Breaking Through: Pitching Outsider Art in Today's America
Guy Debord, founder of Situationists International. Left to right, Guy Debord, Michèle Bernstein and Asgar Jorn. Image: Spike.
The messy truth is that true artistic disruption feels more vital—and more endangered—than ever as we are fed a stream of reconstructed truths in our everyday lives through aggressive political and cultural propaganda. Personally, my soul is crying out for the raw vulnerability and truth that only outsider art and fringe voices can deliver. The struggle is how to pierce through the white noise, gather energy to create work and then, actually get it noticed.
Getting in front of decision makers can be intimidating. Here’s what we’ve learned over the years about breaking through–and into–established professional arts institutions and galleries. We can go back to the foundations and start there—regroup in a sense.
We’ll begin with inspiration from artists who have already paved the way, and end with tips and a playbook on how to reach out to galleries. Adjust the frameworks at the end of this article as needed. Push boundaries, grow and claim your space in the art world and collective conversation.
Outsider Art: Now More Than Ever
Look around. Our political landscape is a mess and our everyday life is steeped in an undercurrent of exhaustion and thirst for connection with like-minded people. Fringe underground artists have the potential to provide comfort, kinship and anchor our realities to something authentic, unbiased, and stable. We are lucky to have the voices of our underground artists. I crave inspiration daily as a creative director, and think back to inspiring revolutionaries even as far back as the Situationists who turned the streets of Paris into their canvas in the '60s.
Let’s back up a bit. Situationist International (SI) was a collective of artists, writers, and poets involved in the cultural scene of Paris in 1968. They were also involved in the development of street art and graffiti in Paris. They didn't wait for permission to challenge their surroundings, consumer culture, and the political landscape. Are fringe artists, in the end, the ones most poised to wake up the collective and create spaces for difficult conversations?
“OCCULTURE INSIGHT: Guy Debord (1931-1994), the mastermind behind the SI movement, launched a full-scale assault on what he termed “the society of the spectacle.” His seminal 1967 book and later film La Société du Spectacle (The Society of the Spectacle) argued that authentic human experience had been replaced by an endless stream of commodified images. Through his artistic practice of détournement, he transformed advertising and media into weapons against the very system that created them. ”
Developing a Revolutionary Mindset
Before you start storming the gates of the art establishment, you need to get your head right. This isn't about landing a sweet spot above someone's couch—it's about igniting discourse that makes people entertain outside perspectives. Here's your psychological toolkit:
Define Battle Lines: Get brutally honest about what you're fighting against. What makes your blood boil? What needs to be torn down and rebuilt?
Become Your Own Archivist: Document everything—your process, your influences, your failures. Today's experiment could be tomorrow's breakthrough.
Map Your Territory: Understand where your work fits in the current landscape of artistic resistance. Who's already fighting your fight? Who's standing in your way?
Embrace Your Lineage: Find your artistic ancestors—the rebels, the outcasts, the ones who made the establishment squirm. Study their tactics. Occulture is dedicated to providing thought-provoking, insightful content on just this.
Own Your Growing Pains: The art world calls it "juvenilia"—those early, raw experiments that make you cringe. They're not just stepping stones,they're the foundation of your artistic revolution.
Unconventional Paths: Pignon-Ernest
Ernest Pignon-Ernest (born 1942) is a French Situationist legend. Well known for his iconic wheatpaste murals and other disruptive installations, Pignon-Ernest created a provocative portfolio over more than six decades. He brings us social commentary, political activism, and aesthetic beauty through hyperrealistic charcoal in situ portraits that also graced indoor spaces and galleries.
“Usually monochromatic, the drawings of Pignon-Ernest come to life only when they’re placed in a particular location, revealing the forgotten history of the place and memories connected to the specific site. His wheat paste art beautifully captures a range of social situations, honoring the historic figures who were pushed on the margins by the society and addressing the issues society tries to overlook.” – Anika D., for WideWalls
Paris mural, “Intervention in Naples” photo courtesy of the artist, Pignon-Ernest, published by WideWalls.
Paris mural by Pignon-Ernest. Image courtesy of the artist and published by WideWalls.
“RADICAL REFERENCE: Check out the work of David Wojnarowicz (1954-1992). He created powerful works by focusing on creating discourse addressing the AIDS crisis, censorship, and gay rights. His wonderful retrospective at the Whitney Museum in 2018, History Keeps Me Awake at Night, solidified his legacy. His work and activism are extensively documented in the Fales Library Downtown Collection at NYU.”
David Wojnarowicz, 1954-1992, Copyright Peter Hujar. Source: Interview Magazine, May 31, 2012, Photographed by Peter Hujar.
Submitting Article Ideas or Work to Publications
Once you’ve embodied your mindset, take a bird’s eye view of your body of work. Prepare and archive the information you’ll need to write your pitch.
Connect your work to what's happening now
Show or explain new techniques; how your techniques are different
Frame your art as part of bigger cultural movements
Document how people react to your work (especially the uncomfortable ones)
Connect with Galleries
Introvert to introvert, creating an impact at it’s core is rooted in showing up in the way that makes you feel joy, which is usually a way that stretches the muscles in your genius zone—making you a magnet and unforgettable.
Build Personal, Real Connections: Remember the names of the gallery owners
Show up at alternative spaces
Offer to help the galleries where you aspire to land
Work with other artists who share your vision
Work with artists who exhibit in the galleries you’d like to appear in
Use your social media or newsletters to show your process, tagging collaborators
What the “Gatekeepers” Are Looking For
The galleries and publications that matter want work that:
Challenges traditional artistic conventions
Engages with intellectual land mines, not just aesthetic pleasantries
Emerges from lived experience, not market research
Forces viewers to questions assumptions about social norms
Shows awareness of art history while refusing to be imprisoned by it
Take Action.
Act like an artist.
Think like a gallery owner.
Tactical: How to Pitch Your Work
Here is a step-by-step breakdown of your prep work.
Be Direct, But Not Aggressive:
Tell them exactly what you want
Explain why their space makes sense for your work
Don't water down your vision
Do Your Homework:
Find galleries that push boundaries in a way you’re aspiring to
Figure out what they're about, and their vision or goals
Try to make real connections with people there (call, in person, set up an information meeting)
Back It Up:
Write an artist statement that doesn't sound like someone else, someone you might feel pressured to be. Be you.
Collect photos of how people engage with your work—album art, band photography, outdoor murals?
Include any press or criticism you've gotten into your pitch documents
Show that your work matters to real people with testimonials from owners, or viewers
Radical Reference
Unconventional Paths: Raymond Pettibon
Above: Raymond Pettibon from the "Humor" episode (2003) in Season 2 of the Art in the Twenty-First Century series on PBS. Source: Art21. "Humor" premiered in October 2003 on PBS.
Check out Raymond Pettibon (b. 1957). His thinking behind the work he does is extraordinary. After his early days designing album covers and flyers for Black Flag, Pettibon transformed punk aesthetics into fine art. His work is now in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum, and the Centre Pompidou. The New Yorker and major art publications have extensively documented his transition from punk scene to art world success.
Raymond Pettibon’s artwork for Black Flag’s Nervous Breakdown (1978) and Six Pack (1981). Image: Moma Magazine.
For a Simple Artist Email Flow
Note: Avoid beginning your email with “Dear Sir / Madam.” Get the correct names of gallery owners, publication editors, artists, or curators. And, remember spelling and grammar are important, unless you’re misspelling items with artistic purpose.
→ Opening: A powerful, personalized introduction
→ Your Story: The theory and motivation behind your practice (Bio)
→ Evidence: Documentation of your work and its impact (Why it’s important)
→ The Match: Why this specific gallery is the right platform
→ Call to Action: Clear next steps / What you want?
The Written Pitch Framework
(Section 01) Greeting
Take a moment to research, or even call the gallery to find the specific person you need to connect with whenever you can. Try to reach someone in a director position. Reach someone that makes decisions.
(Section 02) Desire Statement
Get crystal clear. To be featured by their publication? To be featured on their podcast? To be represented in a specific gallery show? Say so in your call or email. Include a pitch angle, theme for the exhibition, or project purpose statement.
(Section 03) About You: Keep It Short
Don't copy and paste your whole artist resume into an email. Taking five paragraphs to write about yourself is a pitch killer. Think of it from their point of view. Is your work aligned to their aesthetic and mission? How? Would your work be unique for them, or similar to current works they support?
But, make sure to send everything they need to make a decision, your line sheet, media kit, prices or details on your full collection. Attach the whole thing to your pitch and any follow-up emails.
(Section 04) Be Human, and Customize the Previous Sections
No cold messages; be warm and remember you're writing to a real person. Yes, follow a format. But, please don't send the same email to multiple people—personalize it.
(Section 05) Evidence
Provide two to three sentences explaining why you're reaching out at this point in time. Whenever possible, write some solid reasons as to why you are a match to their gallery: images, data, examples, etc. Does it relate to your career trajectory as an artist? Would it be a good followup to an exhibition they just had? Did you just meet someone that works at the gallery?
(Section 06) More Proof
You can even add a great quote from another gallery or friend who supports your work and thinks you're a great fit.
(Section 07) Closing
All your contact information, links to your online gallery, or downloads of your media kit.
Is There Another Way? Learn From Disruptive Artists
Theaster Gates turned abandoned buildings in Chicago's South Side into cultural spaces. He basically said, "Forget your traditional galleries, we're making our own spaces." And it worked. Involve your community and galleries into your unconventional projects.
Strategy, Heart and Conviction
Getting fringe outsider art into traditional spaces is challenging. It demands strategy, heart, and unwavering conviction. You'll face resistance—that's how you know you're doing something right. Every avant-garde movement started as an irritant to the establishment before becoming the establishment.
Remember: you're not just seeking wall space. These chaotic times demand work that provokes, that disturbs, that forces people to wake up and see something they have never seen. Something they’ve never felt. Approach galleries as potential collaborators in cultural evolution, not as gatekeepers to be appeased.
You're part of a long lineage of makers who've used their work to shake society awake and imagine different futures. Right now, that matters more than ever. Pitch your art.
The messy truth is that true artistic disruption feels endangered than ever as we face more and more spaces that are being censored, defunded, and displaced. Your pitch and where that will lead paves the way for others to do the same. Keep the momentum. Keep pushing boundaries. Keep holding your space, and creating more. We need your voice. The public needs your voice.
Graffiti art in Savannah, Georgia. Photograph courtesy of Mick Haupt. Artist unknown.
Find Tanya Jessica and Occulture Studio to keep up with Occulture’s mission and vision. Support local outsider artists and avant-garde arts galleries in your city. If you’re looking for a custom artist media kit, contact us at info@occulture.media or send a request for proposal here .
