What we know for sure: We all have a story, and engaging with the arts helps all of us to tell our own stories on our own terms. We also know that there are ways to engage with the arts other than in formal cultural venues, and that sometimes is more about the process of art making than it is about the end product. We also know that living an artful life, which is to say, living a life in which the arts and arts engagement are a priority means different things to different people based on their own interests, their communities, and many other factors, including equitable access. The Artful Life Questionnaire celebrates the diversity of ways we can make the arts a part of our lives, and, hopefully, inspires and encourages us to live our own unique versions of an artful life. In today’s edition of the questionnaire, we’re speaking with Chad Bauman, executive director of Milwaukee Repertory Theater.

NEA: Please introduce yourself. Do you have a current art practice or a way of regularly engaging with the arts?

CHAD BAUMAN: I have the pleasure to serve as the executive director of Milwaukee Repertory Theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Prior, I have worked at the Smithsonian Institution, Arena Stage, and Americans for the Arts. While most of my career has been in arts administration, I count myself lucky to have worked with some of the most amazing artists for more than two decades.

NEA: What are five words that come to mind when you think about the idea of living an artful life?

BAUMAN: Empathy, diversity, understanding, entertaining, and joyful.

NEA: Pick just one of those words and expand on how you see it as part of living an artful life.

BAUMAN: I often think of a great quote by Arena Stage’s founder Zelda Fichandler. “Once we made the choice to produce our plays, not recoup an investment but to recoup some corner of the universe for our understanding and enlargement, we entered the same world as the university, the museum, the church and became like them, an instrument of civilization.” Perhaps the most important thing we do in the theater is broaden our understanding of the world.

NEA: Where do you currently live, and what are some of the ways that your community tells its story through the arts or through creative expression?

BAUMAN: I live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. An often overlooked part of the country that punches well above its weight in terms of the performing arts. A good example recently is World Premiere Wisconsin, a state-wide festival that recently presented 248 performances by 11 professional theaters of world premiere plays and musicals. At a time when regional theaters
are in crisis, Wisconsin theaters worked together to give life to major new works demonstrating our ongoing commitment to new voices and artists.

NEA: How do you think that living an artful life can improve the well-being of your community?

BAUMAN: Arts and culture are the bedrock of many communities. They unite disparate communities through shared live performances. Cause us to experience life through the eyes of others unlike ourselves. Bring joy and entertainment to more people each year by far than professional sports. We are economic engines for community development and employ many people. In Wisconsin alone, arts and culture employ 90,000 people and drive nearly $11 billion in economic activity. Sad to say, Wisconsin is also dead last in terms of per-capita public funding for the arts—so imagine what we could do if that weren’t the case.

NEA: Is there a particular place in your neighborhood that is a creative touchstone for you?

BAUMAN: With 15,000 theater seats downtown, the Milwaukee Theater District ranks number one in the United States for the highest number of theater seats per capita. With a combined 2,100 annual performances attracting two million attendees each year, the Milwaukee Theater District is both a local treasure and one of the best places in the country to see world-class performing arts.

NEA: What’s your favorite informal way or space to engage with arts and culture?

BAUMAN: Many know Milwaukee as a city of festivals. During the summer, every weekend there is a festival usually focused on celebrating world cultures combined with Summerfest, the world’s largest music festival. A great way to experience the arts in a beautiful setting is by going to the festival grounds in Milwaukee on any weekend from June through August.

NEA: If you didn't work in the arts, do you think the arts would still be a part of your life?

BAUMAN: I can’t imagine my life without the arts. While I have had years of formal education, the best education I have received has been in my travels and by experiencing the work of artists across various genres. We learn so much about ourselves and each other.

NEA: Can you share an arts experience or moment of arts engagement that has had an identifiable impact on your life?

BAUMAN: Perhaps the two most impactful arts experiences I have had both came in childhood. I hadn’t previously considered a career in the arts, but that would quickly change. I remember being mesmerized by a production of A Christmas Carol at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis, Missouri that I attended as part of a middle school field trip. That first introduction to the theater established a foundation for my love of the arts. Then in high school, I was lucky enough to go to a school with an excellent theater program. That is how I got truly hooked as our drama teacher recruited me to serve as a stage manager for the fall play and spring musical.