The Bubbler Room within Central Library is a hub for creative expression amongst people of all ages and all walks of life. This public creative space focuses on visual art and hands-on learning in an aim to celebrate ideas, elevate personal narratives, and promote creativity, curiosity, and connection within the local community.

The Bubbler Room Artist Residency focuses on installation within community space. Being in a public library, our resident artists find that their practices tend to inform the community, as well as be informed by that interaction. Connection with the community can take on many forms, from casual drop-ins by patrons while working in the space to targeted workshops that allow you to translate your art into hands-on experiences. You can anticipate opportunities within the residency to enhance your current projects, but also develop your skills and confidence as a facilitator to people of all ages. 

The artists-in-residence focuses on collaborative installations within the community space of the Bubbler Room. Strong applicants are those most drawn to utilizing this public space in an interesting and inspiring way as a core component of their vision.

Our Goals:

• Supporting an artist to creatively transform the Bubbler Room into a dynamic and inspiring space for all

• Offering an open space for the public to learn, share, and create through various, ever-changing creative mediums 

• Providing professional development and support for teaching artists and experts in the community

• Connecting artists to the community and the community to artists through hands-on learning and exploration

Application Process:

Artists can fill out our Artist Form if they are interested in applying to be the Central Library Artist-In-Residence.

Residencies typically run for 6-12 months depending on library priorities and staffing capacity.

Please Note: As we are focus on opening up the new Imagination Center at Reindahl Park we will not offer a residency in 2026. All applications will be considered for 2027.

Selection Process:

Library staff make selections in relation to library priorities and capacity.

When selecting residents, we seek to reflect the diversity of the Madison experience. We look for artists with different levels of experience, a broad range of artistic mediums, and applicants from different backgrounds and perspectives. Wherever you are in your practice, we hope to offer you new and exciting opportunities to expand your art toward the public and begin—or refine!—your outreach approaches. We look to prioritize:

• Emerging visual artists and creative risk-takers

• The artists’ interest in utilizing public space in an interesting and inspiring way as a core component of their vision

• A proven ability to scale up creative ideas or concepts

• Artists who are local (Wisconsin-based)

• Artists who reflect our diverse communities here in Madison

• Enthusiasm towards collaborating with library patrons and community partners

Compensation:

We value compensating our resident artists. Accepted applicants will receive a stipend to be used in whatever way the artist sees fit. Artists are compensated with:

• Monthly stipend of $1000/month

• Additional paid contracts for workshops and community outreach events and visits

• Access to the Bubbler Room as a collective studio space

• Access to Madison Public Library supplies and budget for supplies

• Access to additional funds to collaborate with guest artists and/or experts

• Access to other Madison Public Library resources, expertise, and infrastructure

History

The Bubbler Room Artist-in-Residence Program was developed in 2013 as a programmatic pillar within the Madison Public Library. The residency model was originally designed to host a new artist every two months, allowing them space and time to experiment while further exploring their community and their practice. We love that it continues to evolve over time, allowing for residencies in more libraries throughout the Madison community! Take a look through the Bubbler Archive to learn more.

Still have questions?

Please contact Trent Miller, Bubbler Program & Gallery Coordinator, via email at: tmiller@madisonpubliclibary.org or via our contact page.

To apply, scroll up to the top of this page and click the ‘Apply now’ button.