Top 8 Art and Culture Writers to Pitch

August 25, 2022
Female artist at gallery opening. People in the background are applauding her accomplishments. Horizontal shot.

Travel is synonymous with art and culture for so many globetrotters. Each year, the rush of new museum openings makes headlines while perennial favorites see visitation rise.

For destination organizations looking to promote their art and culture scene – including festivals, architecture, and galleries – pairing up with some of the best art and culture writers is key.

These writers and content creators connect with travelers who care about exploring every museum, castle, and festival your destination has to offer. While some have specific beats, others are open to a variety of art pitches, especially freelancers who work with multiple publications.

Keep these art and culture writers in mind when promoting your destination’s cultural offerings and you’ll be at the top of every traveler’s mind who is flitting between Miami’s Art Basel and the Cannes Film Festival.

1. Mae Hamilton covers art and culture topics for AFAR. In addition to being assistant editor, she publishes stories on museums, exhibitions, and architecture among other cultural topics. Pitch her your newest local art stories to put your destination on her reader’s radars – including the more than 266,000 followers Afar has on Instagram.

2. Chadd Scott is a culture and travel writer for Forbes where he covers everything from indigenous culture to artists in the U.S. and beyond. Reach audiences scanning the travel site on Forbes by pitching him your local art and gallery news, including any traditional or folk art stories that will grab his attention. With more than 18 million Twitter followers, Forbes is a publication that you definitely want talking about your destination.

3. Alex Greenberger is the senior editor at ArtNews where he covers all sorts of art and archaeological topics. Take a look at your destination’s offerings and pitch any offbeat historical or cultural stories that you feel need to be told, including any new discoveries or untold stories of major attractions. Greenberger is looking for them.

4. Tony Perrottet is a freelancer with bylines in publications including Travel+Leisure and The Wall Street Journal. He covers travel news that deals with art as well as topics that touch on interesting or surprising histories of places. With so many publications in his portfolio, he’s a powerful partner for landing art and culture coverage.

5. Sarah Bergeron Ouellet is the content chief of NumériQ and covers cultural travel for publications as a freelancer. Her byline appears in French-speaking publications like Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec. Pitch her cultural destinations and happenings in North America, Europe, and beyond to help reach French-speaking Canadian audiences.

6. Kate Taylor is a cultural columnist and art critic at The Globe & Mail in Canada. Her coverage of artists and art news in destinations around the world means big opportunities for destinations with specific art angles to share with audiences. Pitch Kate your stories about underrepresented voices, new trends, and surprising happenings in your local art scene to get her attention.

7. Jennifer Barger is a senior editor at National Geographic who writes about cultural topics ranging from heritage sites to local traditions and everything in between. Help your destination put its most interesting stories in front of National Geographic readers by pitching her something fresh, quirky, or even controversial. Nat Geo Travel’s Twitter account has no fewer than 7.9 million followers – which means a lot of potential eyeballs on your destination.

8. Joel Balsam is a freelance art and culture writer with multiple bylines in publications like BBC Travel, National Geographic, The Guardian, and Thrillist. He covers the world from his home in Canada, discussing topics relating to events and festivals alongside a whole host of subjects that fall under art and culture.  

Looking to connect with the top art and culture writers in the industry? DCI has more than 60 years working with the media to promote destinations’ events and museums. Reach out to Kayla Leska at [email protected] to learn more about partnering with these top writers to frame your destination as an art and culture hub par excellence.