Location: Arts + Literature Laboratory, 111 S Livingston St, Madison, WI

ALL proudly presents Things Pile Up by Noël Ash, recipient of the 2020 ALL Prize, awarded each year to outstanding graduating MFA students from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. On view from September 12 through October 31, 2020, Things Pile Up is an exhibition of oil paintings focusing on scenes of everyday life and parenthood—sinks piled with dirty dishes, kitchens crowded with the aftermath of quotidian chores. In setting her eye on the banality of the kitchen, Ash consciously elevates it to the level of consideration that oil painting has historically insisted on. Ash’s muted jewel toned palette and loose brushstrokes reveal the beauty that resides mostly unseen within the mundane, even when it threatens to overwhelm.

Noël Ash is one of two 2020 Arts + Literature Laboratory Prize winners. A local Madison community-driven contemporary non-profit arts organization, the ALL provides the visual, literary, music and performing arts that presents over 200 events per year, mostly free or low-cost, and year-round arts education for all ages, working to make the arts more accessible and sustainable in our community.

The annual ALL Prize exhibition award is given to one or more graduating MFA candidates from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, selected by members of the ALL curatorial board. The prizewinner’s MFA thesis exhibition is shown at ALL, and the prizewinner receives a $1,000 stipend to assist with exhibition expenses and installation provided by the Art Department.