The Art Critic as Learner: A Review of Erica Cardwell’s Wrong is Not My Name

Authors

Bronte Cronsberry, Western UniversityFollow

Author ORCID Identifier

0000-0002-6057-6138

Author Bio

Bronte Cronsberry (they/them) is a PhD candidate in Theory and Criticism at Western University. They work from a queer and non-binary perspective with a focus on how intellectual community and dialogue can form outside of the traditional academy. Bronte is interested in the application of Hannah Arendt’s theories about the public realm and a community of peers to education and equity. Bronte’s also has an art criticism practice and their work has been previously published in The Journal of Curatorial Studies, The Senses and Society and SmART Magazine.

Abstract

Erica Cardwell’s debut book Wrong is Not My Name: Notes on (Black) Art is about art, race, family and perhaps most prominently, about grief. Through her personal experiences with these themes, Cardwell’s voice as art critic is still undeniably present throughout the entirety of the text. Wrong is Not My Name reminds readers of the power of art to push us towards growth, but in the context of this issue on Aesthetic Education, I focus on Cardwell’s approach to art as critic, which she continually grounds in her approach to art as learner. It is this orientation in particular that I think offers those of us who aspire to, or perhaps already practice, art criticism a reflection on the impact of our work and the attitudes we bring to it.

Keywords

art criticism, Black art, art education, writing

Recommended Citation

Cronsberry, Bronte (2025) "The Art Critic as Learner: A Review of Erica Cardwell’s Wrong is Not My Name," Comparative Woman: Vol. 4: Iss. 1, Article 4.
Available at: https://repository.lsu.edu/comparativewoman/vol4/iss1/4