Communication Madison

Contact Information

Summary

We host a variety of programming for all ages and income levels. We host programming for children and teens during the day, art shows and larger events are more sporadic throughout the month/year, and live music events occur weekly. We also host classes taught by community members in subjects such as photography, sewing, and woodworking. Larger events include programming from groups renting the space or Communication sponsored multimedia events.

As a community space, Communication hosts whatever programming our community dictates. There are regular music performances, with a particular focus on artists who may not have an easy time playing other spaces, as well as experimental music. We showcase video art and animation, as well as larger installation pieces that challenge people's expectations of what can or should be found in an art gallery.

We also host talks about community issues, such as gentrification, climate change, and local politics. We have positioned Communication as the place to have meaningful conversations. We frequently host events for neighborhood teenagers who have had extremely limited access to local art spaces, as well as children's music and arts programming for families to enjoy. We also hope that by making the space accessible, other people will approach us to pursue events they’ve wanted to organize. We believe space is a resource and we want to share. Communication isn’t unified by a genre or anesthetic, it’s unified by its community, and we seek to make sure that community-centered spirit is reflected in the events that take place in our space.

We feel the greater Madison community has been lacking an all-ages venue and art space for quite some time. Most venues are bars, which is fine for an older crowd but leaves teens and young adults without a place to see live music and other events. Art galleries, too, are a great asset to any community, but their reach stops at a certain point. We want to go further than that, by creating a space run by and for artists and musicians who understand the need for varied programming, mixed-use space, and an inclusive community-centered atmosphere. Also, by being an explicitly sober space we hope to contribute to the separation of art and alcohol. We believe that by offering a more polished level of programming, we can encourage audiences to arrive excited for the experience.