Urban Community Arts Network - UCAN

Urban Community Arts Network - UCAN To empower and unify youth and adults through urban arts, specifically Hip-Hop.
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Our mission is to empower and unify youth and adults through urban arts, specifically Hip-Hop. We do this by:

Fostering creativity and collaboration in the local Hip-Hop scene by creating live music events in the community. Promoting professional growth through free or low-cost workshops and panel discussions featuring music industry professionals. Building sustainable and safe performance opportunities for all local Hip-Hop artists, regardless of lyrical content, by continuing discussions with City officials, Madison Police Department, and venue owners.

07/07/2026

🌟What a historic night for Madison!

Seeing Rob Dz perform with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra at Concerts on the Square was a celebration of Hip-Hop as an American art form and a testament to the depth of talent in our own community.

Moments like this show what's possible when we invest in local artists and create opportunities that bring different musical traditions together.

Thank you to the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Executive Director Joe Loehnis, Maestro Andrew Sewell and Leotha Stanley and friends, and Audra Lange, Britney Sinclair and the WCO staff who made this collaboration possible.

Thank you to all who showed up or shared encouraging messages to support Madison's vibrant music scene. Here's to many more moments that reflect the creativity, diversity, and excellence of our city.

Learn more about Urban Community Arts Network by visiting: https://www.ucanmadison.org

The town lights up for everyone when EVERYONE is heard.Mad Lit was built around a community-centered approach that prior...
06/05/2026

The town lights up for everyone when EVERYONE is heard.

Mad Lit was built around a community-centered approach that prioritizes cultural representation, artist development, economic opportunity, and community ownership.

Over time, differences in priorities and approaches have made it more difficult to sustain the event in its original form. As we look ahead, UCAN is focusing on partnerships and funding strategies that align with our mission to support Black and Brown creatives and strengthen Madison's cultural landscape.

If you are interested in getting involved, join our newsletter to be the first to know about volunteer opportunities and to make a donation to Urban Community Arts Network, visit www.ucanmadison.org/donate.

Photo Credit: Hedi LaMarr Photography

06/02/2026

🔍 Where’s Mad Lit?

ℹ️ Rob Franklin, founder of Mad Lit, shares an update about the event series.

In order to create long lasting change, the proper support systems need to be put in place. In preparing for 2026, we were unable to garner the support necessary to sustain our capacity as organizers.

We are intentional about making Madison lit, because the town lights up for everyone when everyone is heard. As we plan for our return, stay tuned to learn more about what Urban Community Arts Network has offered the town, as well as how systems impact our arts communities and programming.

📲 Learn more about Urban Community Arts Network:
www.ucanmadison.org

We are beyond excited for this collab! See you on the square on July 1! "In a groundbreaking collaboration, Urban Commun...
05/28/2026

We are beyond excited for this collab! See you on the square on July 1! "In a groundbreaking collaboration, Urban Community Arts Network (UCAN) and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra (WCO) are bringing Hip-Hop to Concerts on the Square for the first time in the event’s history, marking a major moment for Madison’s cultural
landscape and the continued evolution of one of the city’s most iconic traditions." Press Release text in comments.

TONIGHT at 7pm: When equity work runs into bureaucracy, things stop making sense.Over the years, UCAN has helped build M...
03/08/2026

TONIGHT at 7pm:
When equity work runs into bureaucracy, things stop making sense.

Over the years, UCAN has helped build Madison’s cultural ecosystem — convening artists, mobilizing communities, and strengthening infrastructure.

We’ve also seen:
• Performative inclusion without shared power
• Expectations of free labor from Black-led infrastructure
• Respectability politics shaping who feels “safe”
• Government processes that undermine collective agreements

We’re hosting a livestream to talk openly about these patterns — and what structural change looks like.
This is about systems. Not individuals

🎉 The 2025 Mad Lit Impact Report is here!This year, the 2025 Mad Lit Event Series brought together over 12,000 audience ...
12/26/2025

🎉 The 2025 Mad Lit Impact Report is here!

This year, the 2025 Mad Lit Event Series brought together over 12,000 audience members and directly supported 64 musicians, visual artists and small business owners who are Black, Indigenous and People of Color. With Black and Brown residents making about 80% of our audience, your support has allowed Mad Lit to continue creating inclusive space in the heart of downtown Madison.

📲View our full impact report by visiting our website!
https://www.ucanmadison.org/madlit/

🎤 Mane
📸 Hedi LaMarr Photography

12/23/2025

🎉 This year, the 2025 Mad Lit Event Series brought together over 12,000 audience members and directly supported 64 musicians, visual artists and small business owners who are Black, Indigenous and People of Color. With Black and Brown residents making about 80% of our audience, your support has allowed Mad Lit to continue creating inclusive space in the heart of downtown Madison.

📲 View the 2025 Mad Lit Event Series Impact Report:
https://www.ucanmadison.org/madlit/

Your end-of-year gift helps us strengthen community-rooted arts infrastructure in Madison, expand education-based and career-building programming, create pathways for youth and emerging artists and build a sustainable future for Mad Lit and Urban Community Arts Network (UCAN).

When you give to UCAN, you are investing in artists, culture, community power, and a Madison where equity is not optional. If you believe this work matters, we invite you to stand with us.

Thank you for believing in the long game.

📲 Donate to Urban Community Arts Network by visiting:
https://www.ucanmadison.org/donate/

Corey Whitmore, Pacal "DJ Pain 1" Bayley, and Mark ShaH Evans have been recognized as three of Wisconsin's most influent...
12/18/2025

Corey Whitmore, Pacal "DJ Pain 1" Bayley, and Mark ShaH Evans have been recognized as three of Wisconsin's most influential Black leaders for 2025!

As long-standing Urban Community Arts Network board members, we have had the opportunity to see their progression as leaders in creative entrepreneurship, multi-media production, education, coaching and mentorship.

Congratulations Corey, Pacal and Mark — we look forward to seeing how your experiences coalesce in the years ahead!

Learn more by reading "Wisconsin's 32 Most Influential Black Leaders" Part 3 and 4 on Madison365: https://madison365.com

Support Urban Community Arts Network: https://www.ucanmadison.org/donate

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