Chicago Artist Writers operates on an ongoing, open submission basis. We encourage artists of all types to submit written content, including students or recent graduates of BFA or MFA programs. We publish interviews, long-form essays, and experimental writing alongside exhibition reviews at spaces in Chicago.

Exhibition reviews are chosen by the writers, should be up to 1,000 words, and include no more than three images (with appropriate credit information) which should come from the gallery or event sponsors. Both experimental and traditional forms of criticism are acceptable. It is preferred that reviews are submitted close to the exhibition opening so that publication occurs during the run of the show. New writers need to fill out a short questionnaire. Reviews are edited by the lead editor of CAW or guest-edited by a wide range of cultural producers, critics, and art workers in Chicago. Published writers are compensated $50.00 per exhibition review. Longer content is compensated on a sliding scale.

To submit a pitch for an article, suggest a workshop, apply for a guest editorship, or for general information, email editor@chicagoartistwriters.com.

CAW Editors

Marlo Koch, Managing Editor. Marlo Koch (b. 1991) is a Chicago-based writer currently serving as the Managing Editor of Chicago Artists Writers (CAW) as well as the Book Donation Coordinator at Open Books. Koch holds an MFA in Studio Art from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her poetry has been published by Peach Mag, Sobotka Literary Magazine, Hole Black Hole Catalog, Funny Looking Dog Quarterly, among others, and nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She has held solo and two-person projects at C33 Gallery, Averill and Bernard Leviton Gallery, The Overlook Place, Gallery 400, Joan Flasch Artists’ Book Collection, Iceberg Projects, Western Pole, and North Pole Exhibitions. In February 2019 she was a writer-in-residence at the Wassaic Project in Upstate New York.

Ben Fuqua, Contributing Editor. Ben McElroy Fuqua is an arts administrator, writer, and a contributing editor at CAW. His work in and around Chicago’s artist-run spaces includes programming the Comfort Society lecture series at Comfort Station in 2016 and organizing the group show Play The Fool in the same space in 2017. He holds an MA in Arts Administration & Policy from SAIC.