Happy Birthday, Art Beat!…And a Special Request to You

Art Beat has turned 2 years old! To mark the occasion (more on that after the jump) and the end of the year, we’d like to hear from you for a special, year-end feature.

In the coming days I’ll be talking to critics about the books, music and films they loved this past year but that for whatever reason never got the full attention they deserved. We’d like all of you to share your list with us and your fellow Art Beat readers. Make it a holiday present: It’s a chance to share the works and experiences that most affected you, especially the ones that the rest of us might not have come across. Tell us a little bit about the work to whet our appetites.

We’ll publish the best of your recommendations here on Art Beat. Send your picks to us: comment below or send us a tweet @NewsHourArtBeat.

Now, about our birthday…

The other day we received an email that read, in part: “I am consistently impressed by ‘Art Beat’. I find that I am eager to explore the subjects/topics [Jeffrey Brown] has introduced me to — though prior to his introduction I would have sworn I had no interest.” As we celebrate our second anniversary, this is the best present we could ask for.

Introducing Art Beat two years ago, I said that this was a chance “to expand our arts coverage, share more stories and speak with more people who help shape our cultural lives.” I also wrote early on of my delight in finding — just as our recent emailer — artists and subjects I previously knew very little of and had no prior particular interest in. Two years later, it only gets better. I can’t tell you how much I enjoy the conversations I’m able to have with writers, musicians and other artists, as well as the chance to learn about new people and subjects as I read the posts done by my colleagues.

We wondered at the beginning if we would be able to pull this off on a daily basis — after all, most of us work on Art Beat in our spare time. So I am stunned to review the past two years. I myself have contributed nearly 200 interviews and stories. That’s in addition to our daily “Art Notes” and the many, many stories contributed by the rest of our small Art Beat gang. So, quantity? Check. As to quality, I’ll let others judge, but I will declare myself pleased to see the range of subjects and types of art we’ve covered.

As we celebrate this anniversary, I want to thank my colleagues. The goal — as I said above — was to expand our arts coverage. But it was also to have an enjoyable time doing it — and because of them, we’ve reached that goal as well.

So, send in those end-of-the-year picks and Happy Holidays to all!

Jeff