City skyline over Lake Monona.
Planning

Thurber Park Artist-in-Residence

Thurber Park Artist Residency was founded in 2019 in partnership with the City of Madison. This multi-year residency provides a private studio space for an artist to develop their own art practice by working towards the creation of a public art piece for the City of Madison and inviting the community in to see and experience the art-making process. 

The artist-in-residence has access to a free studio space, located within Thurber Park (3325 Thurber Ave.) for approximately 1-2 years. Along with activating this space, the artist will lead hands-on workshops and open studio sessions for the public and targeted groups. The residency will culminate in a public art piece that is created during or following the residency.

This project received a 2020 Historic Preservation Award for Adaptive Reuse from the Madison Trust for Historic Preservation.

Meet Our Current Artist-in-Residence 

Portrait of Jennifer Bastian

Jennifer Bastian

Jennifer Bastian is an autistic, queer and disabled artist and mother. Making art is what allows Bastian to regulate her nervous system. Her practice is related to the labor of parenting, grieving, and making community. 

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 WVA in the 2022 Wisconsin Biennial at MOWA. Bastian will be the Thurber Park Artist in Residence 2024-2026.

Open Studio Sessions

Open studio sessions will resume in 2026.

Through a series of open studio sessions participants will be offered a quiet, welcoming environment to reflect, share, and find meaning in pausing. These sessions aren't just about making art — they're about creating room for collective healing and connection in a world that rarely slows down. Art materials for drawing, collage and fiber arts will be available. You're more than welcome to bring something you're working on or learn about ongoing projects you can jump right into such as the community Grief Garland. Drop-in, no registration required. 

Please note: One or more individuals in this small space are immunocompromised. For that reason, we are requesting all attendees kindly mask before entering; Masks available for visitors.

 

 

Past Residents
  • Fall 2022 - 2024: Ash Armenta
  • Fall 2021-2022: Eric Adjetey Anang

 

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