Arts Business Competition Archives

1st Prize

‘I wasn’t asked’

Fatemeh Fani

I wasn’t asked is a long-term research project dedicated to raising awareness about the realities of compulsory hijab; not merely a matter of clothing, but a symbol of broader control that restricts, holds back, and denies Iranian women freedom in every aspect of life.  This MFA solo thesis exhibition by Fatemeh Fani is a multi-layered memorial installation where the personal becomes political, and where trauma is not narrated, but felt. 

2nd Prize

The Crafty Critters

Maja Hastings

The Crafty Critters is a free after-school program for second graders at Aldo Leopold Elementary School. Meeting weekly, the club blends environmental stewardship with creative expression. Each session includes a lesson on recycling or sustainability, an art activity using repurposed materials, and time outdoors collecting litter from the school grounds and surrounding areas. The Crafty Critters encourages responsibility, creativity, and resilience by teaching students that waste can be transformed and shared spaces deserve care.   At the end of the year, students will host a community art exhibition to showcase their work and celebrate their efforts. 

3rd Prize

Then and Now

Peter Goitom

Then and Now is an immersive experience that allows guests to witness what it would be like if artistic minds from different eras were brought together in the same place at the same time.  Generational greats including Frida Kahlo, Tupac Shakur, and David Bowie will share their works by displaying art pieces, reading poetry, or offering musical performances. Throughout the experience, these icons will be engaging with one another as well, sharing their perspectives on their work, life, and the evening as it progresses. 

1st Prize

Tufting with Tony 

Tufting refers to a textile process in which a threaded needle pierces through a fabric to create loops or piles. Through social media platforms, artists showcase their tufted creations, share their processes, and connect with a global audience, thus allowing for significant growth in awareness and appreciation in the United States. Tony Sansalone has partnered with Wheelhouse Studios in the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Union, with the intention to host and promote classes and workshops in the spring of 2024.

2nd Prize

Cornhusk Collective

Cornhusk Collective -founded by Giselle Oliva with guidance and support from Amber Cornelius- is an artist collective that supports artists, strengthens cultural ties, and contributes to the healing and vitality of The Oneida Nation of Wisconsin. Artists practicing traditional, hybrid, and contemporary art forms come together to
create. They connect in shared spaces to build community through art and design opportunities that benefit the collective and community.

3rd Prize

Madison Gamer Symphony  Orchestra

The Madison Gamer Symphony Orchestra (MGSO) is an innovative initiative to rejuvenate symphonic music and bridge generational gaps through the transformative beauty of video game soundtracks performed by a professional symphony orchestra. Founded as a doctoral project at the University of Wisconsin–Madison by Ben Carlee, MGSO aims to captivate diverse audiences with exceptional orchestral renditions of beloved gaming compositions.

1st Prize

Mocha Books

Kyla Pollard, BA, Radio, Television and Film

Mocha Books is a project dedicated to bringing visibility to the lives and stories of Black youth by partnering with schools and organizations to distribute blank books to students to write and publish their autobiographies.

2nd Prize

The Mycological Menagerie

Savannah Gentry, Ph.D. candidate, Botany Nora Dunkirk, Ph.D. candidate, Botany, Naamon Peyton, BS, Microbiology

The Mycological Menagerie is a multi-media art exhibition aimed to support the understanding of fungi in the eyes of the public by demonstrating how fungi unites us all.

3rd Prize

Unframed

Logan Butson, MBA candidate, Marketing Analytics and Insights

Unframed aims to tell the stories and cultural awareness of the underrepresented in the world through their artwork.

1^st Prize

Emeka

Tiffany Ike – B.A. Communication Arts and Certificate in Leadership (May 2019)

An online multimedia quarterly literary magazine that celebrates storytelling by women of color. Four written submissions will be reinterpreted through photography and one submission will be adapted into a film.

2nd Prize

Clay It By Ear

Johnny Yan ­– B.S. Mechanical Engineering and Certificate in Studio Art (May 2019)

An interactive exhibition featuring functional musical instruments made out of ceramics. Exhibition goers will have the opportunity to interact and play the instruments.

3rd Prize

I Am Here

Emily Her ­– B.B.A. Marketing and Certificate in Asian American Studies (May 2021)
Katie Chong ­– B.B.A. Finance and Certificate in Spanish and Development Economics (May 2021)

A brand that creates original designs to facilitate discussions about problems that marginalized groups within the U.S. face and to help ease tensions between different communities.

1^st Prize

Art En Route

Yusi Liu and Alexandra Polach

Connecting literary works with visual art on public transportation. Creative writers and visual artists will collaborate to create unique commissioned works of art which will be photographed and then printed on exterior wraps on Madison Metro Transit buses. Original works will also be shown in an exhibition.

2nd Prizes

Cosmos 

Kai Rasmussen

Clothing line that connects scientific research, flowers, space flight and art. The socially responsible fashion line will also come with a note that explains certain aspects of spaceflight and astrobotany.

Makers and Their Tools: Tharu People

Julia Fillingame, Luisa Fernanda Garcia-Gomez, Erin E. Tenderholt

Traveling exhibition featuring an indigenous group in Nepal with their stories and cultural crafts presented through an artistic lens. Artisan products will also be available for sale during the exhibition.

NO EXIT

Brittany Graham, John P. Drescher, Sruthi Suresan

Avant-garde audience-centered theatrical experience based on the play No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre. Audience members will find themselves going through an immersive ‘hell’ via various mental and physical experiences.

1^st Prize

A new approach to the design and manufacturing of saxophone mouthpieces, for unique tonal qualities 

Alexander Buehler

Design and manufacture saxophone mouthpieces using additive manufacturing through altering the internal geometries of the mouthpiece, giving more artistic liberties to saxophone players

2nd Prizes

The Bellhops Blues and Hip Hop Record Project

Taylor Scott, Hiwot Adilow and Nathan France

A recording project by the Bellhops, involving over 20 artists, many of whom are students and alumni of UW–Madison from diverse backgrounds. Check out “Hero of my Own Tale,” the finished product from the Bellhops that was funded by the New Arts Venture Challenge grant.

Gravity Maker: A Contemporary Hub for Creative Wisconsinites

Sarah Woldt and Kathryn Weenig

Building a network for Wisconsin artists and appreciators of the arts by offering coverage for arts initiatives, facilitating dialogue on the role of the arts and offering an engaging experience for its users.

Shedding new light on neural activity

Samantha Dunn, Felipe Gutierrez and Nicholas Kjorlie

An exhibit that facilitates interactive learning and discovery of the inner workings of the mind.

An Alternative Odyssey: Stories from Behind the Walls

José Vergara, Megan Kennedy and Samantha Link

Evolved into Artists in Absentia. Showcasing the creative work produced by the men who participate in Oakhill Prison Humanities Project through a public reading, a multimedia exhibition and a small publication.

1^st Prize

Victorian Eyes: An Exhibit on “seeing” through Art, Literature, and Statistic

Frederic Boehm, Catherine De Rose and Carrie Roy

2nd Prizes

Clocks in Motion 

Dave Alcorn, John Arnold, John Jeffrey Gibbens, Sean Kleve and Conuelo Sanudo

Percussion ensemble that breaks down the boundaries of the traditional concert program.

kinetic (aspect)

Kat Cameron and Henry Holmes

Dance project using GoPro camera

Cooking with Frank N. Foode

Karl Haro von Mogel, Ariela Haro von Mogel and German Mingramm Yarza

Series of how-to cooking videos that will explain some of the science behind the foods we grow and eat

1^st Prize

New Music Everywhere Festival

Paola Savvidou, Jerry Hui and Jonathan Kuuskoski

2nd Prizes

Classical Revolution 

Andrea Kleesatel, Zou Zou Robidoux and Laura Weiner

Haunt House 

Kate Hewson, Marina Kelly and Liz Sexe

A version of a traditional haunted house with a short, intimate guided performance responding to Virginia Woolf’s short story “A Haunted House.”

Outdoor Collaborative Theater 

Kristen Hammargren

1^st Prize

VIBES

Charlie Workinger and Rachel Felton

In partnership with five Madison-area high schools and the UW–Madison School of Music, VIBES facilitated several events to promote small ensemble music. Through VIBES, UW student chamber musicians mentored and coached emerging high school chamber ensembles in order to revitalize chamber music for younger audiences.

2nd Prizes

Fly Boy Carnival Fashion Show

Chris Martinez and Kevin Burgess

A fashion show born of a company that promotes lifestyle as well as fashion.

Madison Music/Future Festival, “Beyond Genre, Beyond Limits” 

Douglas Jurs

Modeled after the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which, rather than choosing the best proposals, allows every proposal the chance to play. Jurs wanted to build a festival that would be fun above all, that would empower classical musicians to be creative and have a good time on their own terms.