Mayor's Office

This Friday is Madison’s Spring Gallery Night, an evening to celebrate our city’s vibrant arts community. Galleries, museums, community centers, restaurants, retailers, centers of worship and more across Madison will invite the public to experience exhibitions of original artwork from regional artists. Gallery Night is a Madison arts tradition that is organized by the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA). Additional non-official gallery night events will not be listed on MMoCA’s site, but look for those around town as well. Official receptions are free and open to the public, and will include artist’s talks, live music, demonstrations and special events, as well as opportunities to meet local artists.

Below is a brief highlight of just some the many City-supported organizations and wonderful events spread across the city on Friday evening. For a full list of participating venues and exact event times, see here.

The Madison Museum of Contemporary Art has two phenomenal exhibitions on view. Mel Chin: There’s Something Happening Here features a vault door composed of the façade of a Madison home slated for demolition. The exhibition encourages the audience to learn more about the prevalence of lead poisoning. The Wisconsin Triennial 2022: Ain’t I A Woman? was organized by Guest Curator Fatima Laster and highlights a few of the Black women artists in Wisconsin who expand upon the nature and scope of art production.

The Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center presents their annual Art on the Rooftop exhibition, featuring outdoor works by regional artists. This year Art on the Rooftop was juried by our very own Madison Arts Commission.

Collateral Damage will be presented on the 3rd floor of The Pyle Center. This group exhibition features the work of over a dozen artists from across the country, and aims to destigmatize mental illness through open discussion and genuine representation. Collateral Damage was funded in part by a grant from the Madison Arts Commission.

At Giant Jones Brewing, Rae Senarighi presents a series of his dynamic portraits of Trans and Non-binary people. Rae is an active member of the Madison Arts Commission.

Arts + Literature Laboratory (ALL) presents MFA thesis exhibitions by 2022 ALL Prize recipients: In Touch by Esther Cho and Invisible Third by ZIP ZAP Press, with artist talks at 6:00pm.

130 State Street will host a pop-up exhibition titled Terrarium 15-12-1, presented through a partnership between the City of Madison, JD McCormick Properties, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Art Department. The exhibition is composed of work by advanced sculpture students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and will feature 15 artists working in 12 mediums in 1 empty flower shop.

Olbrich Botanical Gardens will host several events. The lobby will showcase local artists of many mediums. Featured artist, Maria Amalia Wood, will give an artist talk at 6:30 to connect with the audience about her experience as an immigrant and how her practice is informed by immigration. Maria will do an interactive paper making demo for kids and adults. Angela Johnson will present Nature is Healing, an outdoor installation utilizing cyanotype prints of natural materials, presenting a 15 minute artist’s talk at 7:15pm. Funding for Nature is Healing was provided by the Madison Arts Commission’s BLINK grant program.

James Watrous Gallery of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters presents solo shows by photographer Lois Bielefeld and painter Comfort Wasikhongo, with an installation by social artist Borealis.

Wisconsin Veterans Museum presents Wisconsin Was There: Sharing the Legacies of Printmakers Who Served, curated by Yvette Pino who served over 10 years on the Madison Arts Commission.

Marzen/Integrated Art Group presents The Illusion of Permanence, a solo-show of sculptures and paintings by Wisconsin artist Thomas Ferrella.

ArtWorking, led by Madison Arts Commission member Lance Owens, supports artists and entrepreneurs with intellectual and developmental disabilities. ArtWorking’s studio on Madison’s southeast side will feature a wide array of printmaking and creative resources.

Many of the featured organizations and artists participating in Gallery Night will be celebrated at the Friends of the Madison Arts Commission’s Silver Lining Awards on May 12 at 7:00pm at Garver Feed Mill. Tickets are still available to join the party (prices range from $0-$620) at www.friendsofmadisonarts.org

For questions about the Madison Arts Commission supports arts and culture in Madison contact madisonarts@cityofmadison.com. See you at Gallery Night!