UW-Madison's Year of The Arts, named Illuminate, officially began yesterday with a campus-wide kick-off.
Starting Thursday morning, artists, dancers, musicians and actors performed on East Campus Mall and Library Mall exhibiting their talents for the student body.
Following the performances, art students and faculty paraded from East Campus Mall to Memorial Union for the official launch and speeches by Chancellor Biddy Martin and National Endowment for the Arts chairman Rocco Landesman.
Chancellor Martin said Illuminate will ""address the urgent need of arts on campus."" She discussed the university's commitment to the arts through the years, including the strengthening of that commitment this year.
Martin highlighted the university's innovative art community noting that UW-Madison was home to the first dance major and spoken word committee.
Landesman, who is a Broadway producer and UW-Madison alumnus spoke on the importance of the arts for the university, city, state and nation.
""Art contributes to livability, to quality of life,"" Landesman said. ""The arts drive local economies, visitors come, restaurants and bars go up.""
Landesman also touched on the significance of the audience in the arts, appealing to the student body.
""I'm counting on you to make sure art works on this campus, in Madison and across the United States,"" Landesman said.
Following Landesman's speech, student performances continued at the Memorial Union and Library Mall into the late afternoon.
Julie Ganser, advisor to the art department and member of the Year of the Arts committee, expressed her excitement about the year.
""I'm just really excited about the opportunity to focus the spotlight on the many arts programs,"" Ganser said. ""It's also an opportunity for Chancellor Martin to show her support for the arts.""
Illuminate will sponsor more than 300 events, exhibits and performances throughout the 2010-2011 school year, all intended to celebrate the importance of the arts.
