Division of the Arts

At the University of Wisconsin-Madison

The Division of the Arts and its affiliates advance the arts by leading and promoting arts engagement across campus and beyond.

Programs

Student Life

The Studio Creative Arts Community is an immersive artistic laboratory and residence hall for 64 first-year undergraduates to experiment and explore their talents. We also provide research support to students annually.

The Studio Polaroid Workshop, January 2017. Photo: Aliza Rand.

Research

The Division of the Arts supports and funds new arts research on campus, whether it takes the form of arts practice, historical research through curation, arts impact studies, or interdisciplinary arts and science research.

Cartoonist and author Lynda Barry, now a member of UW-Madison's faculty, leads a "drawing jam" with children during a Saturday Science outreach event at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery (WID) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on Sept. 7, 2013. Barry, associate professor of interdisciplinary creativity and a Discovery Fellow, created the interdisciplinary Image Lab to explore the biological function of the arts. (Photo by Jeff Miller/UW-Madison)

Interdisciplinary Arts Residency Program

The Interdisciplinary Arts Residency Program brings innovative, world-class artists to campus for a semester long residency. Artists teach a course, present at least one free public event, and participate in community outreach activities.

Art and Technology Inspired by Nature with Peter Krsko, October 2016. Photo: Aliza Rand

Wisconsin Film Festival

The Wisconsin Film Festival is the largest university produced festival in the nation and attracts as many as 30,000 attendees annually to see approximately 150 films over an eight day period.

Wisconsin Film Festival opening night 2015. Photo: Aliza Rand

Madison Early Music Festival

The world renowned Madison Early Music Festival draws virtuoso musicians to teach and perform classic early pieces from the medieval, Renaissance, and baroque periods for dedicated students and fans.

Advanced Loud Band Repertoire and Technique class at MEMF 2016. Photo: Aliza Rand

Vision

Our vision is to harness the power and potential of artistic explorations and expressions for the benefit of the university, the state of Wisconsin, and the world.

Opportunities

Explore arts opportunities offered by the Division of the Arts for students, faculty, and staff.

News