MadArt at the University of Washington

Posted on August 22, 2014, 9:00 am
5 mins

Slide

An exciting opportunity was just released for promotion by the Henry Art Gallery. Be sure to add this stellar event to your calendars!

The press release is available below–courtesy of the Henry Art Gallery.


 

This fall, MadArt will turn the University of Washington campus into Seattle’s most expansive art gallery.  From September 13 through October 25, the local arts organization, in association with ArtsUW, will present “Mad Campus,” an outdoor public art exhibition that spans approximately 2 ½ miles and encourages visitors to discover art in unexpected places.

The exhibition will feature 12 large-scale, temporary, site-specific works inspired by their locations, from hidden nooks to well-frequented vistas. The project is the brainchild of Alison Milliman (BA – art history, University of Washington), founder of MadArt, a privately funded organization dedicated to supporting emerging artists and sharing their work in unexpected settings. Milliman and MadArt director Tim Detweiler, working closely with UW staff and faculty, identified potential campus locations for art and invited several dozen artists to develop proposals. From this group, 13 Pacific Northwest artists were selected to create temporary installations, including eight UW alumni and one current undergraduate.

Students in the UW School of Art + Art History + Design are participating in Mad Campus as assistants for Mad Campus artists during construction of their pieces, as designers of print and online materials, as docents for Mad Campus tours, and by documenting the artists’ creative process through a video project. Autumn quarter, several School of Art courses will integrate Mad Campus into their curricula. “It’s a great opportunity for our students to get a close-up view of the entire process behind the creation and installation of a dozen unique sculptures on their own campus,” says Jamie Walker, director of the School of Art + Art History + Design.

There are a variety of ways the public can engage with the exhibition, including:

  • Mad Campus

September 13 – October 25 | UW Seattle Campus

The exhibition is open every day and free for the public to come and explore.

  • Mad Campus Art Walk Hosted by Arts Dawgs

September 28, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. | Starting in Red Square

A free, family-friendly way to experience the campus-wide exhibit—meet the artists behind the artwork, take guided tours, enjoy snacks, swag, activities and more!

  • W-Day

October 24 | Red Square

Your last chance to tour the exhibition before it ends! Plus, celebrate Husky Pride and the founding of the University of Washington with a half-day of activities.

Milliman and Detweiler are thrilled that the artists and artworks will reach such a diverse audience. “It’s not just the art crowd that will be seeing these works,” says Detweiler. “It will be business majors and psychology majors and all the rest. Everyone will be bumping into these pieces all over campus. Once their interest is piqued, our hope is that they continue to explore.”

Maps for the exhibit will be available online and at the UW Visitors Center. For more about Mad Campus, including upcoming student-led tours, visit the MadArt website at madartseattle.com.For more information about the Mad Campus Art Walk, visit artsuw.org/artsdawgs

About MadArt
Alison Milliman first conceived of MadArt while living for a year in Melbourne, Australia. In Melbourne, she discovered a lively street art scene filled with emerging artists, whose works were often down alleys and in unusual parts of the city. In visiting these locations, her interest in emerging artists, and the joy of finding art in unexpected places, began to form the core of MadArt’s mission. After returning to the States, Milliman founded MadArt with a keen desire to rethink how and where we view art in our communities, exploring the idea of creating opportunities to see artwork outside the familiar venues. In 2009, the first show, The Window Art Project was exhibited in Madison Park, Seattle, WA. Since then, MadArt has produced two other exhibits, Art in the Park (2010) and Mad Homes (2011), and opened the MadArt space in South Lake Union where large scale artwork is created and the process can be viewed by the public.

 

Claire Reiner is a writer, artist and recent graduate from the University of Washington’s School of Art with a major in Art History. She is interested in recent art movements and subcultures (1950s, 60s, 70s) and how they have shaped present perceptions and practices of art. She grew up in Southern California and moved to Seattle in 2010. She is quite influenced by the unique geography of both places and enjoys hiking and exploring the Pacific Northwest. Reiner covers visual art exhibits in Seattle and seeks to contribute to a profound and positive artistic community, as well as encourage people to come out and experience art moments for themselves. Reiner is also the Executive Assistant for VanguardSeattle and handles any press related needs.