ABSTRACT
Every person that has ever taken an art or design class of any
kind has been through the process of having their work critiqued.
Whether in a group, listening and responding to the observations
of your peers, or one-on-one with your teacher, the critique can
be one of the most challenging parts of arts education and one
that can fi ll students with trepidation. Often a critique appears to
be not only a criticism of your work but also an assessment of
your personal worth as an artist. The impression is that a critique is
very personal, and this is true. For those of us that work in creative
fi elds, our artistic work is very close to our hearts and it can be
diffi cult to separate criticism of the work from condemnation
of our abilities as artists. Critique of our work can be so nerve-
wracking that we do our best to avoid it at all costs. However, in
theatre, receiving feedback on your contribution to the production
is an integral part of the collaborative process, so it is essential that
as a designer you learn not only how to take criticism well and use
it to grow and improve your designs, but also how to give useful
feedback to your colleagues so they can do the same and so that
the production will benefi t from the exchange.
