First Wave - Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives

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The Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives provides culturally relevant and transformative arts programming to promote positive social dialogue and to give cultural art forms a legitimate academic forum.

Have you seen ገደናና?Gedenana is the result of sustained research and collaborative studio practice between a collective o...
07/30/2026

Have you seen ገደናና?

Gedenana is the result of sustained research and collaborative studio practice between a collective of Eritrean artists (Eri Art Exchange ) based in Asmera, Eritrea and second-generation Eritrean artists in the diaspora, led by Eritrean-American artist-researcher Tehan Ketema (ተሃን 🇪🇷 ከተማ ). The title derives from gedena — a plot of fertile land at the edge of a village, divided among its residents for growing crops like corn (ዑፉን) and green sorghum (ሸዊት). More than a source of sustenance, gedena embodies the collective nature of village life central to Eritrean culture.

This exhibition features the work of Biniam Afwerki, Thomas Baire, Tehan Ketema, Zekaria Omer, Berhe Russom, Benyam Tekle, Billion Tekleab, Biniam Tikue, Almaz Yemane, and Samandari Yosief.

This gallery is located in the School of Education, and closes August 14th, 2026.

For more information, visit: eriartexchange.com

We could never forget our 2025 Fall Graduates! These scholars combine to create the 17 total First Wave graduates of thi...
05/05/2026

We could never forget our 2025 Fall Graduates! These scholars combine to create the 17 total First Wave graduates of this academic year! 🎓❤️‍🔥

Join the Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives in congratulating the 2026 First Wave Graduates below 👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽
05/04/2026

Join the Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives in congratulating the 2026 First Wave Graduates below 👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽

The Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives (OMAI) 19th Annual Line Breaks Festival was unlike anything we’ve done befo...
04/30/2026

The Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives (OMAI) 19th Annual Line Breaks Festival was unlike anything we’ve done before! Thank you to our community, guests artists, and partners for contributing to this year’s monumental experience.

The Line Breaks Festival is a flagship initiative of OMAI that consists of performances, workshops, lectures, and discussions by First Wave artists-scholars and invited professionals artists engaging with the Madison community, on and off campus.

For more information about this festival, visit: OMAI.wisc.edu

04/29/2026

Natalie Furtado is a multidisciplinary artist born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. Natalie pushes the boundaries of realism and surrealism in her artworks and explores controversial topics in hopes to spark conversation. ��In this year’s Line Breaks Festival Visual Art Gallery, Natalie showcased her dual component project “Age Talking // Talking Age” which had themes of aging, learning, loving, losing, and spending time with our elders — explored through video collage and visual art.

To learn more about OMAI’s annual Line Breaks Festival, visit: omai.wisc.edu

Viviane Silvera’s film “See Memory” informed of us of the complex neuroscience of memory formation, trauma, and reconsol...
04/24/2026

Viviane Silvera’s film “See Memory” informed of us of the complex neuroscience of memory formation, trauma, and reconsolidation through the vehicle of art. The talkback that followed allowed us to gain deep insight and reverence of the importance of this work.

For more on this one-of-a-kind festival, visit: go.wisc.edu/LineBreaks2026

“Developing [The 19th Annual Line Breaks Festival] collection challenged her to experiment with diverse art forms that s...
04/23/2026

“Developing [The 19th Annual Line Breaks Festival] collection challenged her to experiment with diverse art forms that showcased a deep history beyond and outside of herself.”

This month we highlight an exceptional community member, Sammy Dyrud. Sammy is a visual artist and a member of the 15th Cohort of First Wave.

Read more about this jack-of-all-trades at: go.wisc.edu/FWSpotlight

Madison McFerrin amazed us all with a powerful display of talent and vulnerability! Our First Wave Artists began the nig...
04/22/2026

Madison McFerrin amazed us all with a powerful display of talent and vulnerability! Our First Wave Artists began the night with rhythms and rhymes that matched their ambitions. This is what the Line Breaks Festival is about.

For more on the 19th Annual Line Breaks Festival, visit: go.wisc.edu/LineBreaks2026

The 18th Cohort Showcase was a multi-disciplinary performance that incorporated work developed by the Cohort over the co...
04/21/2026

The 18th Cohort Showcase was a multi-disciplinary performance that incorporated work developed by the Cohort over the course of their first year at the University of Wisconsin - Madison.

For more information about this legendary community, visit: OMAI.wisc.edu

04/20/2026

Sammy Dyrud is a visual storyteller from Wisconsin. Their work speaks to a love of color, cartoons, and a sense of humor. This year’s festival designs came from the mind of Sammy in collaboration with OMAI.

Order your limited edition 19th Annual Line Breaks Festival garments until April 24th at go.wisc.edu/OMAIWDT

Address

716 Langdon Street
Madison, WI
53706

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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