Registration is now open for the Dane Arts 2026 Business of Art Conference V, taking place April 22-24 at Arts + Literature Laboratory and StartingBlock Madison. The keynote speakers for the event will be Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings, a renowned international educator and scholar from UW-Madison who helped initiate UW-Madison’s First Wave Scholarship Program, and Theo Edmonds, an artist, poet, and entrepreneur and the Creative Executive in Residence at the University of Colorado – Colorado Springs.
The fifth annual conference will focus on The Arts in Community, Education, and Business, bringing together artists, educators, and entrepreneurs for two days of learning, networking, and professional development.
“The arts are essential to who we are and how we thrive as a community,” said Dane County Executive Melissa Agard in a press release. “The Business of Art Conference brings together artists, educators, and entrepreneurs to learn from each other, build creative careers, and strengthen Dane County’s vibrant cultural ecosystem.”
Hosted by the Dane County Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission (Dane Arts), the conference will feature over 30 presenters, 22 workshops, and two keynote addresses celebrating all the creatives who make Dane County a thriving community.
The conference will also include special presentations from Dr. Roberto Rivera, scholar, hip hop artist, educator, and coauthor of Hip Hop and Healing and Cesar Torruella, executive director of Arts Education at Chicago Public Schools.
To register for the Dane Arts Business of Art Conference V, click here. Early Bird registration is open through March 31. For more information on the conference, contact Mark Fraire at [email protected] or (608) 266-5915.
