Administered by two Wisconsin artist-run spaces, The Open and The Poor Farm, The Open Fund announces its first state-wide cycle recipients of the Artist Project Grant. 22 collaborative artist projects will receive a total of $180,000 in grant funding across Wisconsin. 14 projects will receive $10,000 in funding, and eight will receive $5,000. Collectively, the awarded projects this cycle represent a group of 61 artists, who will support additional guest artists through their collaborative platforms.

The Open Fund Artist Project Grant supports visual artist initiatives in Wisconsin that are experimental, collaborative, and public-oriented. This includes wide-reaching and innovative projects that are unique to communities and the culture at large.

“These are artists who have identified unique qualities of the places they live, are engineering platforms for their peers to flourish in, are building cultural exchanges with artists and economies outside of our region, and welcoming others into those conversations, galleries, and happenings.” says John Riepenhoff, artist and The Open Fund Director.

The following projects received The Open Fund Artist Project Grant for the Spring 2025 Cycle:

In No Particular Order hosts a series of workshops by Hmong and BIPOC artists, encouraging creative expression and understanding of Hmong practices, run by artist M. Chang in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.

SPLASH! The Artmaking Gameshow is a community-based, variety show activating communal gathering spaces into a dynamic hub for multi-media art through educational trivia-games, art making, musical performances, and more; emphasizing innovative artistic engagement in our civic spaces produced by artists Mikal Floyd-Pruitt, Anwar Floyd-Pruitt, Kellen “Klassik” Abston, and Anjail Floyd-Pruitt.

Satélite is a gallery and art residency designed to support artists through alternate modes of learning outside the academic setting with a focus on mentorship, community, sharing resources, and building connections, run by artist and educator Ck Ledesma.

Painted Poems, Spoken Images is a public art installation and community poetry experience blending visual art with collective storytelling in the historic Bronzeville neighborhood in Milwaukee, organized by the current Milwaukee Poet Laureate A. Shelly Conley and artists Ken Brown, Tonda Thompson, and Rubin Whitmore II.

Moonlight Retreat: Day Camp! will host a day of art camp open to the public for collaborative making and workshops around a non-stop campfire in rural Wisconsin, led by Wisconsin-based artists, makers, activists, educators, and more, organized by artists Naomi Shersty, Jennifer Bastian, Paul Kjelland, Mykel McGee, and Janelle Gramling.

Black Trans Youth Rising Collective’s Be.Q.T. Artist-Activism Campaigns is a fellowship program for the next generation of Black gender-expansive activists, artists, and organizers in the greater Milwaukee area led by community organizers, artists, and scholars Marquel Norton, dr. ink (j. nyla mcneill), Nick Berkley, and Yante Turner.

One Week Only is a visiting artist lecture and workshop series that brings socially engaged artists from outside Milwaukee to lead public programs, short-term residencies, and community-centered events run by artist and educator Brit Krohmer.

R&D is a gallery in Madison, Wisconsin, run by artists Abby Johnson and Austin Swearengin, embodying the spirit of grassroots creativity, embracing the DIY ethos, and challenging the boundaries of traditional gallery spaces.

Greenbush Artist Retreat is a new residency space in Greenbush, Wisconsin, run by artist Andrew Swant and Sarah Gail Luther.

Underscore is an artist-run project space and screening room by Michael Lagerman supporting experimental and risk-taking work across exhibitions, performances, screenings, and publishing.

DK Nutz Community Art hosts guided open drawing sessions led by guest artists held in diverse neighborhood venues in Milwaukee, run by artists Caitlin Rooney, Joe Clark, Alec Dolter, Jacob Mumford, and Jackie Valadez.

Ordinary Risks is a culinary project exploring social boundaries performed at various art venues, which will be compiled in a final zine created by artist and cook Rae Friedman.

For the Love of Water will host a series of water protection and grassroots resistance-themed educational workshops and pop-up exhibitions in the Chequamegon Bay area of northern Wisconsin and Milwaukee, organized by artists Shea Schachameyer, Susan Simensky Bietila, and Alicia Dvorak.

Parklet 2025: Murals, Gathering, and Public Art Infrastructure reimagines infrastructure as social practice, transforming an alleyway through inviting the public and artists to inhabit and contribute to a semi-permanent, public art installation organized by artist Xav Leplae.

LIVE AV: Chase Scene in 5 Acts invites artists to a collaborative production of experimental performance, sound, and video work for a public exhibition and a permanent archive co-produced by artists Kim Miller and Peter Barrickman.

Being Other Dust is a collaborative workshop series facilitated by artist Kayle Karbowski, exploring topics including folk herbalism, divination, animism, queer theory, and intersectional feminism with additional guest artists.

Weather Permitting: 25 Years of Blue Dress Park Potential reimagines public space through a series of interactive events combining self-care, art history, humor, performance, and local lore run by artists Paul Druecke, Seth Ter Haar, Isabel Kent, and Malachi Baer.

Open Kitchen: False Expectations of Food (2016-2026) is a survey exhibition presenting Open Kitchen’s decade-long research into developing a sustainable and hyperlocal food and ecological identity led by artists Rudy Medina, Alyx Christensen, and Alan Medina.

Rural Connections facilitates connections between artists in under-served rural communities in Southwest Wisconsin through communal events, studio visits, and exhibitions organized by artist Mary Bergs.

Moody is a publisher offering design, publishing, and printing assistance to queer and/or BIPOC creatives run by artist Melissa Mursch-Rodriguez.

Ching Suru Experimental Sound is a loose improvisational and experimental noise collective composed of artists Santiago Cucullu, Chuck Quarino, Marc Ferch, and Xav Leplae, inviting guest artists to perform, record, and broadcast on a bi-monthly local radio program.

-/+ film works is a two-part public workshop focused on the fundamentals of 16mm filmmaking and eco-friendly film processing run by artists Sam Drake and Ben Balcom.