Dr. Ida Balderrama-Trudell
Business of Art Conference 2025: A Focus on Health and Wellness
April 24, 2025
The Business of Art Conference (BOAC) IV, “Minding Your Own Business (and Health and Wellness)”, was held April 24-26, facilitated by Dane Arts and held at the Arts + Literature Laboratory. The event incorporated artistic gatherings, workshops, keynotes and performances centered around business strategies, wellness/self-care and community development for artists and arts businesses.
The BOAC kicked off on Thursday evening with networking, food, dancing and fun at the Aubergine and Café Coda with Rob Dz and Madtown Mannish Boys. The following morning, attendees were invited to start their day with a meditation workshop hosted by Natalie Falconer of Oak Tree Barrier to ground them in the learning and community.
Mark Fraire, director of cultural affairs at Dane Arts, welcomed guests, along with Dane County Executive Melissa Agard.
Agard shared, “Art allows us to be uncomfortable. It builds a stronger community and brings us together.”
And being together in community is what it is all about. Fraire encouraged BOAC attendees to intentionally connect in between workshop sessions during the conference. As important as each session was, he recognized that the networking that happens in “down time” was just as valuable, with time being extended to a half hour in between sessions.
“I love that there is plenty of opportunity to network, share ideas and be uplifted, balanced with sessions that help give artists the real business skills and tools to make their artistic aspirations a reality,” said Megan Landon, galleries coordinator at Overture. “I took sessions on both ends of the spectrum and learned how to better understand contracts and art law, practiced some theatrical improv (for confidence and stress-relief) and heard from a panel of teaching artists.”
One workshop that highlighted the health and wellness focus of this conference was co-moderated by Allen Ebert, executive director of Children’s Theater of Madison, one of Overture Center’s resident companies: “The Art of Healing: A Social Prescription for Healthcare.”
Ebert posed the question, “What do we need to do next to serve our arts community? How do we break out of the old system of thought when we talk about healthcare?”
He and other panelists asserted how health and the arts are intertwined, speaking to positive health outcomes and how this can be used to access funding previously unavailable to the arts and artists.
Dr. Roberto Rivera, during his keynote and panel on the last day of the BOAC, reiterated his views on healing and the arts. Rivera, who provided a workshop for Overture Center staff last year, is adamant about the impact of the arts to heal. He has spent his career working with communities around the world to learn and share about culturally informed teaching and how art is a vehicle for transformative healing.
For this to occur, there must be community support.
Landon reflected on the BOAC, “I can see the ways in which Dane County artists are growing and supporting each other, which is helping everyone grow. It's very much a ‘tide helping all boats rise,’ and it's so inspiring to feel and hear about, especially during a time where being in the arts isn't always easy. It inspires me to think about my role and Overture Galleries' role in this ecosystem and ways that we can support these efforts.”