The University of Wisconsin-Madison Arts Business Competition is a campus-wide competition created to support and encourage new thinking and innovative ideas in the form of an art exhibition, event, series, commercial venture or other artistic project. The program provides financial support for student-driven projects.
Students submit their proposals, and a group of judges review them for creativity, innovation, success potential and added value to the arts. This year’s judges are Derrick Holt, consultant, teaching artist and recording engineer; Alejandro Miranda Cruz, director, cinematographer and co-founder of Bravebird; and Anne Katz, executive director of Arts Wisconsin.
Three groups of finalists (listed below) will pitch their proposals at a public presentation on Wednesday, April 27 from 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. at the H.F. DeLuca Forum, Discovery Building (330 N. Orchard Street). The event will also be streamed on Zoom. The competition is also part of the WARF-D2P Entrepreneurons program series.
Judges will have time to ask additional questions before deliberating and granting prizes in the amount of $2000, $1000 or $500. Finalists have until May 2023 to implement their ideas. New this year, two additional Emerging Artist Awards will be granted to applicant groups (listed below) whose proposals demonstrate strong potential for success. Advance registration is kindly requested.
The Arts Business Competition is presented by the Division of the Arts with support from the Bolz Center for Arts Administration along with the WARF-D2P Entrepreneurons. Funding for the Arts Business Competition is provided by the Anonymous Fund.
Finalists and majors
Mocha Books
Mocha Books is a project dedicated to bringing visibility to the lives and stories of Black youth by partnering with schools and organizations to distribute blank books to students to write and publish their autobiographies.
Kyla Pollard, BA, Radio, Television and Film
The Mycological Menagerie
The Mycological Menagerie is a multi-media art exhibition aimed to support the understanding of fungi in the eyes of the public by demonstrating how fungi unites us all.
Savannah Gentry, Ph.D. candidate, Botany
Nora Dunkirk, Ph.D. candidate, Botany
Naamon Peyton, BS, Microbiology
Smile Worldwide: Bringing Voiceless Creators to Market
Smile Worldwide: Bringing Voiceless Creators to Market aims to tell the stories and cultural awareness of the underrepresented in the world through their artwork.
Logan Butson, MBA candidate, Marketing Analytics and Insights
Deeptanshu Jha, MBA candidate, Technology Strategy and Product Management
Joseline Nyinawabera, MBA candidate, Brand and Product Management
Owen Wade, MBA candidate, Brand and Product Management
Emerging Artists and Majors
Flow Project Gallery
The Flow Project Gallery brings Wisconsin’s water issues to the forefront through art by connecting UW student artists with water professionals across the state.
Julia Buskirk, BA, Journalism | Conservation Biology
Alexandra Lakind, Ph.D. candidate – Environment and Resources | Curriculum and Instruction
Anna Heinen, BFA, Art | Environmental Studies
Your African Quest
Your African Quest is a board game (8 years-old and above) aiming to satisfy the curiosity and knowledge about the diversity in Africa through different categories including countries and cities, food, nature, people and cultures.
Joel Baraka, BS, Civil Engineering
Anson Liow, MS, Civil Engineering