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Mad Lit, our free summer concert series, has supported 150+ local artists, vendors and visual artists of color via stage access, market place visibility, and honorariums thanks to sponsors, and individual donations.
IT'S TIME TO GET LIT!
Join us July 14th, 2023 on the 100 Block of State Street in Madison, WI from 8pm – 11pm for the official launch of the 2023 Mad Lit event series! All upcoming event dates are listed below, stay tuned for artist confirmations!
Latest Update: September 5th, 2023
7/14
Artists Confirmed:
Rebulu, Grupo Candela and Rey Cruz
Vendors Confirmed:
Queen P’s Throne, Artesanias Nuestra Cultura, Creations for Deities
Visual Artists Confirmed:
LashayTheArtist, Lilada Gee
7/28
Artists Confirmed:
Ted Park & Parlay Pass, Tas Raww, Chaos New Money, J. Clark, and DJ M. White
Vendors Confirmed:
Much More, Earthly Temptation LLC, RR Moore Books n Mugs
Visual Artists Confirmed:
Dani RAD
8/11
Artists Confirmed:
Fresh Force, L.U.V., Black Poet Society, DJ Iron Mike and special guests!
Vendors Confirmed:
Winston’s WHAM!, Star Media Group, LLC.
Visual Artists Confirmed:
Vero’s Visuals, Inspired by Lilada, Lashay The Artist, CTHYSELF Design
8/18
Artists Confirmed:
Bang, Big Daddy Earl, Plug Tawk, Ayo Keyz, Meish and DJ Dee Franko
Vendors Confirmed:
Dripsphere, Queen P’s Throne, Earthly Temptation LLC
9/08
Artists Confirmed:
Lature, RR Moore, Shahyra Majumder, Sabrina Madison, Deep Thought The Lyricist, Dellavonte Hune, First Wave Poets, and DJ 4000
Vendors Confirmed:
Blessed Divine Creations, Nuestra Cultura Crafts, Creations for Deities
Visual Artists Confirmed:
Dani RAD
9/22
Artists Confirmed:
La Combi, Kiiing Boo, and DJ Spade
Vendors Confirmed:
The Official Ville LLC
9/29
Artists Confirmed:
DJ Terrence J, DJ Femme Noir, DJ Jean Le Duke, and DJ Chamo
Vendors Confirmed:
Zuri’s Furry Friends, Much More
Interested in participating during this years Mad Lit event series?
Take a moment to fill out our interest form!
Mad Lit began in the Summer of 2021 every other Friday on July 2 through October 8, on the 100 block of State Street. Mad Lit is a free concert series featuring live music and highlighting local artists, and businesses of color. The series ran from 8 PM until 11 PM and included pop-up shops, visual exhibits, and community-led workshops.
The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted State Street businesses and culture, and this new event series was a way to help revitalize the 100 block of State Street. Although this area has not always been a welcoming space for people of color, the social justice murals that went up during the summer and fall of 2020 brought a new and diverse group of people downtown – some for the first time.
More Lights

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Background:
Mad Lit began in the Summer of 2021 every other Friday on July 2 through October 8, on the 100 block of State Street. Mad Lit is a free concert series featuring live music and highlighting local artists, and businesses of color. The series ran from 8 PM until 11 PM and included pop-up shops, visual exhibits, and community-led workshops.
The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted State Street businesses and culture, and this new event series was a way to help revitalize the 100 block of State Street. Although this area has not always been a welcoming space for people of color, the social justice murals that went up during the summer and fall of 2020 brought a new and diverse group of people downtown – some for the first time.
2023 Sponsors:










This project is supported by Dane County Arts with additional funds from the Endres Mfg. Company Foundation; The Evjue Foundation, Inc., charitable arm of The Capital Times; the W. Jerome Frautschi Foundation; and the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation.
Previous Sponsors:























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2023 Mad Lit Sponsors:










This project is supported by Dane County Arts with additional funds from the Endres Mfg. Company Foundation; The Evjue Foundation, Inc., charitable arm of The Capital Times; the W. Jerome Frautschi Foundation; and the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation.
2022 Mad Lit Gallery
2021 Mad Lit Gallery
Urban Community Arts Network
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