Creativity News Desk
Amplifying storytelling around Midwestern creativity.
About the Creativity News Desk
The Creativity News Desk is a cultural reporting and storytelling initiative covering the creative Midwest.
We amplify Midwestern creativity and the voices of diverse Midwesterners from all backgrounds. Our initiative constructs a new lens for the Midwest and its people—far beyond “flyover country.”
We work with staff reporters as well as freelance writers, photographers, videographers, and illustrators from across the Midwest to cover stories. We also support learning opportunities for community-engaged media organizations and individuals.
The Creativity News Desk is published by Arts Midwest, a U.S. Regional Arts Organization serving the nine-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, the Native Nations that share this geography, and beyond.
Arts Midwest retains full authority over editorial content to protect the best journalistic and business interests of our initiative, the Creativity News Desk. We maintain a firewall between our coverage decisions and sources of all revenue. Acceptance of financial support does not constitute implied or actual endorsement of donors or their products, services, or opinions.
We accept gifts and grants from individuals and organizations for the general support of our activities. Arts Midwest may consider donations to support coverage that aligns with the goals of the news desk and our organizational values. We will cede no right of review or influence of editorial content, nor of unauthorized distribution of editorial content. The Creativity News Desk recognizes the importance of transparency. We commit to disclosing the names of all donors who support this initiative.
The Creativity News Desk was launched with the generous support of Good Chaos. This project is currently supported by Arts Midwest’s gift from MacKenzie Scott, an unrestricted contribution received in 2021, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the McKnight Foundation.
Recent Creativity News Desk Stories
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Turning the Chicago River into a Floating Music Venue
June 26, 2025
These ‘secret river shows’ are a floating, grassroots musician network atop the once-heavily polluted waterway.
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This Iowa Folk School is Making Hot Metalworking Cool Again
June 24, 2025
Artisans are clanking away inside a new forging studio at Vesterheim, the National Norwegian-American Museum and Folk Art School.
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Wash & Mosh: An Unlikely Home for All-Ages DIY Music
June 23, 2025
The last-standing storefront of a once-expansive laundromat-bar chain in central Ohio has welcomed hardcore music lovers for the last decade.
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Celebrate Make Music Day, the Midwestern Way
June 20, 2025
On Saturday, June 21, more than 35 cities and towns across the Midwest are taking part in a global celebration of music-making, and you can join in!
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Six Midwest Cities Among the ‘Most Arts-Vibrant’ in the US
June 18, 2025
The numbers are in: six Midwestern cities just made the list of the country’s most culturally dynamic communities.
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The ‘Prosthetic Guy’ Who Crafts Artful Appendages to Empower Patients
June 17, 2025
Nicholas Harrier, a childhood cancer survivor and above-knee amputee, creates custom, free-of-charge “jackets” to be slipped over patients’ artificial limbs. Study shows that this type of engaged process leads to positive outcomes.
Collaborate With Us
We work with freelance writers, reporters and photographers year-round for our coverage. Pitch us your idea for a story about Midwestern Creativity!
Creative Midwest Media Cohort
We support innovative media outlets that are amplifying and celebrating Midwestern art and creativity. Ten organizations have received a total of $150,000 through the Creative Midwest Media Cohort, a new year-long program.
Contact us about the Creativity News Desk
Reach out to Managing Editor Angela Zonunpari with questions.
Contact Us FAQs