new arts venture challenge
The UW–Madison New Arts Venture Challenge is a competition to encourage new thinking and innovative ideas. Entrants will develop and present a thorough proposal that will result in an arts event, exhibition, series or project. Proposals should demonstrate creativity, innovation, added value to the arts, and potential for success. Potential proposals could be a new kind of gallery show, a series of performances, an online course, or anything else your creative mind can devise—the sky is the limit! The winner will be able to present his or her event or exhibition to the public or even launch a new entrepreneurial venture.
Entries may be from individuals or from teams of up to three students. All proposals will be evaluated in a preliminary round by a panel of judges. Two to four student entries will be invited to participate in the final round, where each proposal will be evaluated on both the written plan and an oral presentation. Finalists will be matched up with a professional mentor to help prepare for the final presentation. The final round (open to the public) will take place on the UW–Madison campus Friday, December 4, 2009.
awards
First prize: Up to $2,000* and mentoring by Stephanie Jutt and Samantha Crownover to produce your arts event, exhibition, series or project during 2010–11 in Madison. You will also be matched with a mentor in your chosen field who has particular knowledge of your type of venture and will advise you during its creation.
Second prize: $500*
informational sessions
Informational sessions will be held at Grainger Hall's Capitol Cafe at 4 p.m. on both Friday, November 6, and Friday, November 13.
timeline for proposals
Monday, November 16, 2009: Intent to Compete Form Due
Form must be submitted (or postmarked) by 4 p.m. on the due date to:
UW Arts Institute
#5542, Mosse Humanities Building
455 N. Park St.
Madison, WI 53706
If submitting electronically, please send to sjutt@wisc.edu. In the subject line, please write “Intent to Compete.”
Download the Intent to Compete form
Monday, November 23, 2009: Complete Proposal Due
All materials must be submitted in the office by 4 p.m. on the due date to:
UW Arts Institute
#5542, Mosse Humanities Building
455 N. Park St.
Madison, WI 53706
Tuesday, December 1, 2009: Announcement of Four Finalists
Friday, December 4, 2009: Final Round of Competition
4 p.m., Plenary Room, Grainger Hall, 975 University Avenue
- The contest is open to all students who are enrolled full-time in a UW–Madison degree program and are in good academic standing.
- Entries can be by individuals or teams of up to three members.
- Proposals must be of original work.
- Proposals will be returned to all entrants with comments and suggestions from the judges.
- The winning proposal’s event/exhibition/project must be presented to the community no later than December 2010.
what to submit
A venture plan that includes:
- Executive Summary
- Event or Exhibition Plan (Description of your project)
- Audience Analysis (Who’s going to your event and why this audience?)
- Planning and Implementation (Timeline)
- Key Personnel
- Financial Plan/Budget (income, expenses, and explanation)
- Recent Work Sample: DVD, CD, Portfolio, etc.
Applications (excluding attachments) should not exceed 6 pages.
judging
- Judges will be selected from prominent members of the professional arts and business community.
- The UW–Madison New Arts Venture Challenge reserves the right not to select a winner.
- More than one second prize may be awarded.
- Entrants are encouraged to seek advice from UW–Madison faculty and staff.
Five independent judges (Lynn Eich, Tony Simotes, Roger Ganser, Toni Sikes, and Linda Baldwin) reviewed the proposals and choose four finalists. They also attended the competition finals (which were presented live at the Arts Enterprise Symposium) and chose a winning proposal. “It was so exciting to see the next generation of arts entrepreneurs take shape right before our eyes,” said Stephanie Jutt, founder of the Arts Enterprise Initiative.
2009 New Arts Venture Challenge winners
what is entrepreneurship in art?
In late 2006, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation named the University of Wisconsin–Madison one of its “Kauffman Campuses” and awarded $4 million over five years to help educate students in the principles and practices of entrepreneurship across the campus and statewide. The grant has helped spark a dialogue within UW–Madison's Schools of Humanities and Education that is generating a broader definition of entrepreneurship, one that includes a set of actions related to creating value from one’s ideas and convictions. Value may be monetary, as in business creation, but, equally significant, the value created may be social, artistic or scientific. This, the articulation and communication of the creative impulse to an audience, is indeed a type of entrepreneurship.