home >> resources >> news

Wisconsin Arts Congress draws over 300

by Anne Katz, Wisconsin Assembly for Local Arts

More than 300 people concerned about the arts, economic development and the livability of Wisconsin's communities turned out for the Wisconsin Arts Congress. The event, presented by the Wisconsin Arts Board and Wisconsin Assembly for Local Arts, was held Oct. 12, 2004, at the Overture Center for the Arts in downtown Madison.

The event was made possible with support from the National Endowment for the Arts, Wisconsin Arts Board, American Express Company and Midwest Airlines.

Participants in the event included artists, arts organization staff,
board members, patrons, business leaders, educators, elected officials, city planners, community activists and others. These activists pledged to move forward an agenda for Wisconsin's future that uses the arts, culture,
creativity and innovation--the "creative economy"--as essential tools
for the state's economic, educational and civic success.

The message from the Arts Congress is that Wisconsin's "creative economy"--those aspects of the economy that rely on people, culture, ideas and
innovation--can and should be a powerful, positive force that benefits the state and all of its communities.

The Arts Congress attracted a statewide and global audience, with participants coming from over 100 Wisconsin communities and from other places, including Chicago; Washington, D.C.; and Shanghai, China. A wide-ranging spectrum of arts disciplines, venues, programs, organizations and interests were represented, from the Milwaukee
Symphony Orchestra to student artists from rural Wisconsin.

Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton, who is also chair of the Wisconsin Arts Board,
opened the Congress with an eloquent call to action on behalf of the arts in
Wisconsin's communities. Keynote speakers Mark Barone and Tom Barnett of
Paducah, Kentucky, described that city's successful, nationally-recognized Artist
Relocation Program. Since its inception in 2000, the program has become an
economic development effort to revitalize and rejuvenate the entire
community, offering artists financial and cultural incentives to live, work
and raise their families in Paducah.

Randy Cohen of Americans for the Arts
(AFTA) in Washington provided an update on AFTA's new "creative industries" study of U.S. businesses involving the arts, culture, creativity and innovation. Cohen noted that "Wisconsin currently boasts over 8,000
arts-related businesses which support over 43,000 jobs. The arts are an industry that is growing in size and influence in large and small communities."

Performances by the Ho Chunk Nation Dance Troupe, Hanah Jon Taylor and David
Hecht and the Tony Castenada Latin Jazz Sextet enlivened the Congress. Art
exhibits by students and faculty from UW-Madison, the Milwaukee Institute
of Art & Design and the Argyle School District were on display throughout the day.

During the Congress, Gerard McKenna, Dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communications at UW-Stevens
Point, received the 2004 Robert E. Gard Wisconsin Idea Foundation Award for
Excellence for his years of service to the arts and arts education.

Rep. Gregg Underheim, R-Oshkosh, received the Wisconsin Assembly for Local Arts' 2004 Community Arts Development Award for his savvy support of the arts in the Oshkosh area and across Wisconsin.

Congress attendees pledged to continue to promote awareness of the importance of the arts to Wisconsin's future. Jane Flieller, a participant in the Congress and the co-founder of In Tandem Theater in Milwaukee, noted that the arts "are the launching pad for creativity, for turning out architects, chefs, lawyers, teachers, detectives. Funding arts is not about art for art's sake--it's about enriching the community."

The Wisconsin Arts Board and the
Wisconsin Assembly for Local Arts, in partnership with local individuals,
organizations and agencies, will use the ideas generated at the Congress to develop cultural policy, determine programs to benefit Wisconsin's communities and promote the arts across the state.

For more information, contact Anne Katz, executive director, Wisconsin
Assembly for Local Arts, at 608-255-8316 or via e-mail at akatz@wisconsinarts.org.

Contact: Anne Katz, 608-255-8316 or akatz@wisconsinarts.org
Date Posted: 10/14/04