Through Their Eyes

Created by Community

This year’s Concerts on the Square poster was created in collaboration with local students, young artists whose creativity, perspective, and vision reflect the evolving story of our community. Open to elementary, middle, and high school students, the project invited participants to explore big ideas through art:

• What will Concerts on the Square look like in the next 250 years?
• How can music bring communities together across cultures and generations?
• As future leaders, how will you use your voice to strengthen community through the arts?
• How do we celebrate our shared culture and heritage through music?

Through this process, students not only designed a poster; they helped define what community, celebration, and music can look like in the years ahead.

Buy Your Poster

Buy the 2026 Concerts on the Square Poster

For more than four decades, the Concerts on the Square poster has been more than a piece of art; it’s a symbol of summer in Madison, a reflection of community, and a cherished tradition. Each year, we partner with an artist to create a poster that captures the spirit of the series. These posters live on long after the final note fades, framed in homes, lining the walls of local businesses, and collected year after year by devoted patrons. 

In 2026, as our nation marks 250 years since its founding, we are looking not only to the past, but to the future, inviting the next generation to help us imagine this year’s poster.

ROOTED IN TRADITION, INSPIRED BY TOMORROW
 

Since our founding in 1960, the WCO has been dedicated to strengthening communities through innovative, high-quality artistic experiences that entertain, inspire, and unite diverse audiences. 

Nowhere is that mission more visible than at Concerts on the Square. Since 1984, more than six million people have gathered on the Capitol lawn to share in this uniquely Madison tradition. Each summer, over 200,000 attendees come together for six free concerts, making it the largest free concert series in the state and a cornerstone of our  cultural life.

The poster has always captured that energy: the joy of gathering, the beauty of music, and the vibrancy of our community.
The 2026 poster continues that legacy while opening the door to new voices. Students were encouraged to interpret the theme creatively, incorporating elements like music and instruments, the Capitol Square, community gatherings, and cultural diversity. Using bold colors and a wide range of artistic mediums, their designs reflect both the spirit of Concerts on the Square and the limitless possibilities of the future.

At its heart, this initiative is about more than a single image. It’s about celebrating creativity, elevating young voices, and recognizing the important role that art plays in building strong, connected communities.

Looking Ahead

As we prepare for this milestone year, we are reminded that the future of the arts—and of our community—belongs to the next generation. By inviting students to imagine, create, and share their vision, we honor not only where we’ve been, but where we’re going.
The 2026 Concerts on the Square poster is a reflection of that journey: rooted in tradition, shaped by community, and inspired by the imagination of young people who will carry our legacy forward.