Collaborate with Us

We’re always looking for collaborators (community video documenters, writers, photographers, and illustrators) to help us amplify Midwestern creativity.

Photo Credit: Shigeyo Henriquez

Community-Powered Storytelling

Arts Midwest amplifies Midwestern creativity through our storytelling work (previously known as the Creativity News Desk). Our content is created by staff creators and a network of freelancers, and we’re always looking for new collaborators.

Arts Midwest Compensation Rates

Deliverable	Length	Compensation*
Community Documenter (Short-Form Video Footage)	8-10 solid video clips, each at least 15 seconds long	$250
Photo Story	5-7 photos, each with 35-50 words of narrative captions	$500
Written Story	500 words	$500
*RATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

What’s a Community Documenter?

Community documenters are people with a passion for documenting creativity around them. Film 8–10 short, vertical phone clips of local art, culture, or community life, and get paid to help us amplify Midwestern creativity!

You don’t need to be a filmmaker—just a curious, thoughtful observer. Think: “What moments would I want to share with someone who couldn’t be here?”

Read Our Filming Guide

People sitting at booths with marked up wooden tables and benches in a dimly lit room. Others are standing looking in one direction. In the background, through glass windows, is a laundromat with people standing around or sitting on laundry machines.

Photo Credit: Taylor Dorrell / Arts Midwest

Pitch Us Your Idea

We accept pitches any time of the year, and commission them on a rolling basis. We also post open calls.

We value stories told from community. When commissioning, we actively consider a creator’s proximity to the place and people at the heart of the story.

Submit a Pitch

A person performs on the side of a road at dusk, with a keyboard in front of them and singing into a microphone.

Photo Credit: Pierre Ware

Frequently Asked Questions

We are looking for stories that:

you are excited or inspired by, or want to tell a friend about
focus on people and their passion and inspirations, rather than just organizational perspectives
are rooted in community activation, cross pollination, and creative intersections between people
expand the understanding of what it means to be a Midwesterner, and highlight many perspectives and identities
seek to celebrate what has happened, rather than inform the public about events that will happen
show examples of creativity beyond what might be shared in traditional arts coverage

We work with writers, photographers, videographers, and illustrators to produce and cover impact-driven, people-focused stories across the region.

We do not accept book proposals, manuscripts, or any works of fiction.

Yes, we commission stories year-round on a rolling basis! You can pitch us a story idea here.

Yes, we pay for all contracted work! See our compensation rates above.

We review story pitch submissions bi-weekly and commission them on a rolling basis. We follow up with creatives/story pitches that align with the goals of our storytelling initiative every 2-4 weeks.

We share open calls and other collaboration opportunities via our newsletter and Arts Midwest’s social media accounts.

Yes. We are currently only accepting pitches from people who live within our region.

We serve Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, the Native Nations that share this geography, and beyond.

Contact our team

Are you curious about other ways you can collaborate with us? Do you have questions about our storytelling initiative? Get in touch with us!