Western Canada's art magazine since 2002
28 August 2018 Vol 3 No 18 ISSN 2561-3316 © 2018
From the Editor
Portia Priegert
One of the joys in my life is writing about art. I love looking at work, researching it, interviewing the artist and then crafting the story. Art is endlessly varied and interesting. Writing for a publication like Galleries West is a licence to call up artists or curators and ask questions that allow you – and our readers – to learn more about art.
So I’m surprised how few people pitch us story ideas. A pitch can be as simple as emailing an editor and suggesting something you want to write – perhaps a review of a certain show or a story about an emerging trend or some other development.
When publisher Tom Tait forwarded an online post recently from the Banff Centre about how to write a good magazine pitch, I had a lightbulb moment: Perhaps I need to demystify the process. The tips mentioned below come from Scott Stossel, the editor of The Atlantic, who participated in a recent summit on democracy and the media in Banff.
In the post, Stossel suggests doing some research to formulate a story angle and answer basic questions for an editor. For Galleries West, that might be a little background on the artist and why their work would interest readers.
Another tip is to provide a little drama. “No one wants to read a boring story,” Stossel says. Is the work a new direction for an artist? Or perhaps risky for some reason? Has the artist just had a life-altering experience?
Stossel also points to the importance of being timely and understanding a story's news value – how it relates to what’s currently going on in the world. “Why does it have to be now, as opposed to … a year ago?” he asks.
For Galleries West, the news hook can be as simple as an upcoming show. But we love pitches that indicate how the writer will go beyond a straight-up review, perhaps by setting out a premise, a challenge or a curiosity.
It’s a smart move to boost an editor's confidence in your ability as a wordsmith by sending a well-crafted pitch, citing previous writing or arts experience and even attaching a writing sample. Hiring a new writer is a giant leap of faith, and this tends to settle the anxiety.
Moving on to this issue, we have a wide range of stories. Katherine Ylitalo writes about two fascinating data-based art installations in downtown Calgary; Marcus Miller reviews a Saskatoon show by Walter Scott, the originator of the popular Wendy cartoon; and Agnieszka Matjeko writes about Alberta artist Wendy Tokaryk, who uses vintage doilies in her work.
Also in this issue, I review a new book on art and nature by John K. Grande, an occasional contributor to Galleries West. I also talk to Vancouver Island artist Madeleine Wood about her upcoming show at the Madrona Gallery in Victoria. Meanwhile, Paul Gessell writes about Kate Mountford, who uses digital technology to paint into photographs on view at the Edge Gallery in Canmore, Alta.
Looking ahead to the first issue in September, we have a back-to-school story from Winnipeg teacher Stacey Abramson, who spent time in New York City this summer as part of the Art21 educators program. John Thomson, who has been based in Los Angeles over the summer, writes about Canadian artists trying their luck in that city. I’ve also assigned stories about artists Anna Wong, Kirsty Templeton Davidge and Mary Riter Hamilton.
After that, my schedule is mostly blank. So, please, pitch away!
Until next time,
CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE: Paul Gessell, Agnieszka Matejko, Marcus Miller, Katherine Ylitalo