The Imagination Center at Reindahl Park is Madison’s newest Neighborhood Library. It will be a multifunctional, indoor-outdoor library, parks pavilion, and community space that will be the first-ever library facility within a Madison park.

Located off E. Washington Ave at Portage Rd., the Imagination Center at Reindahl Park will help connect library and city services to the northeast side of Madison.

The Bubbler Program is looking to work with artists through exhibitions, workshops and our new Project Wall at the Imagination Center. We are especially excited to hear from artists who live in the Reindahl Library neighboorhood.

Our Goals:

• Supporting artist to creatively transform the imagination Center into a dynamic and inspiring space for all

• Offering a 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.

Programs and Projects will start in the Fall of 2026.

Opportunity Specifics:

• Project Wall - Our first-ever project wall will give artists the opportunity to create a project for the public to interact with. The Wall is paintable and pinnable and we encourage artists to proprose projects for the public to interact with. Projects will stay on view for anywhere from 3 months to a year. More photos and examples will be posted when they are available.

• *Exhibitions - The new library will have a railing system to exhibit 2D work on the walls of the library

• *Workshops - We will offer hands-on art and making workshops for the public.

• *You can read more about neighborhood library exhibitions and general workshops at the links related to these opportunities. We are noting them here as we will be focusing a lot of energy on the Imagination Center in 2026-2027.

Selection Process:

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

When selecting projects, 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 artists. Accepted applicants will receive payment for their projects and programs. Payment amount varies dependent on the particular project or program.

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.