PITCH TO AWC
TAKE YOUR PART IN THE ART
AWC is a platform for everyone interested in discussions of arts and society, wealth and poverty.
We welcome pitches from all corners of your mind. If you want to share your voice, please consider the guidelines below:
HOW TO ORIENTATE YOURSELF
Please read the paper in print or online version prior to sending a pitch. Through that you will get a sense of what we publish. We are interested in how art can be a tool for social justice, the politics of the art world, political action from the ground up as well as global politics from the perspective of the arts.
Arts of the Working Class’ print newspaper is edited thematically. The program of 2021 is set and should you wish to contribute please be aware that we can only consider relevant topics.
The online platform gives space to experiment with themes, format and length, complexities and simplicities.
We welcome stories from around the globe in every language. Our editors on staff are currently able to edit your text in English, German, and Spanish. Should you wish to write in another language, please let us know and we can reach out to our international network for assistance in the editing process.
We are an art publication but do not wish to speak exclusively to and with those who are educated in the arts (International Art English & Artspeak): write simply and write well.
WHEN YOU PITCH
*Write in a maximum of two paragraphs, what you are looking for, what your text is trying to channel, and which outcome is the one you are expecting.
*Introduce yourself (in a few sentences, a short bio). If you’ve never written for us before, include links or attach writing samples.
Reveal Bias if you are working for an institution, a PR firm, if you are writing on a friend’s solo show, if you are affiliated to a political movement, if your submission is related to the interests of third parties in general, please let us know.
WHEN YOU SUBMIT A COMPLETED PIECE
*Introduce the piece and yourself in the body of your email (see above), with the piece attached.
*If the piece was previously published elsewhere, please let us know when and where, with links if applicable.
*Include relevant dates for a show/film screening/etc. in your pitch, as well as a link to a page with more info about it.
Tell us if you’re simultaneously pitching the same story elsewhere.
WHEN WE ACCEPT YOUR PITCH AND YOUR CONTRIBUTION IS READY
*Every contribution requires an image, videos and links according to what the text is dealing with.Images (high res, with photo credit and caption), Videos (link) - AWC editorial maintains the right to choose which images are published.
*Send us your invoice (please find below how much we can offer).
Examples of pieces we are interested in:
Review: These are usually tied to world news and cultural events. They can vary in length: a shorter piece may cover a rally or protest, while a longer piece may go more in depth, by adding context to an event or with more reporting and research on a particular news story. Pictures will have to be attached. Timeliness is important — we want to publish soon after the event happens.
Revisit: We are excited to begin publishing online more timely reviews than our bi-monthly paper allows. We are interested in visual art shows and events, performances, commercial literature and film, sound art and happenings.
Calendar: We prefer to run exhibition reviews while shows are still open or events to come. Book or film reviews can be written about a piece from any time period through our current lens.
Reconsider: This format is an alternative model for art criticism that is not focused on "rating" an exhibition or institution but rather focuses on a more holistic approach on the typologies of the art exhibited and how it relates to the ecosystem in which it is embedded. This reconsiderationRevision takes into account that works of art, or criticism, are never the product of a single person but a collective process, built upon a foundation of certain social dynamics and preconditions.
Letters of Workers and Notes on Cities: We have two sections available online; Letters from Workers and Notes on Cities which allow for the writer to take a more personal approach to the current event taking place.Generally it is a diary style work capturing the mise-en-scene that is missing from cursory news reporting or a traditional review format. This piece is also accompanied by visual evidence in the form of your photos, screenshots, posters or youtube playlists. These pieces must be pitched at least a month in advance and will rely on your submitted writing samples.
Letters of Workers: This format should focus on a particular industry or job from the inside, and form connections with broader labour movements or philosophies. How does your work make you feel? Will your job exist in 50 years? What does your commute look like? Are your co-workers down to unionize or are they just trying to go for a business lunch?
Notes on Cities: This takes after the format of other online art publications who do a diary segment. Please take our readers into your urban space, populated by characters and connected ever more by infinite facebook events and public transit lines. This is a chance to promote smaller scenes and cities as well as new formations in the quickly gentrifying magnates. What does Art in this city look like? Where do people gather? What do you want to eat? Who are you going to meet?
Opinion piece: You’ve probably noticed that AWC is strongly opinionated. Our writers ever-more so. But it’s important to make sure those opinions are well-researched and argued. Don't feel constricted to the classic op-ed format but do not copy and paste your Reddit rant into a word document and send it through.
Miscellaneous: We are especially excited about the aforementioned categories but don’t hesitate to try something else. We love a well researched essay, a funny piece, and are interested in displaying different formats (Comics? Videos? Photo Essay?). AWC online is an opportunity to expand the expression of workers inside and outside the arts. Dream big with us!
Submit your pitches to hey@artsoftheworkingclass.org with the subject line: Online Pitch, and a working title.
