Artist Steve Matthews creating the Mercurys TBA blog header.

Hello, friendly art-loving art friends! Today we launch the 2012 edition of the Mercury‘s trusty TBA blog, where it’s all Time-Based Art, all the… well, you know. PICA’s annual contemporary art festival runs from September 6-16โ€”if you don’t have a pass yet, you can snag one right over here.

Stuff to look forward to on the TBA blog over the next few weeks:

โ€ข Reviews! Of everything. Literally. We’ll be weighing in on every play, art installation, dance, concert, and”happening.” We’ll do our best to write about these things in a thoughtful, informed, and lively manner, and you have my solemn oath as blog editor that we will never not employ mocking scare quotes when discussing any event described as a “happening.”

โ€ข Interviews! Stay tuned for interviews with festival artists and curators, including a giant Q&A with visual art coordinator Kristen Kennedy on the new direction she’s taking the fest’s visual arts programming.

โ€ข News! Sometimes people tell us things! Sometimes there is art drama because I don’t know if you have heard but artists are dramatic! Sometimes the food trucks promise tacos and there are no tacos!

โ€ข Discussion! I guarantee that I personally will use the comment-baiting phrase “what do you guys think?” at least like 15 times in my blog reviews. One of the best parts of TBA is talking about the workโ€”with friends and in blog conversations, as well as following what critics at other outlets have to say. So that’s gonna happen.

โ€ขEtc! And… you know! Whatever else!

Also! Our comprehensive print guide to TBA hits the streets on Thursday, August 30, as an insert in the regular paper, so pick up a copy wherever your Mercury is served. We’ll also be using the @MercArts as both a link dump and for on-the-spot updates, so go follow along over there if you really want to stay in the loop.

AND FINALLY! We’re giving away one immersion pass to TBA:12โ€”valued at $250. Click on over to win.

Alison Hallett served nobly as the Mercury's arts editor from 2008-2014. Her proud legacy lives on.