One mid-September night in 2013, Paul Baker Prindle hovered close to a series of his photographs, “Memento Mori,” which had been chosen for the Wisconsin Triennial out of more than 500 applicants.

The Triennial, a wide-ranging exhibition of new work held every three years at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA), is a big deal for Wisconsin artists, particularly those who are earlier in their careers or from outside major metros.

But “I didn’t get to meet any of the other artists,” Baker Prindle recalled. “You get stuck by your work. All your friends and supporters come out, and you try to move, and you just can’t … I didn’t even eat that night.”

Baker Prindle has used that experience, among others, to inform the 2025 Wisconsin Triennial, which he now oversees as MMoCA’s director.

The final selection of 24 artists who will show about 50 works in the Triennial was announced in mid-January. The show opens May 2 and will run through the summer at 227 State St. The museum, which is free to visit, hopes the exhibition will draw crowds from the farmer’s market, Taste of Madison and more.

Baker Prindle was named head of the museum last spring. He started work on the 2025 Triennial almost immediately.

“My charge was twofold,” he said. “One, let’s return to the Triennial model that everybody knows and loves, which is an open call. Everyone who wants to apply can apply, and we will look at least once at every single application.