Krystina Mierins on Editing Artists

Welcome back to our series about arts and art history editing. In this post we’ll meet Krystina Mierins and learn about her experiences in this field.

How did you enter the field of arts/art history editing?

When I worked as a curatorial assistant at the Carnegie Museum of Art, I helped develop exhibitions and catalogues. As I worked closely alongside the curator of architecture, I came to find joy in the process of finding just the right words to clearly communicate concepts associated with visual material. But I wasn’t yet an editor and couldn’t have imagined that for my future.

Then as a research assistant for Alison McQueen, a professor of art history at McMaster University, I edited one of her articles. Alison encouraged me to pursue editing, something I hadn’t previously considered. During both my undergraduate and graduate studies, her advice served me well, so I followed it again. More than a decade later, I am grateful for Alison’s guidance!

How do you find clients?

Many of my clients are people I’ve previously worked with or referrals. In the past, I volunteered with the Royal Ontario Museum and the Toronto Public Library, which supported my networking as an added benefit! It has also been helpful to remain engaged with artists and others working in the field.

What are some common challenges for writers in this industry?

Artists don’t create art with the goal of writing about it. If writing isn’t their strength, it can be difficult for them to articulate their ideas, but it’s necessary if they exhibit in galleries and museums. I have found my background in art history and my experience interviewing artists to be immensely helpful. I use these skills to engage with artists and coach them to write about their work in ways that connect with diverse audiences. Helping artists express complex ideas not only makes the work more meaningful to me but also adds to the artists’ practice and the viewers’ experience.

What was your most memorable project?

Last year I had the opportunity to work with Elizabeth Brennan, a medical doctor who led a project that brought the arts to patients with dementia. She and her team wrote about their experiences and methods in the forthcoming book Invitations to Dance. The arts fostered connection across dementia’s barriers and transformed interactions between caregivers and loved ones.

The project came to me about a year after my mother passed away following a long battle with dementia. Invitations to Dance reframed the connections I had fostered with my mother, a visual artist, through art and music. Elizabeth’s work helped me appreciate the deeper impact and gave me peace around difficult memories.

What skills, tools or expertise does an editor need to be competitive in this niche?

My background in art history, experience in museums and writing as an art critic and interviewer have positioned me well to support artists, curators and authors.

Perhaps more significant is my ongoing engagement with the arts. Visiting galleries, encountering art installations and reading about art are stimulating and bring me joy but also keep me informed about current and evolving practices.

What trends or developments have you observed lately?

There is a greater diversity of voices. The arts have been evolving to be more inclusive for some time. To realize this in the most meaningful way, the people telling artists’ stories must represent a greater range of perspectives. I have found my experience working with clients who write in English as an additional language to be helpful in fostering greater inclusivity.

What book have you enjoyed recently about the arts or creativity?

I recently read Ukrainian Vignettes: Essays on a Culture at War by Mitja Velikonja, a Slovenian professor of cultural studies who has served as a visiting lecturer in Ukraine on several occasions since the war began.

Velikonja is an outsider and self-identified observer, and his camera becomes just as important as his words — he captures expressions of resistance from citizens (not soldiers), drawing attention to the people removed from the front lines, excised from the political analysis, and yet central to the war.

Special thanks to Tanya Mykhaylychenko for curating and coordinating this series. Read the first installment: Emily Doucet on the Editing of Art.

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