Collaboration for Good: Applications are Open Now for the Social Good Accelerator

The Application Deadline is Friday, April 21, 2023

APPLY NOW

From idea to acceleration, the Social Good Accelerator is designed for entrepreneurs who are changemakers. You want to further create good in the community and make a good living. We want to help! We believe in good work for good pay. We work with for-profit, non-profit, cooperative, hybrid, and fiscally sponsored organizations. You don’t need a current business entity structure. We accept good ideas to make meaningful ventures from 0-5 years old.

We want enterprising individuals seeking to change the world. We seek diverse individuals—black, brown, people of color, women, immigrants, LGBTQ, and more. Who are working to solve our community’s critical issues— food, health, literacy, technology, art, racial inequities, etc.

Start local, think global, in service to the community. We’re changing the face of entrepreneurship by changing entrepreneurial intent, purpose, and the communities they represent.

A quick and easy application process. We won’t make you jump through hoops or come back after you’ve completed some inane requests. We also call everyone back. You’ll get to speak to us about what you want to do.

Undecided? Give us a call! Many of you dislike leaving a voicemail, but please… if you don’t reach us live, leave a voicemail. You can call and ask us questions at (608) 241.3616 or email sga@collab4good.org. Just say your name, your phone number, and a quick message. Our number is not a cellphone and does not accept text messages.

APPLY NOW

What Is the Social Good Accelerator (SGA)?

The Social Good Accelerator is a social good business accelerator. We work with social impact founders to create, develop, and grow social good ventures.

The Accelerator starts with a combined Orientation + Meet & Greet. The newest SGA Cohort members will meet some of our past founders, mentors, advisors, and more. We will briefly let you know more about the structure of the Strategic Storytelling Intensive and how the remainder of the program works.

The Accelerator is a 3+ year program. But except for the Intensive, participation is mostly controlled by you. You’ll learn more about all the projects and services offered to participants when we speak to you after your quick application.

APPLY NOW

Wisconsin Union Theater: Learning and Music Performance Experiences Featuring New York Philharmonic Principal Clarinetist Anthony McGill Come to Madison on April 4

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 27, 2023             

Contact Information:
Shauna Breneman, Communications Director
Email: sbreneman@wisc.edu
Phone: (608) 262-8862

DOWNLOAD PHOTOS: https://www.anthonymcgill.com/press/ 

READ RELEASE ONLINE: union.wisc.edu/about/news/mcgill-uwso

LEARNING AND MUSIC PERFORMANCE EXPERIENCES FEATURING NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC PRINCIPAL CLARINETIST ANTHONY MCGILL COME TO MADISON ON APRIL 4 

MADISON – New York Philharmonic Principal Clarinetist Anthony McGill will perform with students of the University of Wisconsin–Madison Symphony Orchestra (UWSO) during a Wisconsin Union Theater Concert Series event on April 4 at 7:30 p.m. CST in Madison, Wisconsin, at the Hamel Music Center and in an online broadcast. 

The program will include McGill and UWSO performing “Première Rhapsodie” by Debussy and Clarinet Concerto No. 1 in F minor, Op. 73 by Carl Maria von Weber as well as UWSO performing Symphony No. 1 by Gustav Mahler. 

Patrons can purchase tickets to attend the concert in person or virtually online, by phone at (608) 265-2787 or at the Memorial Union Box Office. Wisconsin Union members, patrons under the age of 18, and University of Wisconsin–Madison students, staff and faculty can purchase discounted Wisconsin Union Theater tickets.

Patrons with tickets to go to the concert in person can also attend a pre-concert talk about Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 with Mahler Society of Chicago President James Zychowicz, Ph.D., at the Hamel Music Center on April 4 at 6:45 p.m. McGill will not be in attendance at the pre-concert talk. 

McGill grew up on the south side of Chicago, Illinois. From picking up the clarinet in the 4th grade to performing around the world, McGill wanted to be a musician at a young age and is now living that dream. 

In an interview with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras, he recalled a time in his early teens when he performed in Japan with a youth symphony orchestra and feeling the energy of the stage and performing to the audience. He describes the experience as life changing. 

He honed his music skills at the Merit School of Music, the Interlochen Arts Academy, Interlochen Arts Camp, and the Curtis Institute of Music. In addition to his role in the New York Philharmonic, he performed with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. He also performed at the inauguration of former President Barack Obama with violinist Itzhak Perlman, cellist Yo-Yo Ma and pianist Gabriela Montero. McGill is the first Black artist to hold a principal position in the New York Philharmonic.

He has earned a reputation for delivering expressive, brilliant and rich performances coupled with pristine technique. 

McGill’s time in Madison includes two opportunities of a lifetime for University of Wisconsin–Madison students; before the 7:30 p.m. performance, students from the Mead Witter School of Music will participate in a studio class at noon on April 4 in the Hamel Music Center. 

During the studio class, UWSO students will perform orchestral audition excerpts in front of McGill and members of the public. The public, including those without concert tickets, can attend the studio class for free on a first-come, first-served basis. 

“He’s probably one of the first famous clarinetists I learned about as a high school student,” said Gretchen Hill, a second-year University of Wisconsin–Madison graduate student studying clarinet performance, in a Wisconsin Union Theater blog story. 

At the class, McGill will share advice on how the students can enhance their performances. In an interview with the United States Air Force Band, McGill described helping the next generation of musicians as his greatest inspiration.

“I mean, it doesn’t seem possible for this to be happening,” Hill said. “You have these clarinet idols, and they’re kind of like the Harry Styles of clarinet playing, so you don’t really expect to meet anyone this famous in real life. It’s something I’ve dreamed about since I was a really young clarinetist.”

Additional Wisconsin Union Theater 2022-23 season events include performances by the Danish String Quartet on April 18 and Samara Joy on May 4.

Patrons can visit the Wisconsin Union Theater website to learn more about the McGill and UWSO performance and free studio class.  

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About the Wisconsin Union Theater

For more than 80 years, the Wisconsin Union Theater has served as a center for cultural activity in the heart of the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus. The Theater hosts performances in multiple locations, including Memorial Union, and has an extensive history of remarkable performances. The Wisconsin Union Theater is committed to social justice and works to create an equitable, diverse, and inclusive place for all who engage with the Theater’s programming, events, and activities. The Wisconsin Union Theater is part of the Wisconsin Union, a membership organization that blends study and leisure to create unique out-of-classroom opportunities. Learn more: union.wisc.edu/wisconsin-union-theater. 

About the Wisconsin Union Directorate Performing Arts Committee

The Wisconsin Union Directorate Performing Arts Committee is part of the Wisconsin Union’s leadership development program for UW–Madison students and supports the Wisconsin Union Theater’s mission of serving students through the performing arts. By helping to program the Theater’s annual season of performing arts presentations, the students learn about program curation, relationship-building, marketing, communications, budgeting, and production. Learn more: union.wisc.edu/get-involved/wud/performing-arts.

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Madworks Accelerator powered by StartingBlock

We’re thrilled to announce that StartingBlock has partnered with Madworks to offer a 10-week accelerator program this Spring.

• Applications are open through April 7th
• We help founders create a strong, sustainable foundation for their growing companies
• Get your strategic financials in order, learn to run an effective board meeting, tackle legal issues, learn about raising capital, and more – all while working with experienced mentors and Madworks + StartingBlock staff
• Companies must be based in WI

SCHEDULE FOR SPRING 2023

• April 26 – June 29 (10 weeks)
• Weekly group meeting on Wednesday afternoons
• Individual team meetings on Thursday afternoons

PROGRAM BENEFITS

• $6,500 in grant funding per participating team
• 1 year membership to StartingBlock (24×7 access), with an exclusive space at StartingBlock dedicated to Madworks companies
• Access to StartingBlock member benefits, including 90% discount on Hubspot CRM
• Regular access to Madworks & StartingBlock staff and connections to their network of mentors and experts

LOCATION

StartingBlock, 821 East Washington, Madison

MORE INFORMATION 

Expectations and further details are available on our website at madworksaccelerator.org. Contact Program Manager Susie Younkle with questions or to learn more: support@madworksaccelerator.org or sign up for her virtual office hours.

Apply to the accelerator here.

The StartingBlock Program Team

StartingBlock Madison

programs@startingblockmadison.org

UW–Madison welcomes Eve L. Ewing for Interdisciplinary Arts Residency Program and Line Breaks Hip Hop Theater Festival

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Media Contact: aryn kresol, Arts Residency Programs Coordinator at UW–Madison Division of the Arts, akresol@wisc.edu

URL: go.wisc.edu/Ewing 

Link to media assets: https://uwmadison.box.com/s/j03maxlwcrojyct38wxpe2dpb9qmalpg 

Link to article: https://artsdivision.wisc.edu/2023/03/13/ewing-iarp/ 

UW–Madison welcomes Eve L. Ewing for Interdisciplinary Arts Residency Program and Line Breaks Hip Hop Theater Festival

Madison, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of the Arts and the Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives (OMAI) welcome writer, sociologist, poet and professor Dr. Eve L. Ewing as Interdisciplinary Artist-in-Residence and featured performer for the 2023 Line Breaks Festival.

An academic year-long partnership between the Division of the Arts and OMAI, the collaboration presents a series of short-term residencies with interdisciplinary artists who represent the three pillars of OMAI: academics, arts and activism. The residency series has brought Jay Adana and Zeniba Now, Jasmine Mans and Porsha Olayiwola to UW–Madison. 

The fourth and last in the academic year-long series, Ewing’s residency will be from March 30–April 1, 2023 and will include a public conversation with poet and UW–Madison faculty Paul Tran on Thursday, March 30, and feature and headline performances at the annual Line Breaks Hip Hop Theater Festival on Friday, March 31 and Saturday, April 1.

OMAI’s Line Breaks Hip Hop Theater Festival consists of performances, lectures and discussions by First Wave artist-scholars and invited professional artists engaging with the Madison community, on and off campus. Inaugurated through OMAI’s sponsored Interdisciplinary Arts Residency with Marc Bamuthi Joseph in the spring of 2007, the Line Breaks project culminated in a final performance of student work called “Just Bust!.” Now running for 15 years, “Just Bust!” has evolved into an open mic. Line Breaks brings the top new aesthetics in contemporary hip hop and interdisciplinary performance art to the UW–Madison campus and the surrounding community. It has evolved into a space for the investigation of contemporary American culture through the lens of hip hop performance. Line Breaks is now one of the largest hip hop-centered performance festivals in the Midwest and continues to be a space for the cultivation and presentation of independent and collaborative work by First Wave artist-scholars. Here, unique responses to common human experiences are explored. The narratives, myths and legends, specific to these diverse communities, are unearthed, distilled and presented in an environment that encourages discussion and continued investigation.

Public Events

Thursday, March 30 | 5:30–7:00 p.m.

Page & Stage: An Evening with Eve L. Ewing and Paul Tran

A Room of One’s Own (2717 Atwood Avenue)

UW–Madison’s Division of the Arts, the Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives and A Room of One’s Own are thrilled to welcome Eve L. Ewing to Madison in conversation with poet and UW–Madison Assistant Professor of English and Asian American Studies Paul Tran. 

Register here. This event is all ages, free and open to the public. Space is limited: register to guarantee a spot. Masks are required at this venue.

Friday, March 31 | 4:30–5:30 p.m.

Pre-Show Reception

Sunset Lounge, Memorial Union (800 Langdon Street)

Join the Division of the Arts and the Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives (OMAI) in celebrating the opening of the 2023 Line Breaks Hip Hop Theater Festival! Doors for Line Breaks Hip Hop Theater Festival Showcase open at 5:30 p.m. Register here for the Friday evening Showcase.

Friday, March 31 | 6:00–8:00 p.m.

Line Breaks Hip Hop Theater Festival Showcase  

Shannon Hall, Wisconsin Union Theater, Memorial Union (800 Langdon Street)

Join the Division of the Arts and the Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives (OMAI) for the 2023 Line Breaks Hip Hop Theater Festival! This Friday night Showcase features performances by First Wave artist-scholars in the 15th Cohort; Diya Abbas (14th Cohort) and Azura Tyabji (13th Cohort); Jackson Neal (12th Cohort); and featured performances by guests of Interdisciplinary Artist-in-Residence Eve L. Ewing including Jamila Woods and Nate Marshall. The Showcase will conclude with a talkback with the featured performers and Eve L. Ewing, moderated by Amanda Torres.

Register here! This event is all ages, free and open to the public. Masks are encouraged.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m.

A pre-show reception will take place from 4:30–5:30 p.m. in the Memorial Union’s Sunset Lounge.

Saturday, April 1 | 6:00–8:00 p.m.

Line Breaks Hip Hop Theater Festival Showcase  

Shannon Hall, Wisconsin Union Theater  (800 Langdon Street)

Join the Division of the Arts and the Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives (OMAI) for the 2023 Line Breaks Hip Hop Theater Festival! This Saturday night Showcase features performances by First Wave artist-scholars in the 15th Cohort; First Wave alumna, Shasparay Irvin; the First Wave Touring Ensemble; and headlining performance by Interdisciplinary Artist-in-Residence Eve L. Ewing. The Showcase will conclude with a talkback with select performers and OMAI Artistic Director Mark H. 

Register here! This event is all ages, free and open to the public. Masks are encouraged.

A post-show reception will take place 8–9:30 p.m. in the Memorial Union’s Sunset Lounge.

Saturday, April 1 | 8:00–9:30 p.m.

Post-Show Reception 

Sunset Lounge, Memorial Union (800 Langdon Street)

Join the Division of the Arts and the Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives (OMAI) to close out the 2023 Line Breaks Hip Hop Theater Festival! 

Learn more and register here for the Saturday evening Showcase.

About the Artist

Dr. Eve L. Ewing is a sociologist of education and a writer from Chicago. She is the author of a book for young readers, “Maya and the Robot,” the poetry collection “1919” and the nonfiction work, “Ghosts in the Schoolyard: Racism and School Closings on Chicago’s South Side.” Her first book, the poetry collection “Electric Arches,” received awards from the American Library Association and the Poetry Society of America, and was named one of the year’s best books by NPR and the “Chicago Tribune.” She is the co-author (with Nate Marshall) of the play “No Blue Memories: The Life of Gwendolyn Brooks.” She also currently writes the “Champions” series for Marvel Comics, and previously wrote the acclaimed “Ironheart” series, as well as other projects. Ewing is an assistant professor at the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration. Her work has been published in “The New Yorker,” “The Atlantic,” “The New York Times,” and many other venues. Currently she is working on her next book, “Original Sins: The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism,” which will be published by One World.

About the Presenters

The Division of the Arts’ Interdisciplinary Arts Residency Program (IARP), originated through the Cluster Hiring Initiative of the Office of the Provost, brings innovative, world-class artists to the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus. Since 1999, the program has hosted over 40 residencies involving more than 100 guest artists from 20 different countries, engaging over 60 university units and community organizations. 

All residencies center interdisciplinary arts, recognizing that interdisciplinarity can break down barriers and silos, advance intellectual artistic diversity and give opportunities to people who do not fit into the traditional modes of inquiry and practice (see the Division of the Arts’ guiding principle of The Arts for Everyone, Everywhere). The program often brings together artists, faculty, staff and students from various disciplines across the arts, sciences and humanities. Integrated with curricular activities, all arts residencies in this program are proposed by academic departments or officially recognized interdepartmental programs, centers or institutes at UW–Madison.

While in residence, artists teach interdisciplinary workshops and participate in public programming with campus and Madison communities. The program provides students with extended learning experiences with a working artist, including options to earn course credit; increases diversity of teaching staff on campus; and strengthens programmatic ties among individual departments, programs and other campus and community arts entities.

The Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives (OMAI) within the Division of Diversity, Equity, & Educational Achievement provides culturally relevant and transformative arts programming to promote positive social dialogue and to give cultural art forms a legitimate academic forum. By harnessing the broad cultural influence of spoken word, hip hop and emerging as well as traditional art forms, OMAI’s events and programming create learning environments that directly affect UW–Madison’s campus climate, improving retention and graduation success, preparing future leaders to reinvest in their communities. By continually refreshing this paradigm that integrates traditional academics and cutting edge arts activism, OMAI empowers transnational leaders with new tools for inclusive community building.

One of OMAI’s most prominent initiatives is the First Wave Hip Hop and Urban Arts Learning Community, a cutting-edge multicultural artistic program for incoming students which offers a four-year full tuition scholarship to the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Bringing together young artists and leaders from across the United States and beyond, the First Wave Learning Community offers students the opportunity to live, study and create together in a close-knit, dynamic campus community. First Wave is the first university program in the country centered on urban arts, spoken word and hip-hop culture.

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