In Direct Action: A Decade of Activist Art at UW-Madison

media release: Da Hoodzeum Pop Up: April 5 - April 24, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. School of Education Gallery; Education Building, 1st Floor, 1000 Bascom Mall Madison, WI 53706; 19th Annual Line Breaks Festival Closing Gathering is 4/24/2026, 5-6:30pm.

Da Hoodzeum presents: In Direct Action - A decade of Activist Art at University of Wisconsin-Madison

This exhibition brings together student-created artworks from the past ten years that emerged through activism at the UW–Madison. Beginning in 2016, movements such as #RealUW challenged official campus narratives by naming lived experiences of racism, exclusion, and harm, opening space for art to function as testimony, refusal, and collective voice.

Alongside student artworks, the exhibition features a curated showcase of everyday historical artifacts connected to Black radical movements, including materials from the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army. Newspapers, flyers, ephemera, and other ordinary objects reveal how activism has long depended on creative tools meant for daily use—objects designed to circulate, educate, and activate communities.

Placed in conversation with contemporary student work, these artifacts situate campus activism within a longer lineage of Black resistance. Together, the art and objects form a living archive, showing how activist art at UW is not isolated or new, but part of an ongoing tradition of creativity as action, care, and collective struggle.

OMAI’s Line Breaks Festival consists of performances, lectures and discussions by First Wave artist-scholars and invited professional artists engaging with the Madison community, on and off campus, with events taking place from March 20 through April 24, 2026. This year's festival serves as a site of activation on multiple levels. It activates artists by offering dialogue, exchange, and stimulus that calls forth deeper expression. It activates communities by creating spaces for connection, reflection, and collective imagination. And it activates legacy by contextualizing the art we make and consume within the lineage it comes from—inviting participants not just to witness hip-hop’s history, but to consciously live it and write it. 

Full schedule:

“My name became my own.” Community Performance Showcase: 3/20/2026, 6-8PM, Madison Central Public Library, Room 301 & 302 (201 W Mifflin St, Madison, WI 53703). Presented by OMAI, Go Big Read, and Madison Public Library - Public showcase of work developed in the “I have yet to choose a name.” workshop series. Includes work from community members and UW Madison Students. Culminating with performance by First Wave Touring Ensemble.

19th Annual Line Breaks Festival Visual Art Exhibition: 3/23 - 4/5/2026, Common Wealth Gallery, 100 S Baldwin St, Madison, WI 53703; reception 6 pm, 3/25. 19th Annual Line Breaks Festival Visual Art Exhibition featuring selected 2D, 3D and mixed media works by Ahema Oforiwaa Odeng-Otu, Natalie Furtado, Navarre Iliff, Rayane Prudo Nunes and Matthew Braunginn. Reception open to the public Wednesday, March 25, at 6PM with light refreshments provided.

Da Hoodzeum Pop Up: April 5 - April 24, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. School of Education Gallery; Education Building, 1st Floor, 1000 Bascom Mall Madison, WI 53706; 19th Annual Line Breaks Festival Closing Gathering is 4/24/2026, 5-6:30pm.

Da Hoodzeum presents: In Direct Action - A decade of Activist Art at University of Wisconsin-Madison

This exhibition brings together student-created artworks from the past ten years that emerged through activism at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Beginning in 2016, movements such as #RealUW challenged official campus narratives by naming lived experiences of racism, exclusion, and harm, opening space for art to function as testimony, refusal, and collective voice.

Alongside student artworks, the exhibition features a curated showcase of everyday historical artifacts connected to Black radical movements, including materials from the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army. Newspapers, flyers, ephemera, and other ordinary objects reveal how activism has long depended on creative tools meant for daily use—objects designed to circulate, educate, and activate communities.

Placed in conversation with contemporary student work, these artifacts situate campus activism within a longer lineage of Black resistance. Together, the art and objects form a living archive, showing how activist art at UW is not isolated or new, but part of an ongoing tradition of creativity as action, care, and collective struggle.

WDT Pop Up Shop: 4/7/2026, 4-7pm, Wisconsin Design Team Storefront - 417 State St, Madison, WI 53703: Pop Up Shop in collaboration with Wisconsin Design Team. In person purchase includes a free 1/1 customized tote bag. Limited release of Line Breaks Festival Collection Garments with portion of proceeds being donated to local youth arts and academic initiatives. 

Line Breaks Showcase

4/10/26, 7pm - 9pm, Promenade Hall - Overture Center for the Arts, 201 State St, Madison, WI 53703

Performances by First Wave 18th Cohort, Cast Members of Cullud Wattah presented by UW Department of Theatre and Drama, and Erika Dickerson-Despenza. Talkbacks to follow performances moderated by Nate Marshall.

Line Breaks Showcase

4/11/26, 7pm - 9pm, Promenade Hall - Overture Center for the Arts, 201 State St, Madison, WI 53703

Performances by First Wave 18th Cohort, 3 Months in the Ether by Teja Davis and Charbagh by Adina Shaikh. Talkbacks to follow performances moderated by Omari Carter.

IACS with Madison McFerrin: 4/15/2026, 6-7:30, Memorial Union - Play Circle, 800 Langdon St, Madison, WI 53706: Interdisciplinary Arts Community Session featuring Madison McFerrin and Professor Amy Lewis in conversation discussing legacy, innovation, and independence in artistic practice. In the first half of the event, McFerrin and Lewis will be in conversation, exploring creative process, lineage, and sustainability in artistry—both creatively and professionally.

The second half of the session will shift into a community listening experience, where Madison McFerrin and Professor Lewis will engage directly with students and community members by listening to selected original music submissions. Together, they will offer reflections, feedback, and insight into songwriting, composition, and artistic development, creating a shared space for dialogue, learning, and creative activation.

Madison McFerrin Live in Concert with UW Scholars:  4/16/2026, 7pm - 9pm, Play Circle

"See Memory" Film Screening:  4/18/2026, 2-4PM, Chazen Museum Auditorium, 750-800 University Ave, Madison, WI 53706: Screening of See Memory by Viviane Silvera, followed by an artist conversation and guided community reflection. Following the screening, Viviane Silvera will join the audience in conversation surrounding the artistic process, the film’s themes, and the function images serve as a catalyst for memory.