The Essential New Art Examiner

VJAN ESTEP, Editor—1979–1982—A Day In The Life

V JAN ESTEP E ditor 1979–1982 A Day In The Life Editing and Writing for the New Art Examiner Working as an editor at the New Art Examiner profoundly affected the course my life has taken, in terms of my knowledge base, art experience and, most significantly for me, my writing. It extended my art-world education in a way that would have been impossible to do on my own, putting me in daily contact with contemporary art at all points on the spectrum. From the behind-the-scenes view of a museum curator preparing a major exhibition to one-on-one interviews with visiting artists to the stealth street intervention around the corner, art editors along with critics in general have access to art events that greatly facilitates their ability to discern and discover the terrain. Though their approach is shaped by personal interests and background, all editors are concerned with information gathering, absorption and distillation. To do this well, they need to be always learning, looking and reading, open to what the world and artists have to show. The other large part of being an editor concerns language and writing, as this forms the day-in/day-out substance of the profession. Paramount is a genuine love for art and the conversations it generates. I joined the 260   T h e E s s e n t i a l N ew A rt E xaminer magazine in 1997, the summer after I earned my MFA, fresh from the wringer of the studio arts program at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). Primed by that curriculum, which followed years of studying and teaching academic philosophy, I found editing a natural occupation. The faculty at UIC introduced me to contemporary art and showed that it was far vaster and more complex than a neophyte might presume, Their expectation that art be more than personal self-expression attuned me to the broader significance of what artists do. In comparison, philosophy gave me a thorough understanding of argument and the process of putting ideas and thoughts into words as well as an appreciation for clarity. These two tracks of art and philosophy would prove invaluable for running an arts magazine and for working with—and in many instances training—individuals devoted to art writing. A typical day at the office started with a round of correspondence, checking in with writers and skimming press announcements. The office was in a grungy basement space of a small building tucked directly under the El, one block north of Chicago Avenue in the River Loop District. Each day also included a morning meeting among the editors to coordinate our efforts and prioritize tasks, and occasionally a trip to see an exhibition or do an interview. We also periodically devoted time writing grant applications to various public and private institutions that supported nonprofit arts organizations , which we were qualified for, and planning our yearly fundraisers for the magazine. However, the bulk of the day was spent reading and editing texts at various stages of readiness for print. In many ways editing is a desk job, routinely reading manuscripts and marking up texts for revision and writer approval. Working on a deadline and managing the workflow and production cycle call for practical skills, while finessing content requires more erudite leanings. There was always more work to do than one could plan for, incredible stress at the close of each issue and never enough money, but the opportunity to shape the content of the magazine was extremely rewarding. While I was at NAE we made a concerted effort to situate Chicago within a national and increasingly international art-world context and also add a more philosophical perspective in the way we wrote about art and ideas. We also increased the number of first-person interviews with local artists and those coming through town for major exhibitions and expanded the geographical coverage of the Reviews sections. We did this while continuing to showcase what was special about Chicago: Part V— J A N E S T E P    A Day in the Life   261 the humor, the DIY spaces that continually crop up run by Chicago’s never-ending supply of recent MFA students, and the burgeoning socialpractices movement developing in the city (before they were even called “social practices”). Our approach reflected a desire to be understood for our independence and uniqueness but also...