Arts Enterprise Symposium Wrap-up
Tips from the Pros – on video!
If you didn't catch the January 2009 Arts Enterprise Symposium or didn't hear a particular arts entrepreneur, check out these short videos where our presenters give advice to artists! The keynote speeches are also available if you missed them.
(A big thank you to the Digital Media and Web Development division of the Instructional Communications Systems at University of Wisconsin-Extension and Pyle Center for all of their assistance with these videos.)
The Arts Enterprise Symposium (January 30–February 1, 2009) brought over 250 arts entrepreneurs, students, and community members together to create awareness for the Arts Enterprise Initiative and to help provide strategic career approaches for artists in any stage of their career in any discipline.
Stephanie Jutt and Samantha Crownover at the Arts Enterprise Symposium opening reception. Photos: Dick Ainsworth
Two-and-one-half days saw 17 panel discussions, four half-day workshops, four keynote speeches, fifty 15–30 minute mentor meetings, a field trip, discussion round-tables, and a Friday night opening that included a museum collection tour, an opening address with a letter from Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton, a marimba performance, and a reception at the Overture Center.
About half of those who attended the Symposium participated in a follow-up online survey. An overwhelming number (99%) stated that UW–Madison should integrate elements of the Symposium (e.g., educational efforts to help students become professional artists) into the UW–Madison learning experience.
In short, the highlights of the Symposium were educational and networking opportunities. 91% responded that the Symposium was a valuable experience and ranked proposed future educational opportunities in this order: workshops (95%), Arts Career Center, another Symposium, and for-credit courses at UW–Madison.
Todd Boss, poet
The guest speakers likewise expressed that more arts career education programming is vital to a college education in the arts and offered many creative and appealing ideas for future educational opportunities.
Additional observations from the Symposium include:
- Continue a strong community component to the Arts Enterprise Initiative, including networking opportunities
- Continue to invite nationally recognized arts entrepreneurs as speakers to Madison
- Make arts entrepreneurship education available to both undergraduate and graduate students
- Continue to promote cross-disciplinary collaboration on the UW–Madison campus and seek greater involvement from arts departments in addition to music, such as Art History, writing, filmmaking
Symposium Materials
- 2009 Arts Enterprise Symposium program. (PDF)
- Materials from Elizabeth Russell used in: “I’ve Posted It; Now It’s Got A Life of Its Own: The Legal Issues of Web Design” and “Let’s Shake On It: Contracts” sessions. (PDFs)
- PowerPoint presentation from the session “Show Me The Money: Three Grantors Tell All”.
Featured examples of grants:
- Madison Arts Program’s Artworks and Project Grant Samples (PDFs)
- Contract (PDF)
- Evaluation Package (PDF)
- Marketing Material Sample (PDF)
- Dane County Cultural Arts Commission Project Grant Sample (PDF)
- Wisconsin Arts Board grant (PDF)
What people had to say about the Arts Enterprise Symposium:
CONGRATULATIONS: The symposium was a smash success! Thanks so much for organizing such a terrific weekend—the panels I got to were excellent and I was so impressed with the range of expertise you pulled in for this—what a great network of people! I had great conversations with people throughout the weekend and the opening night reception and the Leon Fleischer concert were great!
I hope you'll consider doing this again—there is clear momentum and need, and lots of interest!
—Angela Beeching
New England Conservatory
The Symposium was splendid and wonderful and great and fun and important and successful and cool and artsy and real and
On behalf of those who won't email you—thank you for helping to change lives.
—Gary Beckman
University of South Carolina
Congratulations on the Arts Enterprise Symposium—well attended and seemingly well received. Hope it infuses even more energy into the endeavor, and focuses how you and the student leaders choose to move forward.
—Andrew Taylor
Director, Bolz Center for Arts Administration
I just wanted to say thank you for arranging the conference this weekend—I learned a lot, met interesting people, had a lot of ideas sitting and listening to others talk, and came away inspired and edified. So thank you again for all your efforts!
—Wendy Vardaman
Student, UW–Madison
Congratulations on the Arts Enterprise Symposium. I thought the speakers and their stories were wonderful. They provided valuable advice and guidance for students pursuing a life in the arts. Bottom line —be vigilant yet open to the possibilities! Life is not linear...
—Doreen Adamany
Senior University Relations Specialist
UW–Madison Dance Program
It was a wonderful weekend, and my thanks to you both, and to all who brought it together.
The biggest thing I took away from it was that there is a need for a sustained, ongoing sort of local arts council, something like Arts Wisconsin but for the greater Madison area. I'm not sure what this would look like, but it would advocate and educate, and it would include artists and arts writers. It could include the campus, but it would also serve as a unifying voice for all area individual artists, venues and groups.
It would educate members and hold regular meetings to share ideas, and perhaps even stage workshops. It would also serve to educate politicians and media outlets (i.e. editorial pages).
—Jay Rath
Reporter, Isthmus
I just want to congratulate you again on a great symposium—we really enjoyed ourselves and learned a lot. It was encouraging that the same themes kept coming up, reinforcing the notion of networking and having lots of "pots on the stove" to stay afloat (and stimulated) as a successful working artist. I think Samantha and Stephanie did an awesome job and this is totally the right direction for the Madison arts community to be going—that is, creating a supportive, stimulating, collaborative environment for artists!
—Brooke Norsted
Staff, UW–Madison
“Artist confronts those ‘now-what’ moments,” Jan. 22, 2009
by Gwen Evans
