Shows
City Cast MadisonMadison Library Raises Alarm Over Federal Agency DismantlementThe federal budget cuts just keep coming, and this time the axe is swinging at our nation’s libraries and museums. In March, the Trump administration moved to gut the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Locally, IMLS has given grants and other funding to the Madison Public Library, Madison Children’s Museum, Wisconsin Historical Society, Wisconsin Veterans Museum, Chazen Museum of Art, Olbrich Botanical Gardens, and MMoCA. To get a sense of how this funding cut will be felt — if it goes through — we caught up with Madison Public Library Director Tana Elias. Wanna talk to us abo...2025-04-0831 min
I Like Your Work: Conversations with ArtistsArtist Susan Lichtman: Painting Domestic Spaces, Light and ColorSusan Lichtman is a figurative painter of domestic spaces, working out of her home studio in southeastern Massachusetts. She received her undergraduate degree from Brown University and an MFA in Painting from Yale University School of Art. Lichtman has had solo exhibitions at Steven Harvey Fine Arts Projects, NY, NY. (2017, 2024); Rose Art Museum, Waltham, MA (2024); Fahrenheit, Madrid, (2022); Gross McCleaf Gallery, Philadelphia, PA (2018) and the Wilson Museum of Hollins University, Roanoke, VA (2017.) Recent group and two person exhibitions have been at Steven Harvey Fine Arts Project, NY ,NY; Nathalie Karg Gallery, NY, NY; Wege Center for the Arts...2025-02-2154 minCity Cast MadisonHow To Spend a Day in Madison For FreeThe City Cast Madison crew is back with another edition of Must See Madison, and this time, we’re ballin’ on a budget. Host Bianca Martin rounds up some of Madison’s best free activities with executive producer Hayley Sperling and newsletter editor Ava Wojnowski. Join us as we venture around town highlighting Madison’s must sees. Where should we go next? Send us your suggestions for a future show!Mentioned in today’s showPheasant Branch ConservancyThe Lakeshore PathLake Loop and Monona Bait & Ice CreamChazen Museum of...2024-07-2328 min
Meet Me at the ChazenThe Archives: Feeding the MassesSend us a TextIt turns out that the Chazen's archives are packed with detailed documentation of—yes, the art, but also the food that was served at the museum. Meet Me at the Chazen host Gianofer Fields digs into a 1996 reception menu and gets the Chazen staff involved. Listen at the link below or wherever you get your podcasts. Questions? Post them on Instagram at @meetme.chazen!Meet Me at the Chazen is a podcast about the the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Chazen Museum of Art, the largest collecting museum in the Big Ten. As w...2024-07-1158 min
Talking Out Your Glass podcastAudrey Handler: A Conversation with “The First Lady” of GlassHoused in a 19th-century cheese factory, Audrey Handler’s studio was founded in 1970 and is one of the oldest continually operating glassblowing facilities in the country. Through demonstrations she gave there and workshops she taught on the road at places such as Penland School of Craft and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, she helped spread the idea that glass could be used as a medium for personal artistic expression. A pioneer of the Studio Glass Movement, Handler started working in glass in 1965 as one of Harvey Littleton’s first female glass students. He and his students experimented and learn...2024-06-071h 03
Meet Me at the ChazenThe Archive: Should It Stay or Should It Go?Send us a TextHost Gianofer Fields shows us the archival decision-making process as Registrar Andrea Selbig and Archivist Jordan Craig consider what to do with an array of items from the Chazen's past. "Stay or go" is just the first question among several that get asked. Listen in as the process unfolds in real time, as they consider anniversary banners, publication duplicates, and a vinyl record recorded in the Chazen's galleries.Meet Me at the Chazen is a podcast about the the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Chazen Museum of Art, the largest collecting museum in...2024-06-0630 minMeet Me at the ChazenIlluminating the Chazen's 'dark archive'Send us a TextGarbage? Detritus? Ephemera—or archival gold? Host Gianofer Fields, Archivist Jordan Craig, and Facilities Manager Adam Hutchinson shine a (figurative and literal) light into some of the Chazen's shadowy corners to find potentially worthy materials that haven't been cataloged yet—the so-called dark archive. From press clippings and a vinyl record to a handwritten note from custodial staff and oodles of back issues, duplicates, and show catalogs (so many catalogs), Chazen Director Amy Gilman and other Chazen staff weigh in on how they view this material.Meet Me at the...2024-05-0935 min
Hey Sis, Eat ThisSisters Stir The Pot with Alex Pfeifer & Sabrina Chazen Join sisters Alex Pfeifer & Sabrina Chazen as they bring the heat to this weeks episode of Hey Sis, Eat This. Fireworks explode as these two dynamic women dish out tales of meals, Momma, and memories from their vastly different perspectives. Alex, a powerhouse in Los Angeles real estate, and Sabrina, a trendsetting fashion influencer, both share a drive for success and independence. Where they do differ is recounting what it was like around their dinner table given their "debatable" 7 year age gap. The sisters fill us in on Momma Cathie who...2024-05-0256 minMeet Me at the ChazenThe Chazen Archive: what is it?Send us a TextWhat comes to mind when you think of the word "archive"? Is it a pristine, climate-controlled vault or a dusty, musty corner of the basement? Host Gianofer Fields talks with Chazen Chief of Staff Lindsay Grinstead to learn about the origins of the Chazen's archives. She follows up with archivist Jordan Craig to get a better picture of how archiving works. And she talks with graduate student and archives assistant Raichelle Johnson, who calls the archives "my happy place."Meet Me at the Chazen is a podcast about the...2024-04-0438 min
A Public AffairPreviewing the 2024 Wisconsin Film Fest
On today’s special A Public Affair we talk about three films coming to the Wisconsin Film Festival
We kick off the show with a conversation about Goodbye Julia with actress Siran Riak who plays the title character. Goodbye Julia is the debut film by Sudanese filmmaker Mohamed Kordofani, and tells the story of an unlikely friendship between a North Sudanese housewife and a South Sudanese maid. The film will have 2 showings at the Wisconsin Film Festival: Saturday, Apr 6th, 11:00 AM at Chazen Museum of Art and Monday, Apr 8th, 11:30 AM at Flix Bre...2024-03-2954 min
Platemark: prints and the printmaking ecosystemMezzotint history and technique with artist Carol Wax (part one)In s3e52 of Platemark, hosts Ann Shafer and Tru Ludwig talk with Carol Wax, artist and author of The Mezzotint: History and Technique. Carol recently published the second edition of The Mezzotint, expanding greatly in every area from the 1990 first edition. As she tells us, there is a better break down of rocking the copper plates, and of inking and printing them, plus there are new chapters about printing papers and the history of the medium and how it fits in the greater history of prints. They talk about the early history of mezzotint, whether one...2024-03-121h 03
The BobberHave You Experienced These Wisconsin Art & Culture Hotspots?In this episode, Hailey travels across the state to experience Wisconsin art and culture hotspots. From magnificent museums to exciting events in small communities, the art and culture scene is truly a Wisconsin hidden gem. First, Hailey heads to Madison to visit the Chazen Museum of Art, which holds the state’s second-largest collection of art with over 23,000 pieces! Next up, Hailey ventures to Sturgeon Bay to the Door County Maritime Museum. Showing off the region’s rich maritime roots, the Door County Maritime Museum is a marvel. Later, Hailey explores the small town of Cedarburg and the Cedarburg Arti...2024-01-2411 minMeet Me at the ChazenInsistent Presence: Gabriella HartlaubSend us a TextUW–Madison journalism major Gabriella Hartlaub was always that kid in the back asking why, why, why. In conversation with host Gianofer Fields, she brings that inquisitive nature to the Insistent Presence exhibition, reflecting on the ways it might shape the way she approaches her profession.Meet Me at the Chazen is a podcast about the the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Chazen Museum of Art, the largest collecting museum in the Big Ten. As we report what’s happening here, we'll also explore what it means to be an art museum at a p...2023-12-2113 min
Meet Me at the ChazenInsistent Presence: Erin CoronSend us a TextIn this week's episode of Meet Me at the Chazen, Host Gianofer Fields talks with someone who's had hours and hours to observe the finer details of, and people interacting with, the Insistent Presence exhibition of contemporary African art. Visitor Services Assistant Erin Coron says that even though she sees the works on every shift, the way visitors approach them often makes her take a second, or third, look with fresh eyes.Meet Me at the Chazen is a podcast about the the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Chazen Museum of Art, th...2023-12-1423 min
Meet Me at the ChazenInsistent Presence: Katherine AlcauskasSend us a TextIn this episode of "Meet Me at the Chazen," host Gianofer Fields and Chief Curator Katherine Alcauskas discuss the unique challenges posed by the pandemic in acquiring and curating new art for the Insistent Presence exhibition. Alcauskas says having a guest curator brought essential outside perspective to the exhibition, which will help inform how African art is incorporated into the museum's permanent collection reinstallation.Meet Me at the Chazen is a podcast about the the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Chazen Museum of Art, the largest collecting museum in the Big Te...2023-12-0714 min
Meet Me at the ChazenInsistent Presence: Giulia PaolettiSend us a TextHost Gianofer Fields and art history scholar Giulia Paoletti discuss the history of photography in Senegal, its meaning as a medium used in everyday life, and its use by a range of artists. Paoletti highlights the practice of xoymet, the creation of photo walls for weddings, and the work of artists like Ibrahima Thiam, who have reworked the historical tradition in new ways.Meet Me at the Chazen is a podcast about the the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Chazen Museum of Art, the largest collecting museum in the Big Ten. As we...2023-11-3020 min
Meet Me at the ChazenInsistent Presence: Margaret Nagawa, Part 3Send us a TextAfter an interruption, Host Gianofer Fields and guest curator Margaret Nagawa finish their walkthrough of the Insistent Presence exhibition. Touching on themes of memory and movement, they discuss works by artists like Khaled Ben Slimane, Moataz Nasr, and El Loko, noting how they deeply evoke humanity without needing physical representation of the body. Meet Me at the Chazen is a podcast about the the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Chazen Museum of Art, the largest collecting museum in the Big Ten. As we report what’s happening here, we'll also explore what it me...2023-11-1638 min
Meet Me at the ChazenInsistent Presence: Moving 'Exodus'Send us a TextHost Gianofer Fields puts you in the middle of moving a work of art that is a centerpiece of the Insistent Presence exhibition: Exodus by Barthélémy Toguo, a work that comments on the movement of people throughout Africa. Listen for the hiss of the tire pump, the squeaky wheels, and the groans of the Chazen's freight elevator (which, it turns out, has a name).Meet Me at the Chazen is a podcast about the the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Chazen Museum of Art, the largest collecting museum in the Big...2023-11-0922 min
Meet Me at the ChazenInsistent Presence: Margaret Nagawa, Part 2Send us a TextHost Gianofer Fields revisits the Insistent Presence exhibition gallery with guest curator Margaret Nagawa, getting behind Nagawa's color choices, use of space, and the art groupings that help gallery viewers forge connections between North America and the African continent.Meet Me at the Chazen is a podcast about the the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Chazen Museum of Art, the largest collecting museum in the Big Ten. As we report what’s happening here, we'll also explore what it means to be an art museum at a public university and how a...2023-11-0235 min
Meet Me at the ChazenInsistent Presence: Serubiri MosesSend us a TextUgandan curator Serubiri Moses and Host Gianofer Fields discuss the work of two South African photographic artists a generation apart: Santu Mofokeng, whose Black Photo Album debuted at second Johannesburg Biennial, and Lebohang Kganye, whose work appears in the Chazen's current exhibition Insistent Presence. Meet Me at the Chazen is a podcast about the the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Chazen Museum of Art, the largest collecting museum in the Big Ten. As we report what’s happening here, we'll also explore what it means to be an art museum at a pub...2023-10-2645 min
Meet Me at the ChazenInsistent Presence: Nana Yaw OduroSend us a TextAs a boy growing up, Ghanaian visual artist Nana Yaw Oduro knew his view of the world was different. "I used to ask myself, Why? Why me? Why? Why am I like strange? Why am I an artist? Because I don't think I chose it." He talks with host Gianofer Fields about how his life experiences have led to the recurring themes of identity, masculinity, and self-acceptance that show up in his work.Meet Me at the Chazen is a podcast about the the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Chazen Mu...2023-10-1939 min
Meet Me at the ChazenInsistent Presence: Léonard PongoSend us a TextBelgian-Congolese photographer Léonard Pongo trained as a journalist but soon realized the images he wanted to make went beyond mere documentation. Host Gianofer Fields talks with Pongo about his series, The Uncanny, his family's role in his art, and his choice to work in black and white. Pongo's book The Uncanny is now available.Meet Me at the Chazen is a podcast about the the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Chazen Museum of Art, the largest collecting museum in the Big Ten. As we report what’s happening here, we'll also explo...2023-10-1248 min