Seize the Moment
It's hard to believe it’s already February and nearly 10 weeks since I joined Imagine MKE as the new executive director. It’s a role that is generating media attention and momentum, putting arts, culture and creative industries, including its challenges and benefits, center stage.
Earlier this week I was interviewed by Spectrum News 1 Wisconsin, a statewide cable TV news service, and in an upcoming episode on WTM4’s Morning Blend, Imagine MKE will be the featured nonprofit of the month. In December, I joined WTMJ 620AM The Upswing for a segment and last month sat down with The Business Journal for a Q&A discussion. These chats offer more insight into why I chose to lead Imagine MKE and what I hope we all accomplish together. Follow our social feeds for links to the ensuing stories.
I have also met with each of our dedicated board members and inspiring leaders from many of our partner organizations. AWE (Artists Working in Education), Ex Fabula, MARN (Milwaukee Artist Resource Network), Sculpture Milwaukee and MYAC (Milwaukee Youth Arts Center) are just a few hard at work creating and advancing arts, culture and creativity in Milwaukee. I encourage you to learn more about them. Create Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Arts Board, lobbyists, and major funders have also been part of my onboarding program. I leave each one of these meetings energized and look forward to many more in the weeks ahead.
Next Act
Up next, my immediate priorities can be summed up in three words. Collaboration. Consensus. Change. Because as I said during the Business Journal interview, “arts and culture has a multiplier effect like no other…they’re enablers of broader societal and economic benefits.”
At Imagine MKE, we’re responding to the urgency noted in the Wisconsin Policy Forum’s Curtain Time report and answering its call to action. We’ll convene the region’s civic, community, business, and arts leaders, and funders, “to plot a sustainable future for the arts by strategically linking the sector and its need for additional funding to broader community goals.”
We’ll connect the dots and elevate the role our creative economy plays in a growing and prosperous Milwaukee. From economics to education and emotional well-being, we will spotlight the creative sector’s value to Wisconsin and why investment is vital to our script for success going forward.
Act Now Alert
Here’s how you can help, right now! Governor Evers is scheduled to announce his 2025-2027 budget February 18. In partnership with Creative Wisconsin, we’re asking you, as supporters of the state’s creative sector and people who care about Wisconsin’s future, to add your signature to a letter requesting, "make the arts, culture, and creativity a priority in the 2025-2027 Wisconsin state budget by increasing investment in Wisconsin’s arts and creative sector infrastructure." Read and sign the letter here by Monday, February 10. Once you've signed, please forward to others in your network and ask them to do the same.
I will continue to provide you with monthly updates how Imagine MKE is advocating and supporting Milwaukee's arts, culture and creative sector and how you can too. Thank you for your support and the role you play in advancing our creative economy.
Sincerely,
Christine Hojnacki
Executive Director, Imagine MKE
