ARTS FOR ALL. For the first time in its three-decade history, the annual Wisconsin Arts and Culture Forum will be hosted in the Chippewa Valley. Hosted by the Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts (205 Main St., Menomonie) from 10am-4pm on Oct. 28, residents of rural communities across the region are welcome to attend this free networking and educational event. (Submitted photo)

Regional organizing during the annual Wisconsin Arts and Culture forum has evolved since its inception more than three decades ago, but remains true in its mission today: Bring together creatives, visual artists, entrepreneurs, and educators to share stories and expand resources across northwest Wisconsin.

From 10am-4pm on Oct. 28 at the Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts (205 Main St.), downtown Menomonie will be host to the Wisconsin Arts and Culture Forum, along with its co-organizers Create Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Arts Board.

George Tzougros, executive director of the Wisconsin Arts Board, said the free-to-attend forum is the product of long-serving staff and volunteers — through the respective host organizations — who enable greater access to the arts across the state.

“The evolution (of the forum) is, as with all good projects, what do the people need and then how can you deliver it to them,” Tzougros said.

Each year, the target audience of the forum points to rural communities across the region; in a post-COVID-19 pandemic world, community, collaboration, and re-imagination have become even more important in the arts scenes of northwest Wisconsin.

"There's nothing that replaces actual human contact, and in our virtually-connected and fractured world, coming together in real life, real time, is more essential than ever."

anne katz

executive director, create wisconsin

“When you're looking at a rural community or an urban neighborhood, how can the arts play a role — not just to bring art and entertainment and arts education — but how can they help communities meet the challenges they're facing,” Tzougros added.

Anne Katz, executive director for Create Wisconsin, said the forum offers a chance to directly engage with diverse audiences through in person connections. She believes this direct engagement will become crucial for advocacy on behalf of arts programming and developing solutions in this region of the state.

“There's nothing that replaces actual human contact, and in our virtually-connected and fractured world, coming together in real life, real time, is more essential than ever,” Katz said. “The forums are just that, people coming together, to learn, to share, to be creative, to make friends.  It's one of my favorite gatherings of the year.”

Not to mention, this year's host of the annual conference — a first-time host, at that — is the historic Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts in Menomonie. Katz noted, “We’re glad to be meeting at the Mabel, a jewel of a theater.”

The Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts, pictured above, is host to recurring arts programming which includes makers markets, local theater performances, film screenings by students at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, and more. (Photo by Timothy Mather)

The Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts offers a unique, stunning platform for regional performers, playwrights, filmmakers, students, musicians, visual artists, and the wider Chippewa Valley community to engage with the arts.

Its annual performing arts season, outreach campaigns, and touring acts are just a few of the examples Alissa Lindholm, the Mabel Tainter’s marketing and events manager, hopes to showcase whilst hosting and attending the forum.

“For as small a community as we are, it's pretty fascinating how involved in the arts I feel like this community is able to be,” Lindholm said. “It’s exciting to put ourselves out there and get people into the theater.”

"From our perch in the department of tourism, we have a lot to say about how arts and culture fit in the tourism experience for people who come to Wisconsin."

GEORGE TZOUGROS

executive director, wisconsin arts board

Lindholm and the Mabel Tainter staff plan to attend the forum’s speaker presentations, and share their successes and challenges in network-specific blocks. “It will be nice to hear what other people may have figured out that really works for them and share stories, share experiences; let each other know that we're all in this together,” Lindholm added.

Sessions throughout the day range in topic from tourism and marketing to state and federal budget implications on arts programming. The forum will feature localized and regional speakers, including Tammy Simon, the tourism director of at the Menomonie Chamber of Commerce, and Senator Jeff Smith (D-Brunswick), along with Tzougros and Katz in their respective roles.

“From our perch in the department of tourism, we have a lot to say about how arts and culture fit in the tourism experience for people who come to Wisconsin,” Tzougros said. “The Wisconsin Arts Board, Create Wisconsin and others are just very excited to continue the work and manifest (the arts) wherever we can — in collaboration and in partnership with people in the local communities.”

2025 Wisconsin Arts & Culture Forum Agenda (subject to change)

• 9:00am — Attendee registration, networking and refreshments
• 10:00am — Welcome to the forum and introductions to hosts
• 11:00am — Tourism and marketing featuring Tammy Simon, tourism director with the Menomonie Chamber of Commerce
• 11:30am — Resources and opportunities in the arts and culture
• 12:45pm — Lunch break
• 1:15pm —  A tour of the Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts
• 1:45pm — Presentations and discussion on State and federal budget issues
• 2:30pm — Roundtables and action discussions
• 3:30pm — Groups report back and closing remarks
• 4:00pm — A post-forum happy hour in the Mabel Tainter

The Wisconsin Arts and Culture Forum will arrive to the Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts (205 Main St., Menomonie) from 10am-4pm on Oct. 28. To register for the free-to-attend event, visit the Create Wisconsin webpage online, createwisconsin.org.