Wisconsin: The Art of Tourism Conference 2024

Ho-Chunk dancer Elliott Funmaker presented at Wisconsin’s Art of Tourism conference. Photo courtesy of Wisconsin Arts Board

Collaborations between state arts agencies and state tourism bodies can help states promote their distinctive cultural assets and create synergies between the creative industries and the travel and hospitality sectors. These partnerships can help to enhance both economic and social vitality while also boosting visibility, audiences and revenues for local artists and cultural institutions. The Wisconsin Governor’s Conference on Tourism (WIGCOT) 2024 underscored this important partnership between the Wisconsin Department of Tourism and the Wisconsin Arts Board (WAB), showcasing how the arts drive tourism and celebrate local heritage, and how tourism broadens audiences and encourages public art. WIGCOT 2024 celebrated and strengthened these connections as it honored the Wisconsin Arts Board’s 50th anniversary with “The Art of Tourism” as its conference theme.

WAB developed and led several arts focused sessions at the conference. “The Intersection of Tourism and the Arts” explored how arts and culture serve as powerful catalysts for tourism. This session featured case studies where notable Wisconsin art and cultural events have significantly boosted local economies and offered valuable insights into best practices for communities looking to leverage their unique cultural assets. Other well-received sessions were “Creativity in Place: Arts-Driven Tourism Strategies” and “Cultural Corridors: Linking Arts, History and Tourism.” The agenda also featured sessions on tribal tourism, marketing and the latest research insights about traveler data, as well as sessions designed to help the arts community take greater advantage of tourism resources. Overall, the conference placed a strong emphasis on opportunities for rural communities and small towns looking to boost visitor traffic and make the most of their arts offerings.

Throughout the conference, Wisconsin artists engaged attendees through the visual and performing arts. Designed to inspire tourism professionals and community leaders to integrate the arts more fully into their strategies for attracting visitors, these presentations energized the conference from opening reception to closing banquet. WIGCOT Artists in Residence Kathi Wilson and Pat Levine from Racine drew attendees in to design their own “barn quilt” squares. The New Glarus Yodel Club, the Wisconsin Dells Singers, actors from American Players Theatre, musician Greg Hall, Wisconsin Poet Laureate Nicholas Gulig and others entertained and encouraged those gathered to learn even more about the arts in their own and neighboring regions of Wisconsin.

A major highlight of the conference was the fireside chat featuring National Endowment for the Arts Chair Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson and WAB Executive Director George Tzougros. This engaging conversation began with the understanding that the arts hold value in and of themselves. Then, punctuated by questions from the audience, it went on to provide insights into how the arts are engaging other sectors across the nation—health care, veterans affairs, natural resources, housing and commerce—and emphasized the importance of continued investment in the arts as a driver for community development and tourism.

For more information on the collaboration between tourism and the arts in Wisconsin, contact Wisconsin Arts Board Executive Director George Tzougros.