With the generous support of the Robert and Judith Atlas Family Foundation, the Chazen has launched the Jeannette K. Goldenson Student Program Series, a new initiative which will make the museum’s student-centered events even more accessible and welcoming across the university. The related programs will reflect the creative spirit of its namesake—a woman whose life bridged art, music, literature, and an enduring love for Wisconsin.
Jeannette K. Goldenson, the namesake of the museum’s student programming.
Born October 5, 1907, in Chicago, Goldenson lived her entire life in the city but formed a deep connection to Wisconsin through her brother’s farm in Cambridge, where she created much of her artwork. As her granddaughter, Karen Ver Voort, shares, the farm was “her rural happy place.”
A watercolorist who began painting in her fifties, Goldenson created award-winning works—many inspired by Cambridge—that remain cherished by her family. But her talents stretched far beyond painting. She was a musician and also wrote poetry. Before turning to visual art, Goldenson was a professional dancer in Chicago and even, in a now-rare performance art, a professional whistler.
Her curiosity and courage were lifelong. In the 1950s, she took an unconventional path at the time, leaving Chicago for a semester at the University of Colorado in her late 40s Reflecting on her grandmother’s legacy, Ver Voort recalls, “She taught us all not to be afraid.”
Though not a teacher by profession, Goldenson shared what she learned with others, encouraging them to embrace new experiences. “She would have absolutely loved making a museum feel welcoming to everyone, even people who maybe at some point thought museums are for other people,” said Ver Voort. “If anything, she lived with joy in the world, joy and connectedness.”
Jessie, a Maltese-mix dog with Dogs on Call gets pets from student Grace Ruo during Study Day at the Chazen Museum of Art (Photo by Althea Dotzour / UW–Madison)
The family’s decision to honor their matriarch through student-centered programming at the Chazen came naturally. Ver Voort and her husband are UW–Madison alumni, as is one of their children, and the Cambridge connection made the museum a fitting partner. “We thought, you know, what would be a good way to honor her, that my mother would love? Things that welcome students from everywhere and every type of background—I think she would have adored it,” Ver Voort said.
For Berit Ness, the Chazen’s chief engagement officer, the initiative is a natural fit. “The Jeannette K. Goldenson Student Program Series will allow us to enhance our signature student events, like Back to School Bash and Study Day, while expanding and enriching other student offerings over the next several years,” Ness said. “It’s a meaningful way to connect students to the museum and to each other.”
Students enjoy arts and crafts at the Chazen’s annual Back to School Bash event.
Goldenson passed away on March 26, 1988, remaining, as Ver Voort recalls, “lucid and sharp and funny until the day she died.” Decades later, her family continues to feel connected to her through her art. “It’s like you’re looking through her eyes,” said Ver Voort. “This is a tribute to her—and that’s where we want the focus to be.”