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2026 Wisconsin Academy Fellows Induction Gala

October 4, 2026 - 5:30pm to 8:30pm

Overture Center for the Arts • • Madison

Sunday, October 4, 2026 - 5:30pm to 8:30pm

Location

Overture Center for the Arts

201 State St

53703 Madison , WI

The Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters 2026 Fellows Induction Gala, our signature, bi-annual event celebrating the creativity and achievements of sixteen outstanding Wisconsinites whose careers have demonstrated the value of the sciences, arts, and letters to improve life in our state. The Fellows Induction Ceremony and Gala will bring together some of Wisconsin’s brightest minds, from across Wisconsin to mingle, eat, drink, watch brief films honoring the new Fellows and discuss how to best bring people together, across a variety of divides, to engage in civil discourse to find common ground.

Register Now!

The 2026 Class of Fellows will join over 100 current Fellows from around the state. New Fellows include infectious disease researcher and healthcare leader Dr. David Andes; nonprofit executive and visionary urban planner Dr. Ruben Anthony; visual artist and printmaker Emily Arthur; STEMM equity researcher and diversity science scholar Dr. Angela Byars-Winston; pioneering choreographer and dancer Li Chiao-Ping; celebrated actor, director, and novelist James DeVita; choreographer and dance educator Simone Ferro; sculptor, curator, and visual artist Martha Glowacki; performing artist and psychologist Dr. Frederick Heide; environmental toxicologist and educator Dr. Rebecca Klaper; urban ecology pioneer and author Ken Leinbach; legendary broadcaster and life sciences communicator Larry Meiller; distinguished attorney Lester Pines; Indigenous artist and cultural educator Melanie Tallmadge Sainz; surgical oncologist, innovator, and educator Dr. Sharon M. Weber; and multi-disciplinary artist, mentor, and curator Jason S. Yi.

Sponsor the Gala

We invite you to join a select group of sponsors to be featured at this elegant and widely anticipated event. Join other leading companies and thought leaders from across Wisconsin who will come together to mingle, eat, drink and watch the premier of a professionally produced video honoring the new Fellows. To inquire about sponsorship please email our Fellows team.

Contributors

Infectious disease researcher and healthcare leader Dr. David Andes is a global authority in infections and pharmacology whose work at the frontlines of medicine is saving lives across the world.

Nonprofit executive and visionary urban planner, Dr. Ruben Anthony is a transformative leader whose work in civil rights and economic development has reshaped the landscape of Wisconsin’s urban communities. Anthony has been the President and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Madison since March of 2015.

Emily Arthur is an American artist and Professor at UW-Madison who has served as a Harvard University, visiting fellow in Print & Graphic Art and Barnes Foundation fellow. Her artwork is found in the Smithsonian Portrait Gallery, Chazen Museum, Saint Louis Museum, and Tweed Museum.

Angela Byars-Winston

STEMM equity researcher and diversity science scholar, Dr. Angela Byars-Winston is a leader in diversifying the scientific workforce through her research on mentorship. Byars-Winston is a Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor of Medicine at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the inaugural Chair of the Institute for Diversity Science.

Pioneering choreographer and dancer Li Chiao-Ping is an artistic force whose physically rigorous and intellectually profound work has redefined contemporary dance in Wisconsin and beyond.

James DeVita is an author, actor, and theater director. He is a core company member and literary manager at American Players Theater, a classical repertory theater in Wisconsin. He has worked as an actor in Japan, Germany, Australia, Ireland, and throughout the United States.

Choreographer and dance educator Simone Ferro is a vital voice in the performing arts whose work blends traditional Brazilian influences with contemporary social issues to create deeply moving movement.

Martha Glowacki

Sculptor, curator, and visual artist Martha Glowacki creates meticulous works that explore the intersection of the natural world, scientific history, and Victorian material culture. Glowacki is known for her interdisciplinary work that combines her personal art practice with an ongoing commitment to building the Wisconsin visual arts community.

Frederick Heide

Performing artist and psychologist Dr. Frederick Heide is a rare multihyphenate whose career spans from psychophysiological studies of meditation to the comedic stage of Northern Wisconsin. Known to thousands of Wisconsinites as “Doc”, he is co-founder and performer with Door County’s Northern Sky Theater.

Environmental toxicologist and educator, Dr. Rebecca Klaper is a crucial guardian of our Great Lakes whose research on emerging contaminants is shaping the future of water conservation. Klaper is the Dean of the School of Freshwater Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the Director of the Great Lakes Genomics Center.

Urban ecology pioneer and author Ken Leinbach is the visionary behind the Urban Ecology Center model, proving that nature is the most powerful tool for community revitalization and education. Leinbach is the co-founder and long-time Executive Director of the Urban Ecology Center (UEC) in Milwaukee.

Legendary broadcaster and life sciences communicator Larry R. Meiller has spent decades as the trusted voice of Wisconsin Public Radio, bridging the gap between expert knowledge and the daily lives of citizens. In a distinguished career spanning nearly sixty years, Meiller has served the public as a professor, broadcaster, and mentor.

Distinguished attorney and civil servant Lester Pines is a titan of the Wisconsin legal community whose career has been defined by a fierce commitment to constitutional rights and the public good. Pines is a founding partner of Pines Bach LLP and a premier Wisconsin litigator.

Melanie Tallmadge Sainz

Indigenous artist and cultural educator Melanie Tallmadge Sainz is a guardian of Ho-Chunk heritage who uses her mastery of beadwork and mixed media to sustain and share Native traditions. Her art is inspired by the history and legacy of her Ho-Chunk people.

Surgical oncologist, innovator, and educator Dr. Sharon M. Weber is a leader in cancer care whose surgical precision and research breakthroughs are advancing the future of complex medical treatment. Weber attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison for general surgery residency.

Multi-disciplinary artist, mentor, and curator Jason S. Yi is a cornerstone of the Milwaukee art scene whose monumental installations challenge our perceptions of the built and natural environment.

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Wisconsin Academy Offices
1922 University Avenue
Madison, Wisconsin 53726
Phone: 608.733.6633

James Watrous Gallery
3rd Floor, Overture Center for the Arts
201 State Street
Madison, WI 53703
Phone: 608.733.6633 x25