Photo by Peter Kleppin

After four long years, the lattice of scaffolding obscuring the Chazen Museum of Art’s Conrad J. Elvehjem Building has finally come down. A trained eye might notice that the exterior stone cladding looks new, but other than that, it would seem not much has changed. In fact, the opposite is true.

As it turns out, this much-needed exterior construction is only part of an ongoing, large-scale reimagining of the museum’s permanent collection that will shift the way patrons experience the Chazen into the future.

The extensive renovation project in the older of the museum’s two buildings, the Elvehjem, unfolded behind scaffolding, inside the building’s walls and on its roof and skylight systems. It involved thousands of work hours, tons of materials, and highly specialized knowledge and craftsmanship, all resulting in improved energy efficiency and climate control. These improvements make the Elvehjem a more temperate place for the Chazen’s galleries and visitors, as well as the academic faculty, staff, and students who rely on the building.

The nuts and bolts of the construction project may not be flashy, but they’re critical.

“On the outside, the changes are so subtle visitors may not be able to put their finger on precisely what’s been done,” says Chazen Director Amy Gilman. “While the newly reinstalled galleries on the inside will be more noticeably different to visitors, it’s actually both things — exterior and interior — that together will help keep the Chazen’s collection accessible, safe, and enjoyable for many more years to come.”

The four-foot-tall plywood fence surrounding the construction site of the Elvehjem Art Center, splashed with student musings and advertisements for co-ops. (Courtesy of UW Archives)

Building on history

When the Elvehjem was conceived fifty-some years ago, supporters were more focused on the visible parts of the building. Unfortunately, this would lead to some structural challenges in the future.

According to A Century of Capricious Collecting, a monograph on the museum’s history by Professor Emeritus of Art History James Watrous, supporters wanted more than a university building. They wanted a museum worthy of the university’s growing art collection and the generosity of its patrons. Concerned about the building’s aesthetics, they were relieved when the state appointed noted architect Harry Weese of Chicago, who also designed the Elvehjem’s next door neighbor, the Mosse Humanities Building.

At the time, Weese had a thriving firm, having landed numerous large projects including the lauded Washington, D.C., metro system. Five preliminary designs for the Elvehjem were rejected, but Watrous writes that the “ingenious designer … developed a personal interest in the art center. One evening when a small group was assembled at the State Architect’s office, Weese led a brainstorming session from which the sixth and basic design of the Elvehjem evolved.”

The building opened as the Elvehjem Art Center on Sept. 12, 1970. (It became the Elvehjem Museum of Art in 1978, and in 2005, in honor of a lead gift toward expansion into two buildings, was renamed the Chazen Museum of Art.)  The original building’s exterior echoed some of the Brutalist elements of the neighboring Humanities building, but with more refinement. Instead of dominant concrete, it featured a type of dolomitic limestone cladding known as Lannon stone, mined from quarries around the village of Lannon, just west of Milwaukee. The building also had extensive sloped skylights and a copper mansard roof. Inside, two floors of galleries and a mezzanine surrounded a central courtyard clad in porous travertine limestone, and an atrium extending up to the building’s pyramidal skylights.

Addressing hidden areas for improvement

Within its walls, however, the building had minimal insulation, no vapor barrier, and large air gaps between its exterior stone cladding and concrete block inner structure. Given Wisconsin’s extreme summer-to-winter temperature swings, humidity and temperature control were ongoing issues. The skylights and the recessed drain systems on the roof began leaking, creating significant challenges to protecting the art in the galleries.

“It looked like the walls were weeping,” says Lindsay Grinstead, the Chazen’s chief of staff and liaison to the renovation, of the drip marks visible on the gallery walls where the lack of insulation was trapping moisture behind the paint.

Chazen staff had been making a case for renovating the Elvehjem for some time. In March 2022, during inspection of several university building exteriors, engineers found significant issues with the Elvehjem’s stone cladding. Safety officials closed the building’s entrances and put up fences “out of an abundance of caution,” according to a university statement at the time. Access to the building was limited to the third-floor bridge connecting the Elvehjem to the Chazen building until protective scaffolding around the facility was installed.

Construction fencing is erected around the Conrad A. Elvehjem Building exterior at the University of Wisconsin–Madison at dusk on March 14, 2022. Photo by Jeff Miller / UW–Madison

An evolving project

Construction on the renovation project began in 2023. UW–Madison Facilities Planning and Management staff managed the project from the university side, with McGowan Architecture of Madison as the primary architect. And since the Elvehjem is on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Bascom Hill Historic District, a historic preservation architect was also involved, along with consultants in masonry and other specialties.

Building Envelope Professionals Group of Oregon used drone-based, 3D cameras and modeling technology to conduct initial visual assessments of the cladding. Combined with thorough manual inspection and laboratory tests, they graded the condition of each stone and determined it all needed to be replaced. Building Restoration Corporation handled the exterior stone removal and replacement, as well as installation of vapor barriers and insulation.

Grinstead says there were manufacturing delays with stone suppliers, along with quality control and color-matching issues. “They created a sorting system and the architects practically had to hand-select every stone,” she says.

On the roof, workers removed the sloped stone and added vapor barriers and insulation before recovering it with new stone.  They removed and replaced copper gutters, sloped skylights, and flat sections of the roof that were previously covered by copper.

After work was completed on the roof, the Elvehjem began experiencing a new set of water leaks where there hadn’t been any before. Grinstead says the leaks prompted a redesign of the roof’s drain system, additional engineering reviews, and custom fabrication of unique components by local plumbing contractor H.J. Pertzborn.

The final major piece of the puzzle was removing and replacing the building’s leaking pyramidal skylights. The new skylights were designed, fabricated, and installed by Madison’s Lake City Glass in Spring 2026.

Now, with the project largely wrapped up, it’s the less noticeable things that will be bearing fruit for the art collection and visitors for years to come. Visitors may not be able to detect the more consistent temperature and humidity levels in the galleries, but it matters.

“That’s the hard part about it,” Grinstead says. “A lot goes into creating a proper environment for the collection that you can’t see. But for the patrons and the objects on display, that’s often the most important part.”

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MADISON, Wis. — Constellations of artworks across time, media and cultures highlight common connections in a complete reinstallation of the permanent collection at the Chazen Museum of Art at the University of Wisconsin–Madison (UW–Madison). Debuting in the fall, the reimagined presentation unfolds across twenty-four gallery spaces, each anchored by a deeply researched focus object that invites close looking and layered interpretation. The reinstallation will also mark the reopening of the Chazen’s Elvehjem building, which has been closed for renovation since 2023.

Planning for the ambitious transformation began several years ago, as curators and subject matter experts undertook a deep exploration of the more than 25,000 artworks in the Chazen’s care. The collection, ranging from studio glass and figurative ceramics to modern Midwest painting and Japanese woodcuts, has been reconsidered through a lens that emphasizes making connections between art and daily life.

“The reinstallation allows us to showcase the strengths of the Chazen Museum of Art collection while offering a more enriching and holistic museum experience for our visitors,” said Amy Gilman, director of the Chazen Museum of Art and senior director for the arts and media at UW–Madison. “With the reinstallation, we hope to give visitors control of the rhythm of their journey and the confidence to choose their own path through the space and discover what resonates most with them.”

The reinstallation is rooted in visitor experience. Museum staff have incorporated research on how audiences engage with art — from how long guests linger to contemplate works to the amount of time spent reading and responding to interpretive text. Carefully considering what makes museums special alongside elements that might intimidate visitors, the Chazen team has worked to create an environment that will speak to a wide range of perspectives.

While the overall aesthetic of the galleries will feel familiar, visitors will notice a subtle but meaningful shift toward more intuitive, engaging encounters with art. Thoughtful design choices such as color palettes, materials, and seating support sustained looking and reflection, encouraging seamless interactions with objects and their accompanying labels. Chazen exhibition staff in collaboration with outside designers have developed gallery environments that complement the artworks while encouraging visitors to move fluidly through the renewed spaces.

“This reinstallation is a chance to rethink how a permanent collection can be experienced,” said Kate Wanberg, exhibition and collection project manager at the Chazen. “By aligning design, interpretation and visitor flow, we’re creating a flexible framework that feels welcoming while allowing individual objects to spark curiosity and engagement.”

The Chazen team took a collaborative approach from the start, leveraging its position as a museum embedded in a leading research university. The institution invited input from UW–Madison faculty, staff, and students across diverse fields—from history and religion to material sciences and studio art—to guide its reinstallation. Focus objects were selected and developed through proposals and conversations involving curators; UW–Madison graduate students, faculty, staff, and instructors; and community members.

With plans to continue gathering feedback through observation and surveys after the reinstallation opens, input from the community continues to be a vital throughline of the project. This flexible approach allows the museum to evolve over time, incorporating new research, perspectives and acquisitions while remaining responsive to its visitors.

“Placing focus objects at the center of each gallery allows us to build meaning outward from individual artworks,” said Katherine Alcauskas, the Chazen’s chief curator who is overseeing the reinstallation. “By stepping away from traditional hierarchies, we can highlight unexpected treasures from our collection and provide fresh entry points for visitors to discover future favorites and engage with original scholarship.”

Sam Gilliam (American, 1933 – 2022), Pink Flutter, 1969, acrylic on canvas, 107 x 86 x 2 1/4 in., gift of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Gross, 1982.43

Among the featured works is Sam Gilliam’s Pink Flutter, (1969), a focus object slated for Gallery 17. A vibrant cascade of color and texture, the painting was created by folding and crumpling a still-wet canvas and leaving it overnight, allowing chance to interact with the artist’s guiding vision in determining its final composition. When unfolded, it reveals a mirrored pattern reminiscent of a Rorschach inkblot test. Mounted on a beveled stretcher that gives it sculptural presence, Pink Flutter challenges the boundaries of traditional painting. Created the same year as the first moon landing, the work evokes a sense of weightlessness, catapulting viewers from the familiar into a world of the artist’s creation.

John Steuart Curry (American, 1897–1946), Wisconsin Farm Scene, 1941, oil on canvas, 88 7/8 x 97 in., gift of First National Bank and First Wisconsin Corporation, 1985.319

In Gallery 11, John Steuart Curry’s Wisconsin Farm Scene (1941) serves as a focal point for exploring the Wisconsin Idea, a guiding principle of UW–Madison since the early twentieth century that insists that education should influence people’s lives beyond the boundaries of the classroom. Curry’s idealized landscape reflects both the harmony between nature and the state’s rural residents as well as the influence of scientific research on local agriculture, with careful depictions of pastures and fields shaped by advances in crop rotation and soil management. Created during his tenure as artist-in-residence at the university’s School of Agriculture, the painting embodies the mutually beneficial relationship between the arts, education and rural communities. Additional works in the gallery reflect the people, landscapes, cities and farms as well as the interests and values of past and present Wisconsinites.

A very different perspective on art and daily life emerges in Gallery 2 with the York Minster Jug, a nineteeth-century factory-made ceramic vessel that unites modern industry with a nostalgia for Britain’s medieval Christian past. Its sculptural surface features pointed arches, slender columns and religious imagery, reflecting a time period when mass-produced objects carried both aesthetic and cultural meaning. Newly accessible to a growing middle class, such commodities helped shape public taste while anxieties over rapid modernization fueled a romanticization of Gothic art and architecture.

The object-centered approach builds on earlier initiatives such as re:mancipation, a multi-year project that reframed a single artwork from the Chazen’s collection as a catalyst to prompt dialogue and navigate complex issues.

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Chazen Museum of Art curator Erica DiBenedetto, Ph.D.
Photo by Marcin J. Muchalski, Diamond Shot Studio

MADISON, Wis. — The Chazen Museum of Art at the University of Wisconsin–Madison (UW–Madison) has named Erica DiBenedetto, Ph.D., as its new curator. DiBenedetto will advance the Museum’s commitment to scholarship and global representation by stewarding approximately 10,000 objects in the Chazen’s collection of paintings, sculpture, glass, ceramics and multi-media works. She will also guide student research and hire and mentor undergraduate and graduate students at UW–Madison. Her appointment begins April 6.

“As the Chazen Museum of Art embarks on a transformative reinstallation of the permanent collection, Erica DiBenedetto’s oversight of the Chazen’s non-works on paper holdings will play a pivotal role in shaping a museum experience that is accessible, engaging and resonates with a global audience. Her expertise will advance new scholarship and illuminate fresh perspectives within the Chazen’s collection,” said Amy Gilman, director of the Chazen Museum of Art and senior director for the arts and media at UW–Madison.

DiBenedetto joins the Chazen Museum of Art from The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, where she served as a curatorial assistant and curatorial associate in the department of painting and sculpture. Her most recent work involved traveling to Algeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Zimbabwe to interview artists and access art collections and archives.  DiBenedetto says that experience sparked her interest in the Chazen’s Contemporary African Art Initiative, a five-year project that established a collection of over 45 works by 24 artists across 12 countries, including Senegal, Tunisia and Ethiopia. Supported largely by the Straus Family Foundation, the acquisitions build upon the Museum’s initial contemporary African holdings from the late 1990s.

“The Chazen Museum of Art’s commitment to contemporary African art initially drew me to this role. I quickly became enamored with how the Chazen inspires experimentation on campus and beyond. What excites me most about being part of a research university is the opportunity to collaborate with students and faculty across disciplines, helping the Museum be both a resource for the academic community as well as a site of learning and discovery for the community at large,” said DiBenedetto.

DiBenedetto looks forward to the upcoming reinstallation of the Chazen’s permanent collection to develop exhibitions and programs that prioritize close looking and spark curiosity about the wide range of artworks on view. Her aim is to continue to advance the Chazen’s goal to be a place that encourages reflection and inquiry while presenting new threads that connect artists and works across time and geographies.

“Art is full of ideas. It helps us think about the world in which we live and invites us to consider every detail — from the most mundane to the highly philosophical. The power of art lies in its ability to prompt conversation, and museums provide critical spaces for thinking and looking. I look forward to pairing my expertise with the Chazen’s efforts to foster an environment where visitors feel comfortable being curious,” said DiBenedetto.

At MoMA, DiBenedetto also assisted with an exhibition of hundreds of drawings by Ivorian artist Frédéric Bruly Bouabré and an exhibition of 19th-century objects related to Isaac Julien’s “Lessons of the Hour.” She is also a recognized expert on the artist Sol LeWitt, on whom she wrote her dissertation. In 2018, she was appointed as an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation museum research consortium fellow at MoMA. She was also a guest curator at Menil Drawing Institute in Houston; an intern at Princeton University Art Museum; a co-curator and director’s intern at Williams College Museum of Art in Massachusetts; and a departmental assistant at Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh. She also held instructional roles at Princeton University and Williams College.

“As a curator and scholar, Erica DiBenedetto bridges rigorous academic research with public-facing exhibition making. With teaching experience at Princeton University and at Williams College, she is exceptionally well positioned to collaborate with students and faculty and to bring new research directly into the Chazen’s galleries,” said Katherine Alcauskas, chief curator at the Chazen Museum of Art.

DiBenedetto holds doctoral and master’s degrees in art and archaeology from Princeton University, a master’s degree in the history of art from Williams College and a Bachelor of Humanities and Arts with a focus on aesthetics, culture and social process from Carnegie Mellon University. Her writing has been featured in numerous exhibition catalogs, essays and arts publications.

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In the news

Hyperallergic Art Movements 
Art Daily

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John Szarkowski, University of Wisconsin class of 1947; image: 1986; University of Wisconsin—Madison archives collections.

December 18, 2025 – The Chazen Museum of Art is delighted to announce a generous gift of twenty-eight photographs by celebrated photographer Irving Penn (1917–2009) from The Irving Penn Foundation in honor of John Szarkowski (1925–2007), a UW–Madison alumnus and former photography curator at the Museum of Modern Art.

The group of photographic prints curated by Van Vleck Curator of Works on Paper James R. Wehn, PhD, in collaboration with the foundation, represents a major addition to the Chazen’s collection, where it will augment existing holdings of photographs across multiple genres from the late 1930s to the turn of the twentieth century. The gift surveys Penn’s practice, from his earliest photographs to projects undertaken for Vogue magazine and his independent studio work.

“The Chazen is thrilled to receive this generous gift of photographs from The Irving Penn Foundation,” said Amy Gilman, Senior Director for the Arts and Media, Director of the Chazen Museum of Art. “It is precisely these types of deeply meaningful gifts which have transformed the museum’s collection time and time again, and we are honored to continue John Szarkowski’s legacy of sharing the brilliance of Irving Penn’s work. “

Szarkowski graduated from the UW in 1947 with a B.A. in art history. As Director of the Department of Photography at the Museum of Modern Art, 1962–1991, he played an influential role in establishing Penn as a fine art photographer, most notably in a major retrospective exhibition at MoMA in 1984.

“John Szarkowski looms large in the past century’s pantheon of photography figures, and today—on what would have been the esteemed curator’s 100th birthday—the foundation is pleased to announce this donation of Irving Penn works to the Chazen,” said Tom Penn, Executive Director of the foundation and the artist’s son. “Considering Szarkowski’s lifelong vocation as an educator and his ties to Wisconsin, we feel strongly that placing this group of my father’s photographs in the didactic collection of a teaching museum is an especially fitting way to commemorate the occasion. We’re delighted to partner with the Chazen in honoring Szarkowski, a pivotal champion of Penn’s artistic legacy.”

“These photographs will offer visitors and students insights into Penn’s career and artistic practice,” said Wehn. “Because many of these photographs relate to Penn’s commercial work for Vogue, they reflect aspects of twentieth-century American popular history and related visual culture. They also show Penn’s deep interest in mastering darkroom techniques that produced stunningly beautiful results.”

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Born in Plainfield, NJ, Irving Penn attended the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Arts (later University of the Arts), where he studied advertising design. In 1938, he purchased his first camera with earnings from drawings published in Harper’s Bazaar. After working in various art director jobs, Penn traveled in the American south and in Mexico, taking photographs while briefly aspiring to become a painter. In 1943, he took a position at Vogue magazine, where he worked as a photographer for seven decades. Throughout his career, Penn consistently redefined the photographic medium, blending artistic vision with technical mastery in fashion, portraiture, travel, and still life. Keenly interested in printing photographs, Penn experimented with methods that produced certain aesthetic effects or offered greater control over tonal variations, ultimately developing complex techniques for printing with palladium and platinum metals. He applied these innovations in bodies of work that leveraged his editorial and advertising skills while also advancing photography as a fine art.

ABOUT THE IRVING PENN FOUNDATION

The Irving Penn Foundation was established to promote knowledge and understanding of the artistic legacy of Irving Penn, including the diversity of techniques, mediums, and subject matter the artist explored.

In furtherance of this mission, the foundation’s objectives include preserving in excellent condition those works by Penn that are owned by the foundation; placing representative selections of Penn’s work in the permanent collections of major institutions around the world; serving as a resource for reliable and comprehensive information about the artist’s life and work; fostering high standards of quality in those publications that are authorized to reproduce the artist’s work; and encouraging individuals and institutions whose artistic and scholarly endeavors uphold Penn’s values and advance the mission of the foundation.

A SELECTION OF IMAGES GIVEN TO THE CHAZEN MUSEUM OF ART

All by Irving Penn, all a gift of The Irving Penn Foundation in celebration of the centennial of UW–Madison alumnus John Szarkowski.

Issey Miyake Lacquer Pleats (“Egyptian”), New York, 1990 | Platinum-palladium print © The Irving Penn Foundation

Carson McCullers, New York, 1950 | Gelatin silver print © Condé Nast

Girl in Bed (Jean Patchett), New York, 1949 | Gelatin silver print © The Irving Penn Foundation

Cigarette No. 86, New York, 1972 | Platinum-palladium print © The Irving Penn Foundation

Optician’s Shop Window (C), New York, circa 1939 | Gelatin silver print © Condé Nast

George Grosz (1 of 3), New York, 1948 | Gelatin silver print © The Irving Penn Foundation

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Sarah Anne Carter is the Chipstone Foundation Design and Material Culture Chair, Associate Professor of Design Studies, and Executive Director of the Nancy M. Bruce Center for Design and Material Culture

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MADISON, Wis. — The Chazen Museum of Art at the University of Wisconsin–Madison (UW–Madison) is undertaking a comprehensive reinstallation of its permanent collection, moving away from a traditional chronological and geographic organization and adopting an object-centered approach. Each gallery will include a deeply researched focus object that will anchor a constellation of works from across time, media and cultures with common connections. This change, slated to debut in fall 2026 with the reopening of the museum’s Elvehjem building, will provide multiple paths to engagement; encourage close looking and discovery; prompt contemplation, comparison and contrast; and ultimately foster deeper connections between art and daily life. This new model for exhibiting the Chazen’s holdings will also allow for more flexible approaches to collecting in the future and celebrate new forms of exploration with museum visitors as well as students, faculty and staff at UW–Madison.

“The Chazen Museum of Art’s reinstallation represents a subtle yet profound shift toward seamless engagement and demonstrates the art museum’s power to forge new understandings and actively engage with the rapidly changing world,” said Amy Gilman, director of the Chazen Museum of Art and senior director for the arts and media at UW–Madison. “As an institution committed to remaining nimble, taking risks and adapting to change, the Chazen will present the permanent collection in a way that will make the museum experience more enriching and intellectually accessible for everyone.”

As a museum embedded in a leading research university, the Chazen Museum of Art leveraged the expertise of UW–Madison faculty, staff and students across diverse fields — from history and religion to material sciences and studio art — to guide its reinstallation. This collaboration has helped the Chazen reconsider gallery themes and checklists, successfully integrate new scholarship and maximize interdisciplinary connections with art.

The long-contemplated project began several years ago with curators and subject matter experts conducting a deep exploration of the more than 25,000 artworks in the Chazen’s care, including studio glass, figurative ceramics, modern Midwest painting, Japanese woodcuts and more. Stepping away from hierarchies that are common in art museums, the reinstallation highlights strengths in the collection, showcasing works previously less emphasized and weaving important threads through social history.

The reinstallation is rooted in visitor experience. As a part of this effort, the staff carefully considered what makes museums special alongside elements that might intimidate visitors. Staff incorporated research on visitor interaction with artwork — from how long guests linger to contemplate works to the amount of time spent reading labels. One-on-one and small group meetings with experts at UW–Madison and in the broader community ensure the reinstallation is structured to resonate with a wide range of perspectives. The Chazen will continue to gather visitor feedback through observation and surveys.

Using this valuable information, the Chazen is reinstalling its collection to spark wonder rooted in intellectual engagement. While visitors might not notice drastic changes, they will recognize a refined focus that encourages seamless interactions with both objects and their accompanying labels. This thoughtful process ensures that while the space feels familiar, visitors will enjoy deeper and more rewarding connections with the art, creating an elevated museum experience. With comfortable spaces in the galleries to reflect, visitors will have the opportunity to delve deeper into artistic processes and enjoy enriching conversations about the art world, ultimately fostering a more engaging art museum experience that both accurately explores the past and is easily adaptable for the present.

“The Chazen’s reinstallation highlights the art museum’s power to shape contemporary discourse and sets an important precedent for the museum field that other institutions can adopt or learn from as they respond to their own unique collections,” said Katherine Alcauskas, chief curator at the Chazen Museum of Art. “The Chazen’s reinstallation gives renewed attention to time-honored favorites from the collection, illuminating them with fresh perspectives from new scholarship. This approach will allow visitors to discover something new about familiar pieces and facilitate encounters with works that are new to them.”

The Chazen’s reinstallation also makes the educational components of art more legible to a wider community, emphasizing its connection to social issues and ability to illuminate other fields. Designed to significantly enhance the Chazen’s mission as a learning institution, the reinstallation mirrors object-based learning, a method the Museum has successfully employed with classes at UW–Madison. This approach illustrates how a single artwork can be considered across various disciplines. By mixing genres, mediums and eras, the reinstallation provides a unique opportunity for collaboration, demonstrating how museums can actively enhance learning rather than simply serving as viewing spaces.

By approaching artwork from different disciplinary perspectives, the reinstallation will enhance knowledge accessibility for visitors, creating various educational entry points for experiencing the beauty and complexity of the collection.

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The Chazen Museum of Art has begun the final part of the comprehensive reinstallation of its permanent collection, moving away from a traditional chronological and geographic organization and adopting an object-centered approach.

This phase of the multi-year project will result in the temporary closure of the Chazen building galleries starting in April. The entire museum—both the Elvehjem and the Chazen buildings—will re-open in the fall. The closure will allow museum staff to efficiently and safely move artwork, prepare galleries, and reinstall approximately  1,500 of the museum’s over 25,000 artworks.

Closing at the end of the spring term maximizes access to the collection for classes and scholars. The Chazen Café and the popular Mead Witter lobby will remain open during the summer.

The reinstallation was planned to coincide with the completion of work on the Elvehjem building, which began in 2023. The exterior envelope repairs and insulation upgrades, along with skylight replacement, will result in improved energy efficiency and better environmental conditions for artworks and visitors. For its protection, the artwork in the Elvehjem building was moved to storage or galleries in the Chazen building during the envelope and skylight work. The museum took advantage of the empty Elvehjem galleries to reconfigure some spaces, repair and paint the walls and refinish the original parquet floors.

Each gallery to have focus object

The long-contemplated comprehensive collection reinstallation project began several years ago with curators and subject matter experts conducting a deep exploration of the more than 25,000 artworks in the Chazen’s care. Stepping away from hierarchies that are common in art museums, the reinstallation highlights strengths in the collection, showcasing works previously less emphasized, and weaving important threads through social history.

Amy Gilman

“As an institution committed to remaining nimble, taking risks and adapting to change, the Chazen will present the permanent collection in a way that will make the museum experience more enriching and intellectually accessible for everyone.”

Amy Gilman, director of the Chazen Museum of Art

Each gallery is organized around a deeply researched focus object that anchors a constellation of works from across time, media and cultures with common connections. This change will provide multiple paths to engagement; encourage close looking and discovery; prompt contemplation, comparison and contrast; and ultimately foster deeper connections between art and daily life. This new model for exhibiting the Chazen’s holdings will also allow for more flexible approaches to collecting in the future and celebrate new forms of exploration with museum visitors as well as students, faculty and staff at UW–Madison.

“The Chazen Museum of Art’s reinstallation represents a subtle yet profound shift toward seamless engagement and demonstrates the art museum’s power to forge new understandings and actively engage with the rapidly changing world,” said Amy Gilman, director of the Chazen Museum of Art and senior director for the arts and media at UW–Madison. “As an institution committed to remaining nimble, taking risks and adapting to change, the Chazen will present the permanent collection in a way that will make the museum experience more enriching and intellectually accessible for everyone.”

As a museum embedded in a leading research university, the Chazen Museum of Art leverages the expertise of UW–Madison faculty, staff and students across diverse fields — from history and religion to material sciences and studio art — to guide the reinstallation. This collaboration has helped the Chazen reconsider gallery themes and checklists, successfully integrate new scholarship and maximize interdisciplinary connections with art.

A look at visitor interaction with artwork

The reinstallation is rooted in visitor experience. As a part of this effort, the staff is carefully considering what makes museums special alongside elements that might intimidate visitors. Staff has incorporated research on visitor interaction with artwork — from how long guests linger to contemplate works to the amount of time spent reading labels. One-on-one and small group meetings with experts at UW–Madison and in the broader community ensure the reinstallation is structured to resonate with a wide range of perspectives.

While visitors might not notice drastic aesthetic changes, they will recognize a refined focus that encourages seamless interactions with both objects and their accompanying labels. With comfortable spaces in the galleries to reflect, visitors will have the opportunity to delve deeper into artistic processes and enjoy enriching conversations about the art world, ultimately fostering a more engaging art museum experience that both accurately explores the past and is easily adaptable for the present.

“The Chazen’s reinstallation highlights the art museum’s power to shape contemporary discourse and sets an important precedent for the museum field that other institutions can adopt or learn from as they respond to their own unique collections,” said Katherine Alcauskas, chief curator at the Chazen Museum of Art. “The Chazen’s reinstallation gives renewed attention to time-honored favorites from the collection, illuminating them with fresh perspectives from new scholarship. This approach will allow visitors to discover something new about familiar pieces and facilitate encounters with works that are new to them.”

The post Chazen Move to Reimagined Galleries Begins Spring 2026 appeared first on Chazen Museum of Art.

“We’ve had the great pleasure of working with Janine over the past five years—first as our associate curator of American art, and more recently as a key contributor to our reinstallation team,” said Katherine Alcauskas, the Chazen’s chief curator. “As her curatorial work on the reinstallation concludes at the end of the year, we’re delighted to share that she has accepted a prestigious new role at a fellow Big Ten institution.”

More from Penn State in the press release below:

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A Carlos visitor looks at Virtually Mine by Immy Mali. Photo by Cameron Baskin and courtesy of the Michael C. Carlos Museum.

Artist Leilah Babirye with her ceramic sculpture Manuleme from the Kuchu Mbogo (Buffalo) Clan. Courtesy Katherine Alcauskas

Barthélémy Toguo’s Exodus, foreground, and Virtually Mine by Immy Mali, right. Courtesy Katherine Alcauskas.

Chief curator of the Chazen, Katherine Alcauskas, left, and Margaret Nagawa, guest curator of the exhibition and PhD candidate at Emory University. Photograph by Cameron Baskin and courtesy of the Michael C. Carlos Museum

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(L to R) Jill Deupi, executive director of the Lowe Art Museum and artist Petah Coyne

Petah Coyne explains her 20234–2024 work Untitled #1563 (Zora Neale Hurston).

Untitled #1408 (The Lost Landscape), 2015–2018, left, and Untitled #1379 (The Doctor’s Wife), 1997–2018, right, frame the artist Petah Coyne at the Lowe’s gala opening reception.

Museum visitors check out the catalogue for Petah Coyne: How Much A Heart Can Hold, published by the Chazen Museum of Art.

Petah Coyne (with microphone) discusses her work Untitled #1379 (The Doctor’s Wife), 1997–2018. All photos courtesy the Lowe Art Museum.

Petah Coyne, left, and Untitled #1378 (Zelda Fitzgerald), 1997–2013.

Artist Petah Coyne tells stories about her sculpture Untitled #720 (Eguchi’s Ghost) 1992/2007.

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