Events and Programs

Find out how you can display at the Central Gallery or view our upcoming displays:

Currently Showing

November
Central Library

"CLICK": Miguel Angel León Benito

Black and white photography from local artist Miguel Angel León Benito. Read the artist's statement, in both English and Spanish.

November and December
Alicia Ashman Branch

"Light, Shadow and Tone: People, Places, Things" Art Exhibition by Margaret (Peggy) Moore

"This exhibit represents a collection of work completed over the last 3 years - portraits, landscapes, and still life. The portraits represent commissioned work and private collections, in charcoal and oil. I created the charcoals in a painterly fashion applying charcoal with medium and brushes. The landscapes collection includes oils and charcoals as well. The still lifes are oils and colored pencil. In all of my paintings, I focus on capturing the shadow and light placement based on the time of day or light placement and the color/value relationships."

Please join us for an artist's reception on Saturday, November 7 from 2 - 4 p.m. Read the artist's statement.

High Point Christian School: "Celebrate Africa"

Student artwork from grades 3, 4, 5 and 8 from High Point Christian School, on display in the Alicia Ashman Library Children's Area Art Gallery.

Michael Kress-Russick: "Moon over the Mountain"

Local picturebook illustrator on display October and November in the Sequoya Children's Area. Illustrations are from the recently released picturebook Moon over the Mountain by Keith Polette. Join Kress-Russick on Saturday, November 7 at 2:00 p.m. at Sequoya Library for a talk about the process of creating a picturebook, and his illustrations displayed in this show. Visit the artist's website. This exhibit is made possible thanks to a generous grant from the Madison Community Foundation to the Sequoya Library supporting the Art of the Picture Book collection.

September 18 - November 14
Pinney Library

"Worldview: A New Perspective": Quilts by Jana Mirs

On display mid-September through mid-November, quilts by local artist Jana Mirs.

Upcoming

December
Central Library

Art Paul Schlosser presents Patterns and Snowpeople

Local musician and artist Art Paul Schlosser presents original works of art.

January 2 - February 27, 2010
Alicia Ashman Library

"Art Felt" by Deb Lueders

"I felt wool because I love the way it comes together under my fingertips. With just a little water, a little soap and in time under the pressure of my hands, the wool melts together into a whole. I particularly like to work with color and texture on themes which can be traditional or modern.

My art career began as a weaver and grew to include spinning and dyeing. I discovered freeform knit/crochet and incorporated felted wool. Now, I mainly wet felt and enjoy working with inlay and nuno. The hope is that when people view my artwork they feel a connection. I appreciate viewers getting lost in my work. I like them to ask, 'How did you do that?' It's wonderful when they can not take their eyes away."

Please join us for an artist's reception on Saturday, January 9 from 2 - 4 p.m.

October
Central Library

"Corn-Fed": A Solo Show by S.V. Medaris

S.V. Medaris presents a collection of pieces - oils, pastels and prints - of the various things that are powered by corn, along with landscapes featuring corn as one of the crops. Over twenty works will be included in the exhibit, including a large mural featuring pastured pigs, to show some of the different feeding and habitats of farm animals. Join the artist for a Gallery Night on Friday, October 2 from 5 - 9 p.m. in the Central Library Exhibit Space. Refreshments will be served.

September and October
Alicia Ashman Branch

Color and Light by Joan Zieger

Joan Zieger, fiber artist, will be displaying art quilts exploring bright color and light at the Alicia Ashman Branch Library Gallery during the months of September and October, 2009. Join us for an Artist's Reception on Wednesday, September 23, 4 - 6 p.m. Read the artist's statement.

August 24 - October 14
Pinney Branch

Beaded Jewelry by the Madison Bead Society

The Madison Bead Society presents an exhibit of beaded jewelry created by several of its members. The twenty-four pieces on display (and available for purchase) represent a variety of beading techniques, from simple stringing to bead crochet. The Madison Bead Society is a nonprofit organization that has been in existence for over ten years. The objective of the society is to provide a forum for the enjoyment and study of beads and beading techniques.

September 2009
Central Library

"Respite = Relief: 30 Years of Building Resiliency in Children Through Art"

For 30 years the Respite Center has specialized in making art with children whose families are experiencing hard times. This exhibit of art, accompanied by children's own words, shows how art, as all activities, can be used to help children recover from stress, express their feelings, develop social skills, and have fun. We use art to help children relax, calm down, and find that secure place within themselves that says, "I am all right." Art can brighten a child's day, spark his or her imagination, and find that exciting, yet secure place that says, "The world is OK." Art helps children weather the difficulties in their lives. Join the Respite Center in a celebration of 30 years of service to the community and experience this remarkable view into the world of children who have found a safe haven with them. This exhibit coincides wit the Respite Center's 30th Anniversary Celebration, to be held at the Masonic Center (301 Wisconsin Ave.) on Wednesday, September 16 from 5:30 - 8:00 p.m. More information and tickets available online. More information about the exhibit.

July and August 2009
Alicia Ashman Branch

Portraits in Watercolor by Bernie Tennis

Join us for an exhibition of local artist Bernie Tennis' watercolor portraits. "Though I will draw and paint anything, my favorite subject has always been people. My most serious work is done in watercolor. I enjoy the immediacy and vibrancy (and unpredictability!) of the medium and the way colors can interact without compromising their individuality." Read the full artist's statement.

August 2009
Central Branch

July 2009
Central Library

"The Four Painters": C.K. Chang, Bonnie Johnson, Donna Miller, and David Scheifel

An exhibit of realist landscape, figure, and still life paintings in oil and acrylic. "Formal experimentation with color is probably the strongest common bond we have with each other. ... The thread that pulls and holds us together is our love of color and of realist painting." Read the full artists statement.

June and July 2009
Sequoya Branch

Kendra Larson: Paintings

"My paintings utilize imagery of the Willamette Valley in the Pacific Northwest and imagined scenarios. They illustrate my personal relationship to these landscapes as well as my interest in the forest’s role within the psyche." Read the artist's statement. Visit Kendra Larson's website.

June 2009
Central Branch

Holly Jorgenson: A Counselor's View:  See, Love, Try

Holly Jorgenson is both a psychotherapist and an artist.  This show presents her visual work paired with several themes she offers to her clients. The images include landscape, portrait, floral still life and abstract designs, made of pastel, oil pastel, oil paint and charcoal. The themes most directly point to the importance of noticing in detail what's precious to each of us in the world, and especially in the people, around us.  Perspective as a choice is another theme. Parallels will be drawn to the processes in art and in our lives, of identifying what we want--beyond what we don't want--and then making small, steady, courageous attempts toward change.

May 1 - June 25 2009
Alicia Ashman Branch

Montage: The Art of Thursday's Artists

Thursday's Artists is a collective of lifelong, returning and new artists, teachers, exhibition jurors and students of art, city dwellers and country residents living and creating art in Dane County. The exhibit includes works in a variety of media including digital photography, watercolor, oil, acrylic, collage, printmaking, drawing, graphics, and fiber. More information about the group.

Join members of Thursday's Artists on Saturday, May 16 from 2 - 4 p.m. for a gallery reception; refreshments will be served.

May Is Mental Health Awareness Month: Consumer Art Exhibit

Presented by Cornucopia Arts, Inc.,an arts and wellness center run for and by people with mental health issues and their allies. Join us for a closing reception on Saturday, May 30th, 12 - 2 p.m.

March - April 2009
Sequoya Branch

"Journey to Her Self": Laurel Schwartz

“Journey to Her Self” is a series of acrylic paintingsdepicting a healing journey…the liberation from oppression and memories of childhood sexual molestation. Laurel began painting spontaneously, with no formal art training and refers to her process as “painting from the emptiness.” Read the artist's statement or visit her website.

Join the artist on Thursday, April 23, 7:00 - 8:45 p.m. at the Sequoya Branch to hear about her healing journey, and the amazing, spontaneous arrival of her paintings.

March - April 2009
Alicia Ashman Branch

Gathering: Recent Work by Tom Linfield

"I spent a large part of my life living in Europe, sketching stone circles and cairns, visiting cathedrals, and living in a medieval village called Cordes, in the south of France. I'm fascinated by the beauty and potency of these ancient, sacred stone formations and the imagery continues to inform my work.

This exhibition features three concurrent series: ink drawings of stone formations, oil pastels of Dane County Farmer's market produce, and glass mosaic boxes. The work explores such common themes as memory, balance, and fragmentation" - Tom Linfield, from the artist's statement.

Join us for three artist events to celebrate this exhibit. Come for the artist's reception on Thursday, March 5 at 6:00 p.m., when Linfield will be presenting a slide show and speaking on his work, and stay for the opening reception from 7 - 9 p.m. Linfield will be presenting the same talk on Wednesday, April 1 at 12 p.m. On Saturday, March 21 from 12 - 4 p.m., Linfield will be in the library making art, demonstrating technique, and answering questions for visitors to the exhibit. Learn about different materials, from oil pastel to gold leaf, look at sketchbooks, and see how a piece moves from blank paper to finished image.

Notecards created by the artist will also be available for purchase for the duration of the exhibit. $10.00 for 5 cards or $2.50 per card. The Madison Community Foundation has donated $25,000 to enhance our collection.  Help donate even more by purchasing these beautiful and unique note cards. Checks can be made payable to the Madison Public Library Foundation.

View a virtual display of works from the exhibit on Flickr. For more information about the artist, view his art resume and visit his website.

April 2009
Central Branch

Lenny Black: 'From Alaska to Yorkshire (and Points in Between), 2007-2008.'

"Since retiring three years ago, I've been fortunate to travel to some places which I've been thinking about for quite some time:  Big Bend National Park, in west Texas; the Scottish Highlands; Alaska; and northern England.  The photos I'm displaying (shot with a Canon S2 IS and S5 IS) are a record of these trips.  I'd like to acknowledge the encouragement of my photographic endeavors provided by two friends, Jim and Liz." Lenny Black

March 2009
Central Branch

Michael Velliquette: Deux Ex Machina

Michael Velliquette exhibits a new body of drawings and works on paper that explore the relationship between being and emotion.  A sense of raw psychedelia emerges in these works out of the co-mingling of abstract figuration, transcendental themes, and patterning.

See more information about the artist and his works.

February 2009
Central Branch

Work & Life Story of M.K. Ciurlionis
Madison Vilnius Sister Cities, Inc., (MVSC) presents an exhibit on Lithuania’s most famous visual artist and composer, Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis. (pronounced, Chiur-LIO-nis).   These works are primarily posters from Europe advertising his many exhibits and feature his imaginative paintings.

Alfred Senn, University of Wisconsin emeritus professor who specialized in East European History, will present a brief talk on the life of Ciurlionis during MVSC’s Lithuanian Independence Day’s celebration held in conjunction with the exhibit on February 23 at 6:30pm at the Central Branch. Professor Senn coauthored the book Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis: Music of the Spheres. Lithuanian refreshments will be served.

January 5 - February 28, 2009
Alicia Ashman Branch

"Journey to Her Self": Laurel Schwartz

“Journey to Her Self” is a series of acrylic paintings created in devotion to healing and self discovery; an eclectic mix of images ranging from abstract to the familiar.  Read the artist's statement or visit her website.