Over the past year-and-a-half, The SHOUT has been diligently reporting on matters of art and culture in the Wichita area and beyond. Now consisting of 50 writers, this non-profit publication was kickstarted with a $30,000 grant provided by the Wichita Foundation.
“When we launched, we were publishing one or two pieces a week, and now it’s closer to two or three, so the editorial cadence has increased a little bit on the website,” co-founder and managing editor Emily Christensen said. “We originally had a monthly newsletter and now we’re sending two newsletters a week.”
Christensen cofounded The SHOUT with fellow writer and WSU alum Teri Mott in order to address gaps in local arts coverage.
“Wichita’s needed this writing vehicle,” Mott said. “And we’ve talked some about it, too, before that, for the arts — It’s just never been covered (in) the state in general, but Wichita, really specifically, in a thorough way.”
When choosing her coverage, Christensen likes to give readers unique perspectives and peeks into various creative processes.
“Artists are workers and the best of them are extremely hard workers and that’s not always apparent to audiences,” she said. “So, I like coverage that illuminates that process and that work ethic.”
Mott agrees with this sentiment as well.
“I feel like people don’t have an idea in general what it takes, how much work it is to be an artist and you really almost always are doing that work while you also have a full-time job,” Mott said. “I mean, you’ve got to live, and then also dedicate your time and your thoughts and your passions to the arts, and it’s hard. It’s just a lot of work.”
Editorial assistant Taylor Waller said she views her work at The SHOUT as a tool for preserving the local art scene.
“Having a publication that specifically focuses on art and culture, I think is really important, because without that, there’s a lot of things that fly under the radar that are important and kind of significant in the scene that would be nice to have on record for either reference in the future for students or creatives, whomever, to learn about these different parts of the art community,” Waller said.
The SHOUT also focuses on making all types of art accessible to the general public.
“I also really like and I strive as a writer and an editor to give people the tools they need to appreciate something,” Christensen said.
For Christensen and Mott, the ultimate future goal for The SHOUT is to be a reliable and inclusive community resource.
“If you’re a member of a marginalized community, you don’t maybe know what the vibe is. So we try to infuse our coverage with some of that information,” Christensen said. “But our dream is to have an index of venues and organizations that would provide a great deal of information about all kinds of arts and cultural venues so that before people went somewhere, they would know where they can park, if the facility is accessible to them, if they have a physical disability, any sensory things that somebody might be interested in or want to know.”
No matter what happens though, The SHOUT intends on keeping with their focus on the Wichita art community.
“Unlike some other organizations that tend to change up a mission statement often, or kind of redirect where their specific goalpost is, I think The SHOUT is pretty consistent in its mission of supporting the culture here and artists, and I think that will stay the same in the future,” Waller said.
The SHOUT publishes regularly on its website and shares stories in its weekly newsletter.
