The sum of more than two parts / What Miriama Knows

Natalina and Miriama

Miriama Zajacova knows art. Miriama knows what she wants, and Miriama knows how to get what she wants. As part of her internship with fine art curator Sara Sist, Miriama wrote an article on Josephine Rea, winner of the Venice La Colomba art prize, which has just been published by Art of England magazine. Miriama pitched the idea for an article which celebrated this young British art talent, who works with Florentine techniques to create modern paintings of fashionable youth, and which also allowed her to get her publishing debut.

Natalina Manni knows how to write. Natalina has a background in journalism in her native Canada and combines editorial work on the King’s student newspaper with an MA in CCI. Natalina wanted to learn more about visual arts, and Miriama wanted some advice on how to put together an article that read like an article, not a PR piece. Connected by the CCI department, Miriama and Natalina started to work on the article together, Miriama teaching Natalina how to critique visual arts and Natalina sharing how to sustain a reader’s attention and creating a piece that invites debate, not a clear conclusion.

The finished article is a credit to both students, who are now friends and were last seen heading over Waterloo bridge towards a jazz concert. Not only an accomplished piece on an emerging artist, and the role of art prizes in 2010, is it is a fantastic example of teamwork and creative networking. Read the article in this month’s Art of England magazine (available at WHSmiths in central London) and see how Miriama has given a forum for the artist’s voice and work to shine through, and how editor Manni has kept the student-journalist’s voice true throughout. The CMCI department is very proud of both Miriama and Natalina, and of the environment that allowed these two to make a connection based on their own talents.

When asked what they had learnt from the experience, Miriama said “I know how to write for print in a way that promotes my opinions”. Natalina told us “working together sums up what the creative industries are all about”.

Luca by Josephine Rea

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