Distinguished Lecture

Criticism, A Life Sentence
Roberta Smith, New York Times Senior Art Critic
Thursday, March 24, 6:30 pm

“My basic job as a critic is to get
people out of the house, to get them
interested, energized, inspired, or
riled enough to just go see what I’m
talking about.”

Roberta Smith

Roberta Smith, senior art critic for the New York Times, analyzes the craft, process, and use of art criticism in her conversation with the audience. Born in New York City, Smith was raised in Lawrence, Kansas, and graduated from Grinnell College in Iowa.

She has written art criticism for the New York Times since October 1986. She was art critic for the Village Voice, 1981–1985, and in the 1970s, wrote for Artforum, Art in America, and Arts Magazine. Her writing has also appeared in Newsweek, Vogue, and HG.

Smith has lectured widely and taught at the School of Visual Arts, NYC, and the Rhode Island School of Design. She received art criticism grants from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1975 and 1980. In 2003, she received the Frank Jewett Mather Award for Art Criticism from the College Art Association.

Distinguished Lecture fee for McNay members is $7; for nonmembers $15. Educators and students with an ID pay only $5.

Reserve space at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 210.805.1768.

Funding is generously provided by the San Antonio Express-News