Back to All Events

BICA School Reading Group: Contemporary Art and the Plight of Its Public

  • The Buffalo Institute for Contemporary Art 30d Essex Street Buffalo, NY, 14222 United States (map)

Open to All | Free to Join | No Registration Required

Join us at BICA School for a casual, come-as-you-are reading group that welcomes everyone—whether you’ve read the text cover to cover or just want to hear what others have to say. We’ll explore critical and curious texts together in a space that values open conversation, listening, and learning.

Read ahead if you can, but there’s no pressure to be an expert—just bring your thoughts, questions, and curiosity.

→ Steinberg, Leo. “Contemporary Art and the Plight of Its Public.” Harper’s Magazine 224, no. 1342 (March 1962): 31–42.

Why does new art so often make people uncomfortable? Why does it seem to provoke confusion, outrage—or silence?

In this sharp and often funny essay, Leo Steinberg considers the “plight” of the public in the face of contemporary art. He argues that great modern works don’t just expand our expectations—they rearrange them. With references ranging from Picasso to Rauschenberg, Steinberg makes the case that discomfort isn’t a failure of the work—or the viewer—but part of the process of seeing anew.

This one’s lively, opinionated, and surprisingly generous. Bring your reactions—we want to hear them.

Previous
Previous
October 25

BICA Gala 2025: I WANT TO BELIEVE

Next
Next
November 1

Arts for Something, November