Skip to main content

Public Art

Through the Public Art Program, the Madison Arts Commission (MAC) facilitates and supports the work of artists to explore new ideas, foster dialog and celebrate civic life. Residents, civic events and values are remembered and acknowledged in our public art sites. MAC is committed to strengthening the integration of public art in Madison's ongoing city-building, while also stewarding historic works and commissioning sustainably designed new works. MAC is committed to expanding our public art program to achieve a more equitable geographic distribution of art throughout the City and ensuring a diversity of artists and art forms are represented in Madison’s visual landscape.

MAC builds the Madison Public Art Program through direct commissions for capital projects by way of the Percent for Art Ordinance and Capital Budget, and supports additional neighborhood based public art initiatives through the Art in Public Places Program (AIPP) and BLINK (temporary art projects).

Explore Madison's Public Art Collection
 
Section Break

Austen Brantley Residency & Public Sculpture Project

The Madison Arts Commission (MAC) partnered with Madison College to bring Detroit-based figurative sculptor Austen Brantley to Madison for a short residency in June, 2023 and have asked him to develop a design for a public art project for the community.

Austen Brantley is a self-taught figurative sculptor who is recognized for his work that interweaves the themes of heritage, identity, and realistic portrayals of Black lives. Learn more about Austen Brantley & see his work here.

The potential for this project was identified in the 2017 Darbo-Worthington-Starkweather Neighborhood Plan, which called for the City to consider making a public art/gateway feature to the DWS neighborhood, as a means of building up neighborhood pride and empowerment. Darbo is a culturally rich and diverse community neighborhood that includes on Madison's near east side. 
 
We will invite the community to complete ashropt survey to provide feedback on the proposed designs in late 2023. We anticipate the project will be installed in late 2024.

Section Break

 

 

Art in Public Places (AIPP)

AIPP funds permanent public art projects that are designed to last 10 or more years and cost $15,000 or more (including MAC funds). MAC leverages community funding and attention for major public art projects that have artistic merit and will make a positive, long-term impact on Madison.

Learn more about AIPP by exploring Grants & Opportunities.

Section Break
 

BLINK Temporary Public Art Commissions

BLINK commissions support experimental, ad-hoc, temporary works of public art that sprout up throughout the community and vanish, leaving residents and visitors eager to see what is next. Madison neighborhoods and urban areas are open canvases. The possibilities for creations in open spaces, construction sites, and public parks provide a glimpse of how the world looks through an artist's eyes.

Learn more about BLINK by exploring Grants & Opportunities.

Section Break
 

Percent for Arts Program

The Percent for Art ordinance, passed in October of 2017, officially created a mechanism to increase the rate of our investment in public art. Through the Percent for Art Program one percent of the city funds committed to any capital project exceeding $5,000,000 will be designated for public art. In 2020 Madison’s Percent for Art ordinance initiated its first project with the Metro Transit Maintenance Facility project on East Washington Avenue. Learn more about this and other public art projects below.
 
Village on Park Parking Structure
MAC is seeking comments on draft design concepts for public art installations at the planned Villager on Park parking structureShare your thoughts.
 
Metro Transit Public Art Project
MAC recommended artist Jenie Gao and her Proposal THE TIME IS OURS as their first choice for the Metro Transit Public Art.  Learn more about her proposal in this Artist Presentation.  Additional updates will be shared here as they become available. 
 
Madison Public Market
The Madison Public Market Foundation Board (MPMFB) & MAC reviewed and approved the first set of proposals for public art in January, 2024. Many of the proposed projects are in early stage of development and may change, but the proposal can be seen here. Staff anticipate returning to MPMFB & MAC with additional proposals in the coming weeks.

Section Break


Utility Box Program

The Madison Arts Commission intends for the Utility Box Program to promote local artists by giving them exposure in the public realm. In 2016 MAC and the Downtown Coordinating Committee authorized a pilot to wrap four City owned utility boxes with artwork. Due to the positive public reaction, MAC continued the program. Currently, there are more than 100 wrapped boxes throughout the city. 

The Utility boxes chosen for this program require between approximately 42-62 square feet of coverage depending upon box size and configuration. 42 sqft boxes are approximately 36” W x18” D x 48” H. 62 sqft boxes are approximately 44” W x 26” D x 54” H. Sketch-up files of the 42 sqft box (pictured here and here) are available to artists if they contact madisonarts@cityofmadison.com.

Neighborhood demand for this program currently exceeds available resources. To help grow this popular program citywide, Friends of Madison Arts Commission has started a fundraising campaign. Wrapping of 14 more utility boxes has been funded so far.

Explore the Utility Box Collection or learn more about the program. 

Section Header

Selections from the Public Art Program

 

Last Updated: 01/30/2024

Contact

Madison Arts Commission
Madison Municipal Building
Department of Planning & Community & Economic Development
215 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Suite 017 
P.O. Box 2985
Madison, WI 53701-2985

madisonarts@cityofmadison.com

Subscribe to Email List

Subscribe to the Madison Arts Updates email list:

By participating on this list the Wisconsin Public Records Laws may subject your email address to disclosure to third parties. By selecting "Yes" you are requesting that we treat your email address that you have provided to this list as confidential and you are also stating that you would not participate in this service if the City is obligated to release your email address to such third party requesters.