The second annual Art of Love Conference, an intentional, one-day gathering centered on honest conversation, community connection, and creative expression, will take place at the Arts + Literature Laboratory on Saturday, Feb 7, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Ashley Moseberry, who has also established the successful Black on State Festival in Madison, is getting set to serve as the host of the Art of Love Conference 2026, which she describes as “an elevated space for bold dialogue, honest connection, and community love.”
Moseberry actually started planning the Art of Love Conference years ago, but she wasn’t sure how to execute her plan.
“In 2024, I think I just hit like this area where I didn’t feel surrounded by the love that I was looking for, and that just relates to friends, how I wanted to be connected to my family, the love for what I was doing in my position, and how I was taking care of myself,” Moseberry says. “So I was like, ‘Okay, well, I need to be surrounded by some good people!’”
Moseberry put the conference together initially for herself. “To see how so many people reacted to just the marketing for it was really exciting. It ended up being that a lot of other people felt the same way as I did. So I pulled the conference together just to provide a space for myself and others who didn’t feel like they had a lot of love around them or were looking to connect with other people,” Moseberry continues. “Folks may have felt lonely. There were things people had been holding on to for years that they allowed themselves to share with everyone else. And I think it was just a space for people to connect, not so much trauma bond, but understand that they weren’t alone in feeling how they felt.”
The event is held in February, in the depths of winter, which for many people is the toughest month of the year due to its shorter days, cold temperatures, and limited sunshine that can lead to seasonal depression.
“That’s a big thing, too. There’s seasonal depression, and then there are people who have come to Wisconsin from other places that are always warm. We’re so used to staying inside when it gets colder,” Moseberry says. “People are like, ‘I’m not going to really go anywhere. I’m not going to come out.’ So, of course, that was something I was a little nervous about, hosting a big conference. Are people gonna actually come to this? It’s cold outside; it’s February. I think people are going to want to stay inside. But I think folks were also looking for that source of connection in a time where people are usually inside, keeping to themselves.”
This year’s Art of Love Conference will feature a keynote address from Anthony Cooper Sr., founder and CEO of Focused Interruption, a non-profit organization dedicated to implementing effective solutions to end gun violence.
“Anthony is doing great work with Focused Interruption, and I think it ties in perfectly with the goal of the Art of Love Conference. Anthony can give us some insight, and he has his own story to tell. There may be people who relate or have family members who are going through some of the things that he experienced,” Moseberry says. “So I just thought he would be a great person to share his experience, talk about what he’s doing, and then also just give us a little insight on how to continue loving ourselves and others, and allowing ourselves to get it from other people, as well.”
A breakout session titled “Love Unfiltered” will be an intimate conversation focused on community love, leadership, and lived experience.” It will be hosted by Madison Alders Sabrina Madison and Carmella Glenn. Madison was also the keynote speaker at the first annual Art of Love Conference.
“They’re going to speak to community love. I’m really trying to focus on community this year because I feel like we’re moving to such an individual-type world in so many ways,” Moseberry says.
“I think community needs to be the thing that we really start to focus on, and we need to keep it centered, versus it just being ourselves and then how people can serve us,” she adds. “So, Carmella and Sabrina will speak to that. I’m excited to have them both at the event, especially with both of them being alders. I think it’s a great way for them to speak to how they’ve served the community and how they can give us some insight on how we can support each other.”
(Photo supplied.)
The Art of Love Conference is designed as both a pause and a push forward. The conference will create space for people to explore love in all its forms, including self, community, relationships, and purpose, through dialogue, art, and shared experience.
There will also be a fireside chat featuring a diverse group of 12 exciting and vulnerable panelists in bold and candid dialogue, a live artist creating throughout the conference, and curated visuals, thoughtful pacing, and intentional design to support meaningful connection.
The recommended dress code for the day will be upscale in shades of burgundy. Moseberry recommends that people dress in a way that makes them feel confident and comfortable.
“I do encourage everyone to dress in attire that makes them feel good,” she says. ” I know I love to dress up. I love to look nice, and I really think it plays into how we feel and ultimately how we’re able to give love. Look good, feel good, love good.
“So the colors for the event will be shades of burgundy,” she adds. “I think that’s going to be a really awesome color to put people in, especially in the winter.”
The Art of Love Mixer, from 3-6 p.m., will close the day with music, conversation, and community.
Moseberry says that the Art of Love Conference is for everyone. She labels the conference as “Upscale Uncomfortable Conversation.” The Arts + Literature Laboratory is located at 111 S Livingston St. in Madison. To purchase tickets for the conference, click here.
“I really just want to connect with people who are looking for community, people who are looking to heal, people who are interested in connecting with other creatives,” Moseberry says. “It’s really a space for creatives and entrepreneurs to step back from production, serving, putting things out, giving, giving, giving, and allowing themselves to pause and reflect on themselves, reflect on their relationships and how they love, and how they receive love.
“I ultimately really believe that if we are striving so much to succeed in life, at some point, it takes away from who we are as people. It takes away from our ability to love ourselves, and it kind of just diminishes the idea of self-love or putting into ourselves, because we’re putting so much out,” she continues. “So I really want to allow that space to pause, for anyone who needs it … people who are looking for community, looking to heal, and just a place to love.”
