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City of Madison

Community Invited to Celebrate Outgoing Thurber Park Artist-in-Residence

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The Madison Arts Commission and the Bubbler at Madison Public Library are inviting the community to an event marking the end of Jennifer Bastian's term as the Artist-in-Residence at Thurber Park, titled Tying Up Loose Ends: A Celebration. 

The celebration will be held on Saturday, August 8, 2026, from 9:30am – 11:30am at the Thurber Park Outdoor Park Pavilion. All ages are welcome and free refreshments will be provided.

The event marks the completion of Bastian's two-year residency, Hold & Release (October 2024 - October 2026). During this time, Bastian hosted open studio hours and specialty workshops in libraries, parks, and at the Thurber Park Studio. Her residency focused on processing grief and building community as participants used their hands to work with sewing, quilting and fabric collage. It culminated in a new body of work that responds to the unique cultural landscape of post-2020 America. 

One of the most ambitious projects during her residency was "The Sun Will Find Us." This community-wide art project covered the Darbo-Worthington neighborhood in 13 large-scale, fabric banners with lines from her writing. She then enlisted neighbors to host the banners on homes, fences, garages, and other visible locations. The outward-facing, publicly engaged project was collaborative and connected the neighborhood through art.

  • A person standing in front of a large quilt with the phrase "Roots Will Secure Us"
    Image credit: "The Sun Will Find Us" by Jennifer Bastian
    Image credit: "The Sun Will Find Us" by Jennifer Bastian
  • A large quilt hanging on a building that reads, "An Excavation of Love"
    Image credit: "The Sun Will Find Us" by Jennifer Bastian
    Image credit: "The Sun Will Find Us" by Jennifer Bastian

Through "The Sun Will Find Us," people learned more about who their neighbors are, who they might lean on in a crisis, and who they could rely on to keep them safe. Many of the banners from the project will be exhibited at the Union Art Gallery at UW-Milwaukee during Bastian's solo show "A Tending," open September 2, 2026 – September 26, 2026.

I jumped into this residency headfirst, moving in and immediately setting to work finishing a 16-foot-wide quilt that had been too large to work on at home. I could not have completed it without the help of over 20 volunteers or the large space the Thurber Studio provides. For the community banner project, 'The Sun Will Find Us,' dozens of people donated bed sheets, pieced squares, appliquéd letters onto banners, and sat with me while I hand stitched.

My goal with this residency was to create space for our community to acknowledge and potentially move through bits of grief they've amassed over years of societal pressure to 'push through.' What I did not bargain for was the amount of generosity, care, and appreciation I would receive in return. I have been deeply impacted by the grace community members have offered each other and myself during programming, and so grateful for the vulnerability I've been witness to."  

—

Jennifer Bastian, 2024-2026 Thurber Park Artist-in-Residence

Bastian's final workshops are still wrapping up within the Thurber Studio, and adults are invited to sign up for the final session of Color, Shape, Power: Exploring Connections to Self. This workshop helps participants identify themes, imagery, colors and shapes to express emotional power. There will be writing, drawing and cut paper collage exercises before transitioning to making a larger fabric and paper collage. The next session will take place on Monday, July 27 from 1:00pm-3:00pm in the Thurber Park Studio. Registration is requested.

Jennie's residency showed the magic that can happen when an artist deeply cares about people and place. She connected with community members in the Thurber Studio space and then pushed outside those walls and brought her message into the neighborhood for all to see. She has beautifully connected with residents and created spaces for them to create and be seen.

—

Trent Miller, Bubbler Program Coordinator

Event Details

  • Tying up Loose Ends: A Celebration
  • Saturday, August 8, 2026
  • 9:30am – 11:30am

  • Thurber Park Artist Residency

    3325 Thurber Avenue, Madison, WI 53714

  • Free Admission

About Jennifer Bastian

Jennifer Bastian is a disabled artist and mother. Making art is what allows her to regulate her nervous system. Her current bodies of work focus on grief, community, self-discovery, and ritual. She examines these themes through photography, textiles, sculptures, and an obsession with how time affects material.  

Bastian received her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and her MA and MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She was a finalist for the Women's Forward Fund Forward Art Prize in 2022 and was given an Award of Merit from Wisconsin Visual Artists in the 2022 Wisconsin Biennial at the Museum of Wisconsin Art. She will complete her two-year appointment as the Thurber Park Artist in Residence at the end of the summer.

About The Bubbler

The Bubbler's hands-on workshops, performances, and events introduce participants to a variety of local experts who share their talent and passion for art, design, and maker culture. 

Learn More About The Bubbler

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.   

Learn More About Madison Arts

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