What Is the We Read Bubbler Artist-in-Residence Program?
The We Read Bubbler Artist-in-Residence (formerly Bubbler Artist in the Neighborhood) runs June to August each summer. This program connects the vision and expertise of local teaching artists to individual library communities - creating connections to literacy, creative self-expression, and hands-on learning for children and families.
Each year, the Bubbler Team matches a community teaching artist to each of our nine neighborhood libraries for a summer long residency, encouraging repeat interactions and art making with patrons to build relationships, explore creative practices, and have fun together.
"Art programming is a powerful tool in building literacy skills and the Madison Public Library has developed a very intentional approach to how it looks. For example, we’ve spent time with our artists to encourage them to think about how they can promote deeper learning into their workshops, such as focusing on collaborative art/community building or storytelling. We also take advantage of any opportunity we can to connect art programs to our library collections, encouraging kids to learn more about the activities they are enjoying by reading books on the topic." - Tammy Pineda, Youth Services Librarian Manager
The goals of the Bubbler Artist-in-Residence Program include:
Offering an open space for the public to learn, share, and create through various, ever-changing mediums
Providing professional development and support for teaching artists and experts in the community
Connecting artists to the community and the community to artists through hands-on learning and exploration
For the 2025 We Read Bubbler Artist-in-Residence Program, there were 8 artists across 9 library locations, as well as Central Library's artist, National Velvet, whose residency runs from April to December 2025. Throughout the summer, there were a total of 53 arts programs ran by our talented artists, the details of which you can check out on the WE READ website. We are all extremely grateful for the dedicated work these artists have put in this summer into making this program come alive and for sharing the joy of art with children across the city of Madison.
To learn more about the program, visit the residency archive, and find current opportunities for artists, please visit the Bubbler website.
Meet the 2025 Artist-in-Residents!
Alicia Ashman Library Bubbler Artist-in-Residence: Deck Salm (they/them)
Deckard Salm is an illustrator and designer in the Madison, WI area. They specialize in children’s illustration and hope to illustrate picture books soon!
Deckard’s favorite things to draw are words, plants, and animals. In their free time, you can find them knitting, reading, and playing cozy video games - all cuddled up on the couch with their two cats. Be sure to check out their art website!
Central Library Bubbler Artist-in-Residence: National Velvet (they/them)
National Velvet is an artist who shapes worlds and stories through comics, zines, cakes, and a little bit of magic. By day, National Velvet is a fairy-scientist-shapeshifter; by night, they draw comics and bring visions to life with unexpected materials. They create work rooted in their own experiences as a queer, trans, neurodivergent artist, often at the intersection of joy and grief, searching for the moments where they meet and transform, where vulnerability and play can coexist.
National Velvet earned their MFA from UW-Madison and is currently residing as an artist in Madison, WI. In addition to their own practice, National Velvet works as an Artist Mentor at Artworking, an organization that supports professional artists and entrepreneurs with disabilities in meaningful careers.
Dream Bus Bubbler Artist-in-Residence: Kai Saplan (they/them)
Kailea Saplan is a mixed and non-binary artist-scholar originally from Hawai'i. They have been lucky enough to call Madison their home since 2016, when they moved here for graduate school. Kailea earned their B.A. in Theatre at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon, and they graduated this spring with their Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Kailea has been a teaching artist with Madison Public Library for as long as they've lived here and they're thrilled to be returning this summer to work with the Dream Bus for their "farewell tour" prior to moving across country to pursue their M.F.A. in Acting at California Institute of the Arts.
Goodman South and Monroe Street Library Bubbler Artist-in-Residence: Rosi Bermúdez McHugh (she/her)
Rosi is a bilingual teacher at Lighthouse Christian School, where she has been teaching for over eight years. Rosi often guides her students in creating with color using materials like paper (collage) and paint to express concepts, emotions, and the beauty of nature. She also integrates art into lessons about different cultures in order to foster a sense of community, encouraging mutual support, and nurturing self-confidence.
Additionally, Rosi has been an active member of Unidas por Hilos (United by Threads), a group of Latina artists who share their experiences of life in a new country through embroidery. Her ongoing projects with these women continue to influence both her personal art and teaching practice.
Hawthorne Library Bubbler Artist-in-Residence: Savannah Starlin (she/her)
Savannah was born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin. She is an inspiring self taught painter of 4 years, although she’s kept her hands busy with art projects since she was 4 years old!
A main goal of Savannah’s art practice is to bring the community closer together through sharing unique creative ideas and bringing those ideas to life. Be sure to check out her art Instagram!
Lakeview Library Bubbler Artist-in-Residence: Elias Mittelstadt (he/him)
Elias is a designer and artist based in Madison, Wisconsin. His practice is inspired by technology, nature, history, and cartography and utilizes 3D printing, digital design, and found objects. In addition to his practice, he assists local artists and specializes in CAD design for products and 3D printing.
Elias has created courses, workshops, and programming for people of all ages and enjoys working with an array of materials. This is his third summer working with the Bubbler.
Medowridge Library Bubbler Artist-in-Residence: Lashay The Artist! (she/her)
Lashay The Artist! is a resilient mother of four who embodies the spirit of creativity and entrepreneurship. Despite the challenges she faces, Lashay's entrepreneurial drive and passion for art propel her forward in life.
As an artist with many facets of lived experience, Lashay the Artist! expresses herself through poetry, motivational speaking, and hairstyling. Her natural ability to inspire others shines through in her connections to the community. Lashay the Artist! especially enjoys working with youth and encouraging positive change though their creative expression. Be sure to check out her art Instagram!
Pinney Library Bubbler Artist-in-Residence: Renee Gavigan (she/her)
Renee is an artist and elementary art teacher from Waunakee, Wisconsin. Her passion as an educator is to create welcoming environments for artists to take chances and make art they are intrigued by.
In Renee’s practice she work frequently in watercolor and quilting, but loves experimenting in all media. She is looking forward to creating art installations in the Pinney space, as well as lots of other fun make & takes. Be sure to check out her website for more art!
Sequoya Artist-in-Residence: Meghan Rosing (she/her)
Meghan is a local Montessori teacher and loves making art alongside children. Her artwork reimagines a hodgepodge of fairy tales, poetry, children's stories, and Victorian novels. She loves working with ink, brushes, and dip pens to bring these inspirations to life, as well as adding texture by tearing up pages from old books and layering them over her drawings.
The layers of overlapping collage evoke the many layers of narratives that inspire her work, especially folk tales that have been told through the centuries, with each teller adding their own layer to the story. Be sure to check out Meghan's art Instagram!
The We Read artist residencies are funded by the Friends of Madison Public Library, Madison Public Library Foundation, and the City of Madison.The Dream Bus Artist-in-Residence is funded in part by a grant from the Madison Arts Commission, with additional funds from the Wisconsin Arts Board. The Central Library Artist Residency is supported by Madison Public Library Foundation and Dane Arts.
Check Out Our Artist Interviews!
To highlight some of the great work the Bubbler Artists have done over the course of this summer, we interviewed some of them to discuss the inspiration behind their event programming, and why they believe it is important to teach art to kids. Continue reading below to learn more about our artist's process in deciding what kinds of arts/crafts they focus on programming for the community of their respective libraries.
Meghan Rosing - Sequoya Library Artist-in-Residence
Name and Pronouns: Meghan Rosing (she/her)
How do you describe your art/creative work? Any specific message you are trying to convey?
I am a local Montessori school teacher for kids ages 2 to 6 and a half, so I always try my best to make the art programs I run more accessible, specifically for children of different ages. I love to program classes that focus on mixed media and collage art, emphasizing the use of recycled materials as well.
How do you view your art in connection to teaching? Why do you think it is important to teach art to kids?
I always live by the statement: everybody is an artist. Engaging with art is a great way to be comfortable with making mistakes, especially for children. It is a way to practice being open to interpretation and improvisation. Children know that intrinsically, art is meant to end up different than what they envisioned, it is just a process of coming to terms with that.
How do you try to format your creative work to the community at Sequoya Library?
Everything that I program here at Sequoya is a new arts program, so I try not to repeat previous events I had held. This summer I am trying to incorporate a performative element to the classes as well. I have ideas of using masks and puppets to invite a sense of play and imagination into the classes, that tie in literacy as well. I think these kinds of programs, that are interdisciplinary artistic classes, help kids get excited about coming to the library too.
What have you enjoyed the most so far about working with the Bubbler/Library? Any specific standout memories?
I love hearing the exclamations as children figure out how something gets put together, and how proud they are about the end result of their work, especially because of how much work they put into it. I heard a child say to me once, "I did this because I can read now! I read the instructions so I figured out how to make it". The children are able to experience growth in what they create, not just through creative means but also the skills they've learned from school or elsewhere. Everyone has such unabashed pride in the artwork they create here.
Where do you hope to see your work in the future?
I would love to continue doing artist-in-residencies at the library as so much of this is a learning process, I have a lot more ideas for future programming. I still wnat to make very accessible workshops, both for children and adults.
Elias Mittelstadt - Lakeview Library Artist-in-Residence
Name and Pronouns: Elias Mittelstadt (he/him)
How do you describe your art/creative work? Any specific message you are trying to convey?
I have a background in product design, which led me to learning a little bit of everything. I have learned how to sew, weld, 3D print, and I have practiced woodworking for around 3 years in Madison. I also have lots of experience doing UX design for apps and websites. This is also my 3rd year doing the Bubbler Artist-in-Residence program, so I am happy to be back!
How do you view your art in connection to teaching? Why do you think it is important to teach art to kids?
I am very interested in experimentation and its relationship to teaching; I love being able to learn alongside the children at my programs and discover new ways of teaching them as well. I usually program a mix of new and already existing skills that I have. I also focus heavily on using physical materials that are 3D in order to give kids more flexibility with what they create. I try to orient the programs to be mroe free form for children, as I also do adult arts programming, which is much more rules based.
How do you try to format your creative work to the community at Lakeview Library?
I have been building programming from previous programs I have been to, which keeps me tapped into what is popular right now in terms of what people want to be able to take home/create. Of course, I like to keep popular things in mind, but I also need to work within the constraints of time and the amount of materials I have.
What have you enjoyed the most so far about working with the Bubbler/Library? Any specific standout memories?
I love getting to know more about the community and seeing kids grow up and become more patient and focused as they come back each year. It is a great privilege to be able to come back multiple summers in a row, because the kids get more comfortable with me as a teacher, and it allows me to help them on a deeper level as well. I believe that free arts programming is extremely important, and doing these events this summer has only cemented that belief for me.
Where do you hope to see your work in the future?
I really enjoy the energy that comes from creating and teaching art alongside kids so I would love to continue doing residencies around the city. I am also a part of these groups of local artists that are curating shows for the Arts + Literature Laboratory over the next few summers, so I am looking forward to that as well!
Kai Saplan - Dream Bus Artist-in-Residence
Name and Pronouns: Kailea Saplan (they/them)
How do you describe your art/creative work? Any specific message you are trying to convey?
I'm an actor by training and a writer, so storytelling is at the center of all my creative work. Whenever I make art, I want to convey the message that our stories create the blueprints for our lives and relationships, so we must be thoughtful about the stories we tell and how we tell them.
How do you view your art in connection to teaching? Why do you think it is important to teach art to kids?
Being a teacher makes me a better artist because it helps me remain inquisitive about myself and the world around me. Being an artist makes me a better teacher because it expands my capacity to be astonished by (and affirming of) the things kids make and the stories they share.
How do you try to format your creative work to the communities that the Dream Bus serves?
My creative work with the Dream Bus is open-ended, student-centered, and playful. I designed this program around the idea that all kids are inherently creative and resourceful and they each have a unique perspective they can share through artmaking.
What have you enjoyed the most so far about working with the Bubbler/Dream Bus? Any specific standout memories?
The best part about working with the Dream Bus is meeting kids all over the city who are extremely creative and eager to mess around with the materials we bring and make something that's important to them. One favorite moment happened at Elver Park, when a couple of boys tried to make a basketball hoop together (out of cardboard). They met an obstacle in their design, and they were about to give up, but I offered a small suggestion that reinvigorated their work. After that, no obstacle seemed to bother them. They even made a basketball (out of paper) that they used to play with it. It was awesome to see them work together and work through challenges.
Where do you hope to see your work in the future?
After completing my PhD at UW Madison this summer, I'm moving to California to start a Master's of Fine Arts in Acting. I hope to continue developing my craft amidst the creatives there, and to become an even stronger artist and teacher.
Rosi Bermúdez McHugh - Goodman South & Monroe Street Library Artist-in-Residence
Name and Pronouns: Rosi Bermúdez McHugh (she/her)
How do you describe your art/creative work? Any specific message you are trying to convey?
I am a bilingual teacher at Lighthouse Christian School, where I have been teaching for over 8 years. One of the main things I try to do with my teaching is to encourage people that everyone can draw, and to incorporate feelings through art. I always try to get children to express their feelings through art, and what their art can represent for their culture as well.
How do you view your art in connection to teaching? Why do you think it is important to teach art to kids?
I tend to have a very guidance oriented way of teaching kids art. I first show them the process, showing them the materials they have, and give them the instructions on how to make the art themselves first. I give them light guidance and confidence to see if they get the idea, and then help them from there. That way they can build self-confidence and independence when creating art, and allows them to feel comfortable asking for help as well.
How do you try to format your creative work to the community at Goodman South/Monroe Street Library?
I usually present different ideas to Rachel and other library staff at Goodman South, and see what their feedback is given that they know the community as well. There is a big Latino population at Goodman South, so I try to present more cultural arts programming as well. I use a variety of matierals and multidisciplinary programs (embroidery, cooking) that have diverse cultural roots.
What have you enjoyed the most so far about working with the Bubbler/Library? Any specific standout memories?
Because I am a teacher, I love being able to work with kids regardless and seeing how happy/proud they are when they finish creating something. I love to encourage kids to express verbally what their art means either to each other, their friends, or even strangers! The community of children who come to my programs are very vibrant, so there are a lot of opportunities for extrovered and introverted kids to meet each other and socialize as well.
Where do you hope to see your work in the future?
I would love to see more kids get involved with arts programming. I would love to promote these programs (from the libraries) at different schools around Madison and help get kids involved in the arts all year round.