projects include a pavilion for the Wrong New Digital Art Biennale (2015-2016) and an event for the Music Gallery in 2016.

Check out what Rea’s written.

IMG MGMT Editor: Whitney Kimball

Whitney Kimball, IMG MGMT Editor, is a New York-based writer and artist. She began writing for Art F City in 2011, soon after earning a degree in painting from the Rhode Island School of Design, and she produces and edits all artist-made content on the blog. She has contributed to the L Magazine blog, The Measure, Capital New York, and the New American Paintings blog. In 2015, she briefly worked as a full-time editor for the website Hopes&Fears.

Check out what Whitney’s written.