From the Chair

Apr 30, 2018 | Essay, From the Chair

While I remember where and when I came to possess most of my books and other written and printed ephemera, there are some that I simply cannot recall the path by which they came to be on my shelf. Often, like in this moment, I look for a book that I know I have but...
Belly up to the… museum? by Michael Muckian

Belly up to the… museum? by Michael Muckian

Apr 26, 2018 | News

Tap into any beer-fueled conversation and a variety of barroom philosophies may emerge. Chances are the ideas of Sir Thomas More won’t be among them. But More’s philosophy of civic responsibility and social discourse outlined in his 1516 satire Utopia is a driving...
Switched-on art by Jeff Miller

Switched-on art by Jeff Miller

Apr 24, 2018 | News

Neon has come a long way since the days when its typical use was for signs with succinct messages such as “EAT.” The 2018 Neon Light Show, held in the UW Stock Pavilion on April 21, included glass sculptures and artwork created by more than 45 artists from UW–Madison,...

From the Chair

Apr 23, 2018 | Essay, From the Chair

As spring began this past weekend I was burning off a part of my garden and, in a momentary lapse of focus, the flame from my asparagus patch bit me and quickly regained my attention. The scent of my own burnt hair stayed with me all day, reminding me how important it...

From the Chair

Apr 16, 2018 | Essay, From the Chair

Art, like life, is full of recurring themes, variations on historical models and thematic evolutions. Those moments that create iconic visual images or objects are the very stuff of ephemerality; they are gaussian and recurring, yes, however the dependability of when...