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Call For Pitches: History of Midwestern Creativity in Arts and Culture

by Angela Zonunpari

A garden with rows of cherry blossom trees, a water fountain and a figurative sculpture at the far end.
Photo Credit: Balthazar Korab Collection / Library of Congress
Miller house, Columbus, Indiana (1953-57; Garden), designed by architect Eero Saarinen. Photo courtesy Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Balthazar Korab Collection, LC-DIG-krb-00409.

Look into our region’s history and tell us about cultural and artistic milestones of the Midwest and Midwesterners!

We’re looking for stories that explore how the Midwest has shaped or influenced larger cultural landscapes throughout history, or how Midwesterners have led the charge in creating artistic milestones in the last century.

Our stories have covered how Ohio funk influenced music, why Columbus, Indiana, is an architectural mecca, and how the Lakota Song Repatriation Project is reclaiming Lakota culture.

We’re excited to bring more stories that show the vitality of Midwestern creativity in arts and culture through the ages. So, if you have a great story from your community, pitch it to us!

We’re focusing on stories from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and the Native Nations that share this geography. Pitches from outside of this region will not be considered.

Pitches are due September 30, 2024.

Selected pitches will be contracted for 500-word written articles to be published by Arts Midwest’s Creativity News Desk starting November 2024. The compensation of the 500-word story is $500; paid once all deliverables are finalized and ready for publishing.

Timeline

  • September 17, 2024 – Call for Pitches opens
  • September 30 – Call for Pitches closes
  • Week of October 14 – Notifications to selected pitches
  • November to March – Stories published

How to Pitch Us

The Call for Pitches will close on September 30, 2024. We’ll send notifications to selected pitches during the week of October 14. If we receive a high volume of pitches, we won’t be able to respond to everyone.

To pitch us, fill out our pitch submission form. You’ll be asked for the following information:

  • What or whom does your story feature? (50 words)
    • Tell us about who you’d like to feature, and share what feels exciting and inspiring to you in their story.
  • What is the story you’d like to share about Midwestern artistic or cultural history, in relation to your story subject? (100 words)
    • Tell us a little more about the specific angle you’d like to approach the story from. What aspects of the story/subject are you most interested in? What aspects of the story speak to the history of Midwestern creativity?
  • What is your connection to the story/subject? (50 words)
    • Why this story or subject?
  • Will you be the writer for the story idea you’re pitching?
    • Yes.
    • No, I’m just submitting the idea for Arts Midwest to assign to someone else.
  • If you answered ‘Yes’ above, provide a short bio about you and your work. (100 words)
  • Provide links to up to three work samples and/or a portfolio so we can get an idea of your range of work.
    • Work samples do not have to be published works, but should show your reporting, interviewing, and writing skills.

Read Our Coverage

Ready to pitch?

Fill out the pitch submission form below! You are welcome to submit multiple pitches if you have more than one. If you have any questions about the pitch process, contact Managing Editor Angela Zonunpari.

Submit a Pitch Contact the Editor