The Arts Initiative and the Center for Campus Involvement hosted the Student Arts Org Winter Gathering, a time for student org members to come together for community-building, networking, food, and fun! There was food, giveaways, and some fun door prizes. Many students expressed an interest in attending an event with more time to get to know their peers and engage in open-ended discussion, so this event was designed with that in mind. The student org leaders in attendance talked with each other about a range of topics including Space and Tech Needs, Funding, Communications and Marketing, and Collaborations. Nearly all of the students who filled out the feedback forms indicated that they formed new relationships with other org leaders and met potential collaborators.

On Monday, October 30, Arts Initiative and the Center for Campus Involvement hosted the Fall 2023 Student Arts Org Summit, a gathering of nearly 80 students representing 37 student arts organizations across a range of artistic disciplines. The event was designed as a chance for students to share their perspectives, connect with peers, and help guide the future of U-M’s student arts community. The Summit provided networking opportunities meant to build community and develop collaborations, as well as breakout sessions with campus experts from across the university who answered questions about everything from set-building to event ticketing to student philanthropy. Students were polled in advance about their current goals or needs for their organization. Some frequently identified topics were funding (which 81% said they needed help with), finding collaborators (78%), bolstering outreach (55%), and finding spaces appropriate for their org’s activities (53%). The Arts Initiative is working to address these needs and the Student Arts Org Summit events are being held twice a year to continue learning about and responding to the needs of these student arts organizations.

On Wednesday, February 1, Arts at Michigan and the Arts Initiative hosted the first-ever Student Arts Org Summit, a gathering of 64 students representing 28 student arts organizations across a range of artistic disciplines. The event was designed as a chance for students to share their perspectives, connect with peers, and help guide the future of U-M’s student arts community. Students were polled in advance about what their organizations current goals or needs were. 77% needed help with funding, 67% sought other orgs to collaborate with, 67% needed help with outreach, 52% wanted to grow their membership and 27% needed help finding spaces appropriate for their org’s activities.