The University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of the Arts and the Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives (OMAI) welcome Black poet, performance artist and UW–Madison alumna Jasmine Mans to campus October 31–November 5, 2022, through the Interdisciplinary Arts Residency Program.
The 2022–2023 Division of the Arts’ Interdisciplinary Arts Residency Program presents a series of short-term residencies with artists in collaboration with OMAI. Each artist-in-residence in the series will represent the three pillars of OMAI: academics, arts and activism.
The second in this series, Mans’ residency will include presentations and workshops in partnership with various departments on campus and a panel discussion with the 2022–23 Go Big Read author Clint Smith. Mans, who holds a B.A. in African American Studies from UW–Madison, will also cast and direct a small group of UW–Madison scholars to debut a choreopoem performance at OMAI’s Just Bust! Open Mic at the Wisconsin Historical Society on Friday, November 4.
Public Events
Monday, October 31 | 7–9 p.m.
Residency Welcome Reception
Cafe Coda (1224 Williamson St)
A Halloween meet and greet with Interdisciplinary Artist-in-Residence Jasmine Mans with faculty, students (21+), staff and community members. Please register in advance. First 20 guests in costume get a free drink ticket!
Free, 21+ and open to the public
Friday, November 4 | 8–10 p.m.
Just Bust! Open Mic
Wisconsin Historical Society (816 State Street)
Madison’s long-running, all-ages open mic, Just Bust! Open Mic, includes community performances, First Wave and alumni spotlight performance, and a debut performance of a choreopoem by Interdisciplinary Artist-in-Residence Jasmine Mans, with a cast of UW–Madison scholars. Interested in performing during the open mic portion of the event? Sign up (in-person) begins at 8 p.m. and goes on throughout the night until all slots are filled. Make sure to arrive early to guarantee a spot in the lineup!
Free, all ages and open to the public
Saturday, November 5 | 1–3 p.m.
Just Bust! Workshop at the Level Up! Music Conference
MYArts – Madison’s Youth Arts Center (1055 E Mifflin Street)
A poetry workshop led by Interdisciplinary Artist-in-Residence Jasmine Mans, followed by residency closing reception from 3–3:30 p.m. The Level Up! Music Conference, presented by the Urban Community Arts Network, continues 3:30–5 p.m. Register here with promo code: OMAI.
About the Artist
Jasmine Mans is a Black poet and performance artist from Newark, New Jersey. Jasmine’s poetry book, “BLACK GIRL, CALL HOME” (Penguin Random House) has been named one of Oprah’s Most Anticipated LGBTQ Books and a TIME Magazine Must Read, to name a few; and Jasmine herself named as Essence’s #1 Contemporary Black Poet to Know. Jasmine most recently collaborated with the Brooklyn Ballet on an original performance piece titled “Unnatural Surrounding” at the prestigious Brooklyn Academy of Music. Prior to this, she opened for Nikole Hannah-Jones at the launch of “The 1619 Project” at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and co-hosted The Kennedy Center’s Arts Across America digital series alongside renowned poet, Jason Reynolds. Jasmine’s poetry has gone viral many times over on YouTube. Jasmine is a MUSE100 icon and can currently be heard as the voice of Ulta Beauty’s national “Muse” campaign, honoring Black women in the hair and beauty industry. She has opened packed shows for Mos Def, Janelle Monae and Goapele, and performed at such esteemed venues as the Kennedy Center, Broadway’s New Amsterdam Theater, the Wisconsin Governor’s Mansion and the Sundance Film Festival. Mans also participated in “Brave New Voices”, an 8-episode poetry documentary on HBO.
About the Presenters
The Division of the Arts’ Interdisciplinary Arts Residency Program (IARP), originated through the Cluster Hiring Initiative of the Office of the Provost, brings innovative, world-class artists to the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus. Since 1999, the program has hosted over 40 residencies involving more than 100 guest artists from 20 different countries, engaging over 60 university units and community organizations.
All residencies center interdisciplinary arts, recognizing that interdisciplinarity can break down barriers and silos, advance intellectual artistic diversity and give opportunities to people who do not fit into the traditional modes of inquiry and practice (see the Division of the Arts’ guiding principle of The Arts for Everyone, Everywhere). The program often brings together artists, faculty, staff and students from various disciplines across the arts, sciences and humanities. Integrated with curricular activities, all arts residencies in this program are proposed by academic departments or officially recognized interdepartmental programs, centers or institutes at UW–Madison.
While in residence, artists teach interdisciplinary workshops and participate in public programming with campus and Madison communities. The program provides students with extended learning experiences with a working artist, including options to earn course credit; increases diversity of teaching staff on campus; and strengthens programmatic ties among individual departments, programs and other campus and community arts entities
The Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives (OMAI) within the Division of Diversity, Equity, & Educational Achievement provides culturally relevant and transformative arts programming to promote positive social dialogue and to give cultural art forms a legitimate academic forum. By harnessing the broad cultural influence of spoken word, hip hop and emerging as well as traditional art forms, OMAI’s events and programming create learning environments that directly affect UW–Madison’s campus climate, improving retention and graduation success, preparing future leaders to reinvest in their communities. By continually refreshing this paradigm that integrates traditional academics and cutting edge arts activism, OMAI empowers transnational leaders with new tools for inclusive community building.
One of OMAI’s most prominent initiatives is the First Wave Hip Hop and Urban Arts Learning Community, a cutting-edge multicultural artistic program for incoming students which offers a four-year full tuition scholarship to the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Bringing together young artists and leaders from across the United States and beyond, the First Wave Learning Community offers students the opportunity to live, study and create together in a close-knit, dynamic campus community. First Wave is the first university program in the country centered on urban arts, spoken word and hip-hop culture.