Chazen Museum of Art

Chazen Museum of Art Free and open to all, the Chazen Museum of Art is located on the UW–Madison campus. Copyright for some images is maintained by artists or their estates.

The Chazen Museum of Art is a valued resource, presenting a significant permanent collection, compelling temporary exhibitions, and innovative programming. The museum, on the UW-Madison campus, offers something new and extraordinary every visit. In such cases, please obtain permission for reproduction directly from the artists or their representatives. All images published by the Chazen Museum of

Art are for noncommercial, educational, and/or personal use only. The museum loves to hear from you - here's a quick note on posting and commenting. This page is an open forum where anyone is welcome to contribute, but please be aware that offensive, defamatory, obscene or harassing comments or personal attacks are not tolerated. Posts unrelated to the collections and exhibitions of the museum, especially for any commercial purpose, may be deleted. Unsolicited contributions are not generally accepted via social media. Please visit our website to contact the appropriate staff person. The UW-Madison social media statement can be found here:
https://www.wisc.edu/social-media-statement/?fbclid=IwAR2ljzxvRB7Js_SiRqjjGgOAGaObI-pooAKfrQfGzaIfVdZQM71wNmrfuxM

Happy birthday to Harvey Littleton, who was born on this day in 1922 in Corning, NY, the son of a physicist and executiv...
06/14/2026

Happy birthday to Harvey Littleton, who was born on this day in 1922 in Corning, NY, the son of a physicist and executive at Corning Glass Works. As a boy, Littleton would sometimes go to the factory on Saturdays and was allowed to experiment with melting glass in his father's laboratory. He went on to found the nation's first university glass program at UW–Madison and is considered a pioneer of the American studio glass movement.

We're lucky to have 33 of Littleton's works in the collection. This one, 'Red Squared Descending Form,' will be the focus of a new gallery devoted to glass artworks.

See it when we reopen in the fall!
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Harvey K. Littleton (American, 1922–2013), Red Squared Descending Form, 1982, barium/potash glass with multiple cased overlays of Kugler colors, 12 x 9 1/4 x 5 in., gift of Simona and Jerome Chazen, 2000.77.

June marks the 159th birthday of iconic Wisconsin-born architect Frank Lloyd Wright. To celebrate, here’s a look at a sp...
06/11/2026

June marks the 159th birthday of iconic Wisconsin-born architect Frank Lloyd Wright. To celebrate, here’s a look at a special Wright project currently in the works at the Chazen!

The biggest Wright fans know that he designed custom frames for his personal collection of prints. Even to the novice art historian, these frames are distinctly FLW, reflecting the Prairie Style of his architecture.

As we dreamt up new ways to present our permanent collection, we reached out to the Taliesin Preservation and the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, who became essential research partners and granted permission to recreate Wright’s wooden frame in our fabrication shop.

Aside from a few adjustments that will allow museum staff to safely remove and replace prints, this frame will give visitors the opportunity to view Wright’s work just as it would have appeared in his personal collection! See it on display this fall–along with prints that he previously owned–when our galleries reopen to the public.

Transformation loading… 📦🖼️While our galleries are closed to the public this summer, a hardworking team of prep staff ha...
06/03/2026

Transformation loading… 📦🖼️
While our galleries are closed to the public this summer, a hardworking team of prep staff has been busy moving and installing hundreds of objects. Swipe for a behind-the-scenes look at the Chazen like you’ve never seen it before! ➡️

06/02/2026

This is what you expect to see in Socialist Realist paintings: heroic workers using their brute strength for the good of the nation. But Nikolai Dormidontov chose to emphasize strong geometric forms and the overall scene of this massive dam project instead.

See 'Five Year Plan' in the Elvehjem Building's Fourth Floor Gallery when we reopen in the fall!
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Nikolai Dormidontov (Russian, 1898–1962), Five Year Plan (Dnieperstroi), 1930, oil paint applied to canvas, 41 1/4 x 49 1/4 in., gift of Joseph E. Davies, 37.2.43.

Exciting news: the Chazen and the UW–Madison Art Department have been honored with a Student Affairs Partner Award! 🏆✨Th...
05/27/2026

Exciting news: the Chazen and the UW–Madison Art Department have been honored with a Student Affairs Partner Award! 🏆✨

The award highlights a fantastic team effort from this past semester. The annual Panczenko Prize program co-run by the Chazen and the Art Department usually grants one talented MFA student a solo exhibition right here at the Chazen. However, needing an alternate gallery space for Spring 2026, we reached out to our friends at the Memorial Union. After the student art committee voted in favor, we partnered with union students and staff and the Art Department to successfully mount the exhibition in the union's Main Gallery.

We're so proud of this award, especially because it celebrates the true spirit of campus collaboration!

📸 Pictured here accepting the honors are Chazen Chief Curator Katherine Alcauskas and Art Department Chair Leslie Smith III.

The Chazen Museum of Art's building and café are closed today as we pause to honor and remember the brave women and men ...
05/25/2026

The Chazen Museum of Art's building and café are closed today as we pause to honor and remember the brave women and men who gave everything in service to our country. Wishing everyone a meaningful Memorial Day.

🎓Chazen Senior Spotlight🎓 Congratulations to Lily Adams, our student registrar's assistant, who graduated this spring! T...
05/21/2026

🎓Chazen Senior Spotlight🎓 Congratulations to Lily Adams, our student registrar's assistant, who graduated this spring! Today is her last day working before she heads off to Washington, D.C. for the summer. Lily says:

"I was very excited to start working at the Chazen Museum of Art as a registrar’s assistant in the summer after my freshman year in 2023! Before working at the Chazen, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in a museum, but I didn’t know much about all the different paths you could take. After taking part in lots of different projects here, I knew this was the career for me! As a collections registration assistant, I do condition reports for incoming artwork, clean and dust artwork in the galleries, edit artwork photography, and record information such as artwork measurements or keywords into the museum’s database. My work here provided me with valuable experience that led me to an internship this summer at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.! This fall, I will start the Masters of Library and Information Studies program here at Madison and will also continue working at the Chazen through grad school. I'm so happy I can continue growing my career skills here at the Chazen!"

Chazen Registrar Andrea Selbig is delighted Lily will be returning. "Lily has been such a treat to have on the Chazen collections team," she says. "She jumps into every task with enthusiasm and genuine curiosity. Her work ethic is exceptional, and she’s sure to thrive in her museum career. I’m thrilled the Chazen is a part of her journey!"

UW-Madison School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences

05/20/2026

📢Hey Students, the Chazen is hiring! 📢Come work with us in visitor services, events, our study rooms—or be a museum guide. Deadlines range from May 24 to June 5.

Just go to studentjobs.hr.wisc.edu and type "Chazen"!

05/19/2026

🔊FINAL WEEK | Infrastructure Bodies/Injury Systems: An Exhibition by Anne E. Stoner🔊

See and hear the 2026 Panczenko MFA Prize exhibition at Memorial Union's Main Gallery (second floor) through Friday!

Details: https://loom.ly/lAO2cXA

UW-Madison Art Department

05/14/2026

🚧How it started (2023) ... and how it's going (2026)🎉
The Chazen's Elvehjem Building has finally emerged from behind the scaffolding to reveal new exterior and interior renovations—just part of the Chazen's complete reimagining and reinstallation of its collection. Learn why Chazen Director Amy Gilman says these projects "will help keep the Chazen’s collection accessible, safe, and enjoyable for many more years to come.”

🔗Link in the comments ⬇️

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750-800 University Avenue
Madison, WI
53706

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Monday 10am - 7pm
Tuesday 10am - 7pm
Wednesday 10am - 7pm
Thursday 10am - 7pm
Friday 10am - 7pm
Saturday 11am - 5pm
Sunday 11am - 5pm

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