About the Chazen
The Chazen Museum of Art makes its home between two lakes on the beautiful campus of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Within walking distance of the state capitol, it sits squarely in the heart of a vibrant college town. Within the Chazen’s 176,000 square feet of museum space is a collection of approximately 25,000 works of art covering diverse historical periods, cultures and geographic locations, from ancient Greece, Western Europe and the Soviet Empire to Moghul India, 18th-century Japan and modern Africa.
Diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion are essential to the Chazen’s mission.
History
The Chazen Museum of Art opened in 1970 as the Elvehjem Art Center to further the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s mission of education, research, and public service. In 1978 it became the Elvehjem Museum of Art, and in 2005, in honor of a lead gift toward expansion, was renamed the Chazen Museum of Art. The expansion opened in October 2011, doubling the size of the museum. The new building is joined to the Conrad A. Elvehjem building by a dramatic and functional bridge gallery. The Elvehjem Building is named for the president of the UW–Madison from 1958 to 1962.
Mission
We collect, preserve, interpret, and exhibit works of art and present related educational programs in support of the teaching, research, and public service mission of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. We do this because the visual arts enrich individual human experience and because knowledge of art is essential to understanding diverse cultures, past and present.
Student Engagement
Chazen Museum of Art Student Ambassadors recognize and support the value of the Chazen Museum of Art by connecting students with the museum. Ambassadors advise Chazen leadership on student and community centered initiatives, and support activities hosted by the museum. The Chazen Ambassadors are committed to continuing education and appreciation for the visual arts for their members and all UW–Madison students. They host events for students at the museum and plan unique experiences for their members to further engage with the museum’s collection*. Ambassador activities have included Late Night at the Museum, Swing Dance Night, Valentine Tours, Trivia Night, Flashlight Tours and Back to School Bash. To join the Chazen Museum of Art Student Ambassadors, request membership through the Wisconsin Involvement Network .
Institutional Statement on Diversity
Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW–Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.
The University of Wisconsin–Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background—people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.
Land acknowledgment
The University of Wisconsin–Madison occupies ancestral Ho-Chunk land, a place their nation has called Teejop (day-JOPE) since time immemorial.
In an 1832 treaty, the Ho-Chunk were forced to cede this territory.
Decades of ethnic cleansing followed when both the federal and state government repeatedly, but unsuccessfully, sought to forcibly remove the Ho-Chunk from Wisconsin.
This history of colonization informs our shared future of collaboration and innovation.
Today, UW–Madison respects the inherent sovereignty of the Ho-Chunk Nation, along with the eleven other First Nations of Wisconsin.
Publications and media
Books, catalogues, videos, and the podcast.
Exhibition Proposals
The Chazen Museum’s exhibition program is determined by the Museum’s Chief Curator in concert with the Director and is planned two to three years in advance. When assessing exhibition proposals, consideration is given to the academic nature of the exhibition, the feasibility for the Museum to facilitate the exhibition, those exhibitions that already appear on the exhibition schedule, and the cost required to host the exhibition.
Conservation and Valuation Information
The Chazen Museum of Art is approached occasionally to render appraisals; however, University of Wisconsin policy does not permit this activity by staff members. While we cannot endorse or recommend the service of an appraiser, we provide this list of local appraisers.