University of Wisconsin–Madison

Category: Art Department

Art in Focus: Q&A with MFA candidate Swan Ferraro

Throughout the semester, we’re shining a light on the Art Department’s graduating MFA candidates as they present their final thesis exhibitions. These exhibitions are the culmination of years of dedicated study and artistic exploration, showcasing our students’ diverse talents and innovative approaches to art-making. Swan Ferraro is an interdisciplinary artist working in installation, sculpture, photography, and …

Art in Focus: Q&A with MFA candidate Tina Rose Rea Meister

Throughout the semester, we’re shining a light on the Art Department’s graduating MFA candidates as they present their final thesis exhibitions. These exhibitions are the culmination of years of dedicated study and artistic exploration, showcasing our students’ diverse talents and innovative approaches to art-making. Tina Rose Rea Meister is an interdisciplinary artist working in painting, …

Wisconsin Today features Smithsonian retrospective of Truman Lowe

A new exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian celebrating the career of the late Truman Lowe was recently featured on Wisconsin Public Radio’s “Wisconsin Today” program. “Water’s Edge: The Art of Truman Lowe” brings together nearly 50 sculptures, drawings and paintings spanning Lowe’s decades-long career. According to the exhibit website, …

UW–Madison alumna commissioned for installation at Obama Presidential Center

UW–Madison alumna Tyanna J. Buie, who earned her MFA from the School of Education’s Art Department  in 2010, has been commissioned to create a site-specific installation for the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. Buie is part of the most recent cohort of artists announced for the center’s 19-acre campus, along with Mark Bradford, Jay Heikes, …

Why Wisconsin?

By Maggie Ginsberg, Division of the Arts They come for the lakes, and those starburst chairs coloring the Terrace at Memorial Union in John Deere green, Allis Chalmers orange, and sunshine yellow. They come to participate in the Wisconsin Idea, drawing on a rich legacy of research, innovation, and collaboration to build a brighter future for all. They …

Meg Mitchell named 2026–27 Vilas Associate

The School of Education’s Meg Mitchell is one of 24 UW–Madison faculty winners of the Vilas Associates Competition, which recognizes new and ongoing research of the highest quality and significance. Mitchell is an associate professor of digital media in the Art Department. Her work — which spans theater and dance, photography, sculpture, video, performance, digital …

Art in Focus: Q&A with MFA candidate Matthew Everett

Throughout the semester, we’re shining a light on the Art Department’s graduating MFA candidates as they present their final thesis exhibitions. These exhibitions are the culmination of years of dedicated study and artistic exploration, showcasing our students’ diverse talents and innovative approaches to art-making. “I utilize a variety of skills gained through each chapter of …

Art in Focus: Q&A with MFA candidate Nika McKagen

Throughout the semester, we’re shining a light on the Art Department’s graduating MFA candidates as they present their final thesis exhibitions. These exhibitions are the culmination of years of dedicated study and artistic exploration, showcasing our students’ diverse talents and innovative approaches to art-making. Nika McKagen works in traditional darkroom photography, sculpture, and writing. She …

From art student to game changer

By Kari Dickinson UW–Madison alumnus Brian Raffel’s path to the top of the video game industry has been anything but conventional. A former art student turned high school art teacher, Raffel co-founded Raven Software with his brother, Steve, in 1990, when they got a publishing deal for their first computer game, Black Crypt. What began …

Moment in Time

DATE: Sept. 17, 2025 TIME: 10:24 a.m. PLACE: Humanities Building Meri Lau leads a workshop on developing elementary art curricula with UW–Madison art education majors. Lau — a recently retired art teacher from the Madison Metropolitan School District and longtime cooperating teacher — focuses on unit planning, sharing three lessons she designed around the theme “Dogs in Art.” …