Engage. Connect. Inspire.
Every great society leaves a meaningful cultural legacy. The people of Dane County, Wisconsin have remarkable gifts to share with the world. Arts, culture, and local history express our common humanity. The Dane County Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission within Dane County Government supports these beliefs through its Dane Arts projects and programs.
Dane Arts Buy Local: Business of Art Conference III
Dane Arts Presents The Business of Art 2024: Fuel for the Fire: Imagine. Create. Execute
Save the dates! March 7th - 9th, 2024.
Registration opens early 2024
Arts & Economic Prosperity VI
In October 2023, in partnership with Americans for the Arts and Wisconsin Arts Board, Dane Arts released the findings of a comprehensive arts and economic impact study (AEP VI).
Industry expenditures for FY22 (organizations and audiences) show that nearly $350m goes right back into the local economy through arts and culture.
Those are 350 million reasons there must be greater support for artists and arts organizations - the arts keep the spiritual vitality of our community strong…and generate an enormous return on that investment. Money that stays in Dane County, benefits Dane County.
Dane Arts collected 939 Arts and Economic Prosperity surveys from May 2022 to May 2023! Learn more about AEP VI.
Dane Arts Grants
Dane County Awards $94,500 in Grants to Local Arts Organizations
49 project, two Short Order, and four Capital requests totaling $94,500 were recently awarded in Cycle 2 for “Dane Arts” grants in 2023.
Click on the press release below to view all funded organizations and award totals.
The next Dane Arts Grant deadline is February 1, 2024.
Dane Arts 2024 Calendar
Enjoy the beauty of Dane County all year long with the Dane Arts 2024 Calendar!
This year's artists express the eclectic beauty of Dane County through printmaking, painting, photographic processes, handmade paper, digital drawing, pastel, and porcupine quillwork and beadwork. Each of our featured artists reside in Dane County and include: Lesley Anne Numbers, Xizhou Xie, Marleah Grinnell, Karen Nell McKean, Green Goodies (GG), Henry Obeng, Linda Massey, Aileen Musa, Poornima Moorthy, Rebecca Brockman-Schneider, Paige Skenandore, and Issis Macias. Learn more about this year's featured artists here.
Behind Creative: A Dane Arts Series
Dane Arts with Coney Island Studios started a series we hope you will enjoy. It's called, BEHIND CREATIVE. The series will spotlight local artists and technicians building community and the arts...BEHIND CREATIVE.
Behind Creative: Babette Wainwright - WATCH NOW
Behind Creative: Natalia Armacanqui - WATCH NOW
Want to learn more? Click here for an in-depth written interview on Armacanqui's artistic journey.
Behind Creative: DJ Pain 1 - WATCH NOW
Behind Creative: Sasha Debevec-McKenney - WATCH NOW
Behind Creative: Monica Cliff - WATCH NOW
Behind Creative: Rob Dz - WATCH NOW
Dane Arts 2023 Poster: Richie Morales
Dane Arts is thrilled to announce the 2023 poster, Pangea, from The Effects of Time on Memory Series, “Human Animals,” by Madison-based artist, Richie Morales.
A vibrant and prolific artist, Morales' work is deeply personal and speaks to the joys and challenges of the human experience. Click here to read Mr. Morales' statement. Also listed are outlets near you to pick up your very own print of this beautiful artwork!
Dane Arts Newsletter
DANG! 2020 Grant Recipients
Dane County Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission– aka Dane Arts– produced two videos this year. The first video recognizes, supports, and honors the many different Individual working artists impacted by COVID-19. Over 250 artists were each supported with $500 through a grant called DANG!– the Dane Arts Need Grant.
Now, we are sharing our second short video, "The Dane Arts 2020 Grant Recipients." This video highlights all the amazing Dane County arts organizations funded through our 2020 grant cycles. Their art is a true testament to the innovative and creative thinking from many talented artists and managers here in Dane County.
We are all to be thankful we have such a diverse arena of artists, arts programs, and projects. As with the DANG! recipients awarded this summer, these arts organizations have also given us all so much joy– especially at a time when we continue to be locked down due to COVID-19.
Community Resource
Dane Arts staff, along with Commission members, offer technical assistance, support, and advocacy countywide. Community service includes: initiating artistic projects, serving as an arts & culture resource hub, and inspiring meaningful connections between artists, presenters, and the community.
Impact
- Honoring and celebrating the Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission's community service spanning over four decades.
- Brilliant artwork created by over 100 local individual artists showcased in annual art posters and calendars, of which, hundreds of thousands are distributed near and far.
- Over 60 community murals and 35 storm drain designs created by Dane Arts Mural Arts (DAMA), a community arts effort which was started in 2014 out of this office and is now its own non- profit in partnership with Dane Arts.
- Since 2015, Dane Arts Buy Local Art Market (DABL) has been exhibiting and selling the work of local visual artists in a festive atmosphere with over $150,000 in art sold to date.
- Dane Arts Dance Arts (DADA) supporting and working with local movement artists and choreographers to create more opportunities to share creative work throughout Dane County.
- Over 100 local citizens provided service as Commission members and Grant Advisory Panel Members.
- Arts, Culture & Local History Grants (2007-2021): over 1800 awards totaling over $9.2 million (public & private sources) leveraging nearly $57.2 million from other community sources.
Support Our Community
Use the Dane Arts Buy Local logo and learn more about our mission.