Meetings, Milwaukee, and more filled up our May at the Wisconsin Arts Board! Technical support is always a priority for our agency, but we were really able to focus on that aspect of our work this May, along with holding many meetings, for our panels, for our board members, and for arts partners.
Creative Communities Grant Panel Meetings
Many people know us through our role as a grantmaker within Wisconsin (check out our Grant Programs here). Each year, we rely on the services and expertise of many volunteer panelists, who review grant applications and make recommendations to our Board. Early May, we continued our grant panel meetings, convening arts experts for our FY26 Creative Communities - Arts Education, Local Arts, and Folk Arts + Folk and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Grant Programs. Panels bring together artists, arts professionals, educators, community members, and others actively involved in the arts. Their participation is solicited by Arts Board staff on a panel-by-panel basis. We are always welcoming new panelist applications! Learn and become more involved in the arts in Wisconsin here.
Wisconsin Arts Board Quarterly and Annual Meeting
This May, we also held our Quarterly and Annual Board Meeting in Madison. We hold Board meetings a minimum of four times per year, and all meetings are open to the public. The Arts Board is governed by a fifteen-member board appointed by the Governor to serve three-year terms. Board members are Wisconsin citizens recognized for their accomplishments in the arts, humanities, business, education or public service. The board includes members from urban and rural areas across the state and from diverse racial, economic and cultural backgrounds. Board members set policy for the agency and approve funding recommendations made by the peer review panels.
We were thankful to have been hosted by Arts + Literature Laboratory for our meeting, and our board really enjoyed having the opportunity to tour ALL, and later that afternoon, to tour the MYArts space and the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras' space. Many thanks to everyone for their time and dedication to the arts!
Milwaukee Site Visits
Lastly, our PR and Logistics Specialist Vivienne visited Milwaukee, to meet with artists and arts organizations in the Cream City, and facilitate direct conversations around what artists and arts organizations need. She is grateful to have been able to meet with so many people (and especially thankful to them, for taking time on a Saturday to meet with her), and learn more about Arts @ Large, Woodland Pattern, Latino Arts, the Milwaukee Art Museum, and Saint Kate - The Arts Hotel, while also being able to attend a wonderful talk by Jacobo Lovo (the Managing Artistic Director of Latino Arts), the Milwaukee Youth Poet Laureate Finals, and the Latino Arts Strings Program Mother's Day Concert.
