Poll
Some questions about Circa Art Magazine - Evaluation
Here are the results of the poll 2006.
76 people have completed the poll.
| 1. Which is more important to you in the magazine? |
feature articles: 72% |
or |
reviews: 28% |
| 2. Which is the strongest area in terms of writing in the magazine? |
reviews:
44% |
feature articles:
22% |
editorial:
4% |
news:
7% |
all about equally strong: 22% |
| 3. Which is the weakest area in terms of writing in the magazine? |
reviews:
46% |
feature articles:
13% |
editorial:
4% |
news:
25% |
all about equally weak: 12% |
| 4. Which aspect of the magazine do you like best? |
the writing:
61% |
the ads:
4% |
the design:
9% |
the images:
19% |
all about equally: 7% |
| 5. Which aspect of the magazine do you like least? |
the writing:
43% |
the ads:
17% |
the design:
23% |
the images:
6% |
all about equally: 10% |
| 6. Which type of feature do you prefer? |
profiles of artists: 68% |
or |
issue-related texts: 32% |
7. Your reading...
Do you read Circa?
| Yes: |
| I buy it: 56% |
| I subscribe: 33% |
| I read a library copy: 3% |
| I borrow it, etc.: 5% |
| I only read it online: 3% |
| |
| No: 0% |
What other magazines do you buy?
1: dazed & confused, AN ,Frieze, POP,
Art Monthly
2: Irish Arts Review
Modern Painters
3: Contemporary, Frieze, Art Monthly, AN magazine, Miser&Now, Parachute
4: Art Review, Vanity Fair, The Village
5: Irish Arts Review
6: frieze, artforum, artmonthly, contemporary, cabinet, artext, flash art
7: Art Forum
Vaniety fair
Elle Decoration
9: Art Monthly, Cabinet, Map, Frieze - all occasionally
10: dont buy any others but read Cabinet and Art Monthly.
11: irish arts review / modern painters /
12: modern painters
15: Irish Theatre Magagzine
Irish Arts Review
16: New Internationalist
The Ecologist
Radical Philosophy
17: Art Monthly, Frieze, Art Forum, Untitled
18: the wire, modern painters, flash art, dazed, art forum
19: Irish Arts Review Modern Painters
20: Journal of Design History, Irish Arts Review
21: Too many to list here
22: Irish Arta Review Ceramic Review
23: none
24: irish arts review
25: eyemazing
art asiapacific
art and australia
27: irish arts review
28: Art Monthly, Sculpture, Source
29: i tend not to buy lots of magazines as i am a student,
30: Irish Art Review, Printed Project
31: Irish Arts Review, culture, cosmo, marie claire.
32: irish arts review
modern painter
time magazine
34: IAR
FRIEZE
ArtForum
36: flash art, art forum, the art newspaper,art review
37: Art Forum, Art Monthly, Art Review, Contemporary
38: none
39: art review, frieze, art monthly
40: Art Forum
41: VAI Printed Project
National geographic
44: Source, Artforum, Art Monthly, Afterimage
45: Afterimage.
46: BBC MUSIC
47: Frieze and Contemporary.
49: source, irish arts review, printed project
50: artforum, others, ie art monthly, irregularly
51: freize, art forum, art in america, new scientist, new yorker, film comment, cinemascope
52: 4
53: 24
54: 64
55: 71
57: 97
58: 64
59: 15
60: 68
61: 15
62: 63
63: 0
64: 82
65: 76
66: 95
67: 84
68: 10
69: 59
70: 47
71: 52
72: 17
73: 52
74: 94
75: 24
What magazine(s) is Circa most comparable to?
1: a little bit Frieze and a little bit MAP
2: Frieze
3: Contemporary/ Parachute
4: Art Review
5: I'm not quite sure
6: flash art italia
7: Art Forum
9: Map
10: a mix of a-n magazine and something more like Art Monthly perhaps (both UK based)
15: Irish Arts Review
17: At the moment, a fashion magazine
19: Not sure
21: Irish Arts Review
23: dont know
24: irish arts review
25: art and australia
28: art forum?
29: any art mazines
30: None
31: Irish Arts Review, Culture mag
32: modern painter
34: None
36: All contemporary art magazines
38: art monthly mixed with frieze
39: art monthly ?
46: ART MONTHLY
49: source
50: it would be primarily for local consumption if i knew any from other small countries
51: art news maybe?
What are Circa's strengths?
1: reviews
2: Distribution of information.
3: International outlook for a 'local' scene
4: Design, compact size, articles
5: exciting new art
6: local
7: That it is Irish and deals with issues that are releant to artistsin Ireland
10: the writinh has really improved. there is a really good standard now, and the design makes for a more attractive read. i really enjoy reading it now. getting rid of the short reviews is a good idea.
11: authoritative
12: That its Irish related issues
15: The quality of the writing
16: Well-edited
17: Survey of Irish arts practice
18: its cheaper than most other art periodicals
19: Well informed, providing a comprehensive picture of art from Ireland abroad
20: on the ball with contemporary Irish work, north and south
21: It's visual appeal. Looked very good , well designed. Qualitypaper stock. Its obvious contacts with those in the art world North and South. the fact that it covered all parts of Ireland . It's price!
23: appealing to the eye
24: contemporary
25: instalation art
26: Ireland based; dealing with Irish issues, Irish artists.
27: leading edge art articles
28: Style
29: its writtings
30: Its comprehensive coverage of contemporary art issues in Ireland
32: Interesting and varied articles and the reviews of national and international exhibitions
34: Variety of articles, artists and writers. Highlighting of Irish Art.
36: review, features articles, images, only magazine in ireland about contemporary art
38: great writing
39: cover of irish artists both home & abroad
40: Images and reviews
41: Design, strength of writing, willingness to drive debate and dialogue, in depth reviews and balance of issues and reviews, comment, focus on contemporary practice and theory
44: Some good feature articles. Good news section. Online edition is a great addition but it needs to be more proactive and up to date.
45: Listings, features, some good writing.
46: A VOICE FOR IRISH ART
47: Interesting and relevant features.
49: topical articles
50: sometimes direct and unpretentious
51: national coverage
55: uq8ol4iwmym4zqk
70: au6hqdewng5w1a9
What are its weaknesses?
1: not enough reviews
2: Articles that only 10 people are interested in!
4: non-particularly
5: Little undergraduate connection
6: v bad writing which puts you off whats good
7: There isn't more of it and that it doesn't cover enough of what is going on in Irish Art.
9: Some weak writing in the reviews section
10: broader scope?
11: a bit dull. academic.
12: same as above
14: The Design of the magazine - its not attractive or reader friendly
15: Its administration.
16: Design: hard to read, images less "glossy" than before
17: Poor reviewers, articles could be better
18: the reviews, there is no opinions and some of the writing doesnt take a stand point.
19: Overly 'designed' in place, especially the initial page of each article. There is no need for the editorial pages to seem 'arty' in my view. Graphic design should aid clear communication, not hinder it. I HATE reading text against a tinted backgground.There is a tendancy sometimes to be too clever. Simplicity is the best option. . . always. In my humble view the Irish Arts Review I believe is a good example of clear communication, better than Circa. An active verb in each major headline would also help to liven things. At present things are static and their is no attention-getting device to entice readers to rewad a particular article. Also, in my humble vire, there is too much devoted to installation work I think. What exactly is your reader profile anyway?
20: Not enough about Irish culture in its broader definition (i.e. not just art)
21: Some of the articles are just SOOO boring ... written in such an abstruse , ever so clever-dick , 'aren't we terribly intellectual' way so as to be really offputting. I'm not a moron and can manage two and three syllable words - I have also been a graphic designer for over 20 years and art and art history are my passion but I'm afraid much as I loved the look and feel of CIRCA and the visual promise of what it contained - I felt irritated by much of the content !! Try aiming the writing at intelligent but human beings - it may help.
23: none i am aware of
24: occ esoteric
25: photographers or multimedium
26: Not enough wit or humour in the writing. From my experience as an artist/art writer there seems to be a very narrow viewpoint from which one cannot deviate if you want to be published in CIRCA. There seems to be only one critical voice here, this can be very boring in what could be good argument/dialogue. Reviews are dictated by editor, not open for suggestion (at least this is my experience!) and therefor I wonder at the agenda...
27: writing can be obtuse
28: pretension. known to be pretentious, not catering to outside the art elite.
29: none
32: I feel that more attention is given to digital art and art that uses digital media or sound when writing articles. I feel that a few articles on the more traditional methods of making art and how it is competing in the moden art world could prove interesting.
33: pretensiousness
34: meatiness of exhibition reviews and the design annoys a little.
36: it is not enough interantionally recognised, not competitive subscription, no social pages about openings
38: too little space
39: a little more international reviews perhaps
40: sometimes the writing
41: It is overall a very strong publication - the update section is fairly small - but this is covered in other Irish publications
44: Too much focus on established artists. The magazine is not active enough in seeking out new work. Revivews are often a bit empty-headed and purely descriptive (with the obligatory reference to some artist or theorist that establishes the article as more knowledgeable and informed than it is).
45: Online reviws after the event.
46: TOO SPECIALISED(?)
47: The lack of a more comprehensive, country-wide exhibition listing.
49: a bit sombre at times
50: lack of heavyweight issue-based writers
55: uq8ol4iwmym4zqk
70: au6hqdewng5w1a9
What do you like about Circa?
1: reviews
2: It's the only Irish art magazine that has an independent outlook, that does not pander to the market.
3: New design is great, feels very European, refreshing as alot of the UK mags are similar in feel and tone
4: All as above
5: Intresting Art
6: loacl
7: Its informative and well written
9: Design is improved on previous incarnation but now a bit over-designed.
10: good writing, good depth of focus, good juicy read.
11: good for posing with... impresses people as it languishes on the coffee table...
12: finding out whats going on in the irish art scene
14: The fact that it is the only magazine that has such extensive knowledge on the contemporary arts scene in ireland both its position within ireland and its international presence
15: See first question?
16: Informative re Irish art and design
17: The ads
18: good images
19: See 'Strengths'
20: high quality articles - usually interesting and thought-provoking
21: See its strengths above.
23: irish based
24: features and ads
25: feture articals...with large photo spreads
27: it brings diverse art practice to my attention
28: Colourful, smart, varied writers
29: it keeps me in touch with contemporay irish art
30: Everything
32: Good quality images and good reviews
33: design
34: The variety of coverage and awareness of contemporary art issues.
35: Its Irish
36: design, articles, images, interviews
38: the writing, reviews, features
39: its general content is good
40: Keeps me up to date of art exhibited outside dublin
41: I think the design is really great, in depth reviews to shows I didn't get to see, variety of contributors.
45: Interesting features. Topical.
46: HAS OPENED THE DOOR TO ME TO CONTEMPORARY IRISH ART AND WHERE IT'S AT
47: Inclusion of interesting Irish-based artists combined with broader issues.
49: wide range of articles touching on many different areas
50: variety of positions and reviews and news is democratic and often not about overt trendiness
What do you dislike about Circa?
1: too much editorial
2: It's disappearing up it's own orifice! Its independence has left it talking to itself.
3: Nothing, the new design has fixed my previous problems with the 'look' of the publication
4: perhaps more internatinal artists although I realise it's mainly Irish-focussed
5: Its designe
6: bad writing
7: That it doesn't cover events that are happening outside the main centres.
10: could be a bit bigger.
11: I detest artists writing reviews.Especially Goldsmiths graduates. Its wrong. Wrong. WRONG !
12: its heavy theory based articles, sometimes the feeling that reviews are picked solely on people choosing friends.
14: I think the design of the magazine is incredibly unattractive and dry
15: See second question?
16: Hard to read print; quality of images has gone down
17: The design (less over-design, more text, RayGun mag was in the early nineties you know)
18: the articles should be more like the reviews in the wire where there is a love for the subject matter, some of the articles seem dry.
the articles are just genral over veiws of subjects. there is no stand point in veiws.
19: See 'Weaknesses'
20: a little bit cliquey at time, but that's more a reflection of the Irish art scene than a reflection on the magazine!
21: See its weaknesses above. Pretentious, quasi intellectual waffle which kills ones interest on contact!
23: possible over emphasis on conceptual art
24: ---
25: not enough book reviews
26: Sometimes it is extremely boring... depending on who is doing the writing. Would like to see more wit, sarcasm, humour, irony, etc. in the writing! Needs a bigger pool of writers...
27: again the writing be difficult to take in at times. art criticism has become full of its own importance its the art not the criticism that should be featured.
28: notihng about up and coming artists, only interested in simi established artists like mark garry or isobel nolan
29: nothing
30: Nothing
32: the smell from the pages, it may sound funny but i really don't like it!
34: Most of the reviews are out of date.
36: price
37: not enough reviews
38: not enough shows covered
39: its design
40: Its frequency
44: See above.
45: Projects. Mostly vapid.
46: SOMETIMES A BIT TOO HEAVY
49: as about, a little sombre at times
50: same as above
What is Circa not doing / covering that it should?
1: the northern irish art scene
2: Circa is not being realistic about the art that is actually being made out there in Ireland. It cannot survive by simply carrying articles and reviews that appeal to a small portion of the art community. I'm not suggesting pandering to all, just broaden it slightly to include more disciplines and mediums. I'm not too sure if artists are really that interested in art critics and historians talking to each other through the pages of Circa.
3: Possibly a relationship with Wales/ Scotland. Maybethis isn't necessary
4: international art fairs
5: 'Quality' Student Work
6: better writing about what is happining
7: Looking at the rural art culture.
10: more regional coverage, good art is happening in lots of places. There needs to be a broader approach that is not necessarily so much focused on the cities. Also there should be more reviews of events such as site-specific projects, books, interdisciplinary events.
11: it should be on sale more widely. I'd like to
see a bit more of a punchy writing style in it.
12: more reviews from all over the country, articles that are inclusive rather than exclusive to a few. Consideration to younger artists and the importance that magazines like Circa has for them...I remember as a student it was like a bible and now althought I buy it reading it has become a bore.
14: I think that it could rethink its layout without losing any of its focus
16: More international dimension?
17: More context setting, more international reference, more international writers, more intelligent reviewers
18: supporting younger artists, activley going out and reviewing smaller shows that dont have much money to advertives tham selves
19: Maybe a diary to what is on in the UK (main exhibitions only) as well as the Continent centres such as Paris, Barcelona and Berlin.
20: More online discussions and news articles, as issues develop, rather than waiting for the print edition (which should play to the strength of print timescales, which allow more reflective pieces)
21: Speaking to people who LOVE art butmay not have a direction connection to it eg. are not artists, agents, administrators themselves but who want to know more of what is happening in the Irish arts field and will travel, spend money, subscribe to something that moves them.
24: student art in ireland
25: more on multimedium or phtotographic artists
26: Does not seem allow artist writers to make suggestions for reviews unless they conform to critical agenda of Board or Editor... (any email I have ever written suggesting a show to review has remained unanswered...)
27: it is difficult to cover every thing but i buy to increase my awareness of art practice in ireland, but the writing can be obstruction, it comes across that CIRCA is not for artists but for art critics.
28: College graduates, perhaps student writers, polls, more of this type of interaction with your audience.
29: not sure
30: Art students
32: it could include more reviews of smaller galleries and their show perhaps like the Visual Artists newsletter does take an area a publication and introuce the readers to alternative and smaller galleries.
33: spaces like the back loft & monster truck
36: Openings!!!(see art review or art forum diary)it also should be connected to international events
37: off site work
38: more high-quality regional exhibitions, more public art, more about artist's rights (payments, copyright exhibtion fees etc) - VAI shouldnt need to do all of this, and can't anyway
39: reviews of a lot of exhibition seem to explain what was there but not critically
40: The needs of artists
44: The online section should be more active in terms of up to date reviews. You should make an effort to cover more. There are plenty of people who can write a review of a show within a week and you could aim to publish onlne reviews while shows are still running. This might generate more interest in the art scene.
45: More local shows, new/emerging artists, etc.
46: COVER A WIDER RANGE OF ARTISTS
49: maybe a bit more of the business side of art e.g. gallery practice etc
50: no comments
52: 4
53: 24
54: 64
55: 71
57: 97
58: 64
59: 15
60: 68
61: 15
62: 63
63: 0
64: 82
65: 76
66: 95
67: 84
68: 10
69: 59
70: 47
71: 52
72: 17
73: 52
74: 94
75: 24
