Get a Sneak Peek at Student-Inspired Public Art at Warner Park Community Recreation Center
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The Warner Park Community Recreation Center (WPCRC) and the Madison Arts Commission (MAC) are inviting the community to a Public Art Preview on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, from 4:30pm — 6:00pm to see draft designs for a proposed public art installation at the expanded facility.
The WPCRC Public Art Project represents a unique collaboration between local Madison Metropolitan School District middle school and high school students, internationally acclaimed professional artist and UW-Madison professor Faisal Abdu’Allah, and the City of Madison. This experimental public art process explores the potential of creating art-making opportunities involving arts education and community engagement while also creating meaningful public spaces.
Abdu’Allah conducted an 8-week after-school workshop during the spring semester of 2025 with 20 MMSD students. The designs being previewed on October 1 represent the culmination of this creative partnership between students and Abdu’Allah, translating their collaborative vision into concepts for permanent public art.
Artists have long carried the task of revealing what lies just beyond ordinary sight — guiding society through difficult questions and uncovering the quiet beauty hidden in plain view. Reach for It grew from that impulse and from the time I spent with the youth atelier at Warner Park. Their sketches, collages, photographs, and restless observations became my palette, offering colors, materials, and references to give their ideas form. What began as a workshop evolved into a shared language, a dialogue across generations and perspectives.
Dr. Faisal Abdu’Allah
The Parks Division thanks Faisal and the youth who participated in the workshop for their creativity and dedication to create a unique art piece and thoughtful message for the expansion at WPCRC.
Zachary Watson, Warner Park Community Recreation Center Director
The Public Art Preview will be held at the Warner Park Community Recreation Center at 1625 Northport Dr., Madison, WI 53704. Light snacks will be provided. The event is free and open to the public.
If you are interested but unable to attend, please email madisonarts@cityofmadison.com to receive notification when the presentation materials are posted on the Madison Arts Commission website. You will also receive a digital feedback survey.
For more information about the Warner Park Community Center Public Art Project or the October 1 open house, contact Madison Arts & Culture Administrator Karin Wolf at kwolf@cityofmadison.com
About the Warner Park Community Center
Located on the northeast side of Madison, the WPCRC is a multipurpose, state-of-the-art public facility for community activities including recreational, educational and cultural programs and events. The facility includes a gymnasium, a fully equipped fitness center, and dry and wet craft rooms. Meeting rooms and beautiful community rooms are available to rent for banquets, company gatherings, weddings, birthday parties, and more. Madison School Community Recreation (MSCR) offers various classes and programs, and the NewBridge senior programs provide a nutrition site with other activities and events for seniors. WPCRC is currently under construction to expand to include another gymnasium. The renovated site is expected to be completed this winter.
About Faisal Abdu'Allah
Dr. Faisal Abdu’Allah (b. 1969, London) is a contemporary artist renowned for his large-scale steel prints and tapestries that examine the intersectionality of identity. His work has been exhibited on five continents, including presentations at the Torino Biennale, the 55th Venice Biennale, and most recently Art Basel. Abdu’Allah has collaborated with leading cultural figures such as Sir David Adjaye, Virgil Abloh, and choreographer Frank Gatson, Jr.
He is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including the Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters & Sculptors Award, the Mayor of London Award, the National Endowment for the Arts, and support from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. His works are held in major collections such as Tate Britain, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA), and the Chazen Museum of Art.
Abdu’Allah is the Chazen Family Distinguished Chair in Art and Associate Dean for the Arts & Innovation in the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He appears in the Netflix documentary The Fade and was honored as a Wisconsin Academy Fellow in 2024. He is represented by Magnolia Editions (USA) and Autograph (ABP) in the UK.
About the Madison Arts Commission
The Madison Arts Commission works to encourage artistic activities and performances throughout the city, supporting both emerging and established artists while enhancing the cultural landscape of Madison through public art initiatives.
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