Potential budget cuts to the Mad Lit Event Series caused potential worry for the yearly concert series, as a $30,000 shortfall in city funding was on the table to be cut.
Mad Lit, a free concert series created by the Urban Community Arts Network (UCAN), faced a potential shortfall to vital funding for the program. All funds allocated by the City of Madison for Mad Lit were planned to be cut. In wake of the shortfall — and pleas from UCAN, community supporters, and Alder Sabrina Madison — the $30,000 has been granted to Mad Lit using Small Business Equity and Recovery Program (SBER) funds through a unanimous “yes” vote from the City of Madison’s Finance Committee.
The $30,000 was granted, but the situation was more dire than it appeared. Initially, the City of Madison aimed to completely remove all funding for Mad Lit. Some compromise took place where it was pushed that it would allow a vote for $15,000 of funding.
“When I saw the resolution, and saw that it was at $15,000 instead of $30,000, some alarm bells went off,” said Madison. “How do I, as an alder who sits on the Finance Committee, and as an alder who sits on the Economic Development Committee … how would I go to these people and say, ‘We’re going to agree to cut your funding in half a few months before your event happens.’”
An adjustment in the resolution changed the amount back to $30,000 — the same level of funding the City of Madison gave Mad Lit the prior year. Community members and UCAN came to the meeting on April 28 to plead for the funding vital for Mad Lit.
Tyler Brunsell, creative strategy coordinator at UCAN, notes that Mad Lit is one of the only events in Madison with paid opportunities.
“The Mad Lit event series is one of the few spaces taking into consideration the need for our artists, communities and our consumers of color to be with one another, all while offering fair payments to those participating in a series,” Brunsell said.
Brunsell was only one of many to show his fervent support for Mad Lit. Around 60 people, and the various speakers at the meeting, registered to show their support for the concert series.
Dwight Hayes, co-owner of Hayes Place, 1145 N. Sherman Ave., appreciates the opportunities that Mad Lit brings to his business. He, like many other businesses, adjusts their hours to accommodate patrons for the concert series.
Rob “Rob DZ” Franklin, founder of Mad Lit, spoke on the continued impact that Mad Lit has brought to Madison over its nearly five years.
“We’ve been doing the work, and doing the work includes making sure that we provide opportunities for voices that don’t necessarily get a chance to be heard,” Franklin said. “To me, that is what makes the fabric of Madison beautiful.”
Alan Wallace, a local community supporter of Mad Lit, urged the finance committee to continue to make the investment.
“Now is the time more than ever to invest in projects and programs that uplift and give a platform and community to artists, poets, advocates and creatives,” Wallace said. “Now is the time to invest in projects and programs that are a platform for peace, love and freedom.”
Alders in the Finance Committee persisted with questions with some confusion about the necessity for Mad Lit to receive the $30,000 from the city and how it has sourced the funds in the past.
Alder Tag Evers asked if UCAN could find a different source for funds through organizations like Destination Madison due to the tourism attraction elements of Mad Lit. Karen Reece, president of UCAN, isn’t aware of any funding mechanism through Destination Madison.
Evers was also unaware of the history behind previous funding allocations from the city. There has been no strict application or competitive bidding for an equivalent series — which Evers asked if UCAN would be open to in the future.
“I think because of the amount that the City has invested in studies about what’s needed for equity in our arts and culture scene, it’s important for the city to increase financial support for those types of things and figure out where that makes sense,” Reece said. “At the same time, as an organization that advocates broadly for equity and fairness, we absolutely have no problem with putting in a bid or putting in a project proposal and competing with other people that might also have good ideas.”
Mad Lit will kick off in downtown Madison on July 27.
