The university may bring artists here, but it’s the community they find that makes them stay.
The four artists in this week’s cover story — 4D grad student Anwar Floyd-Pruitt, queer artist and educator Alaura Borealis, new photography professor Tomiko Jones and painter/entrepreneur Evan Gruzis — are all relatively new to Madison’s art scene.
But while they all have some connection to UW-Madison’s Art Department, none of them have confined their work only to campus. They offer a glimpse of what art in Madison looks like in 2018, and how it could evolve if the resources and community they find here prompts them to stay.
“It’s the perks of a larger city in a smaller format,” said Max Pulchalsky, who with his partner Simone Doing is part of the artistic duo Simone and Max. “You can go to MMoCA and Overture Center and see national, international quality exhibitions and programming and performances. Beyond that, it’s the quality of life that will draw anyone … being in a city but having close access to natural spaces.”