Bridge Work is Madison’s premiere emerging artist program, hosted by Arts + Literature Laboratory (ALL) since 2017.
This program selects a group of promising emerging artists from a pool of applicants to benefit from two years of professional development opportunities, culminating in solo exhibitions. Bridge Work aims to forge a more interconnected regional arts ecosystem by uplifting diverse artists who are dedicated to their practices, generating the public exposure necessary for them to successfully network and establish a larger professional presence.
To be eligible for the Bridge Work program, artists may be graduates of an art program or be self-taught, and must reside in the Dane County area. Bridge Work: Madison artists participate in a two-year cohort of two artists, with a new cohort joining in September each year.
Bridge Work: Madison has served 20 artists, with two new artists joining the program in Fall 2026.
The 2026–2028 Call for Bridge Work: Madison applicants is closed. Applicants will be notified in Fall 2026.
The 2023-2025 Bridge Work artists are Issis Macias and Jessica Gutiérrez.
The 2024-2026 Bridge Work artists are Chele Ramos and Maria Schirmer.
The 2025-2027 Bridge Work artists are Maile Lloyd, Charlotte Easterling, and Adam Raiford Wilson.
2023-26 artist portraits by Heidi Johnson. 2021 artist portraits by Jessica Mardi. 2020 artist portraits by Jennifer Bastian.
