Art criticism across the New York Metropolitan area.
The Broadway Art Ledger
The notion that art criticism is defunct is hyperbole: it’s stuck in a cycle of hit-or-miss writing that perpetuates mediocrity. The Broadway Art Ledger aims to counter this for the pleasure of compelling criticism itself. Unruly features, publication hierarchies, bloated media projects like videos and podcasts, the pursuit of profit, and the art world’s news cycle inhibit critical perspectives in prominent art publications. The Broadway Art Ledger strives for succinct, rigorous criticism.
The publication focuses solely on art in the New York metropolitan area, with all reviews between 200 and 400 words. Authors of published reviews will be compensated with a flat fee of $200. Pitches will be considered and approved in the order they are received in an anonymized review process via this anonymous form. The publication of a review will not be based on the show's opening or closing date, ad revenue, or a writer’s reputation; it will be determined solely by its promise and place in the queue. We are committed to a more equitable submission and publication process.
While we welcome early pitches before a show’s opening or during its run, we also accommodate reviews of shows that have closed or pitches that won’t be published until after the final day: something that stuck with you, something that maybe was rejected by another publication, or something that you’ve recently seen. Our pitch process aims to lessen bias and focus on a piece's potential.
The Broadway Art Ledger is an evolving project, but there are guiding principles. We are interested in criticism that offers an original position on a show: What’s at stake? Why does it matter? Reviews should be clear and grounded in evidence. With this in mind, we are not prescriptive; if you believe that you have an interesting structure that qualifies for an excellent review, we eagerly welcome that as well. Factual errors, overstatements, and inaccuracies will be corrected, but we will rarely censor or alter our writers’ core stances. Critics should be free to express their views.
Why a ledger? It’s a system of record—a way to track, document, and evaluate exhibitions across New York’s art institutions. And why New York? Because King Kong died here, and it’s where the best art lives.
Donate to The Broadway Art Ledger. While contributions to other publications are a drop in the ocean, your support goes a long way for our small operation. Despite our size, we are committed to giving writers equitable rates to publish their criticism freely, a system you can bolster. In the future, we would also like to offer our writers, regardless of experience level, a higher rate.
Have questions? Need to issue a correction? Interested in a collaboration? Please email us at thebroadwayartledger@gmail.com. Do not pitch us here, though, or ask for the status of your pitch. Read our guide for more information on pitching.