Civic Engagement Project: Public Art in Madison, Wisconsin
Public Art in Madison, Wisconsin By Lesley Zavala
I am an engineering major, so I was also interested in looking at public art from an engineering point of view. UW-Madison has a major College of Engineering that focuses on research, education, and solving problems that affect society. The college includes several engineering departments and research programs, making engineering an important part of the university’s identity.
Because of my major, I did not want to study only murals and statues. I also wanted to pay attention to architecture, construction materials, public infrastructure, and the ways artistic design appears in ordinary objects. A building, a decorative ceiling, or even a city manhole cover can communicate something about the history and identity of a place.
State Street was a strong location for this project because it contains many different forms of public art. Bright murals appear on the sides of buildings, historical architecture is found throughout the campus, and the State Capitol contains sculptures, paintings, decorative symbols, and carefully designed public spaces. Public art at UW-Madison can be found both inside buildings and in outdoor areas that are available to students and community members.
Mural by Audifax, photographed on State Street in Madison, Wisconsin Summer 2020.
Phase 2: Field Work
Art Piece 1:
The following mural covers the side of a tall building and includes birds, butterflies, flowers, leaves, and water. The scale of the mural is one of its strongest features. Because the painting extends several stories upward, it changes the appearance of the entire building instead of decorating only a small section.
The mural includes several forms of wildlife and plant life associated with the region. The large red leaf suggests the fall season, while the birds, flowers, and butterflies connect the urban neighborhood to nature. The artist’s signature, “OhYa,” is visible near the bottom. OhYa Studio is a Madison-based mural and sign-painting studio that creates large-scale public artwork.
I liked this work because it softens the appearance of the concrete building. Without the mural, the wall might seem plain and disconnected from the surrounding neighborhood. The artwork makes the building more welcoming and gives people something interesting to view from the street. The mural also shows how public art and engineering work together. The artist had to design an image that would fit a tall structure, remain visible from the ground, and continue across separate concrete panels. The building becomes both the support system and part of the visual design.
Mural by OhYa Studio, created in 2024 and photographed in downtown Madison, Wisconsin.
Art Piece 2:
The following photo is the Memorial Union. Memorial Union is both a functional university building and a memorial. The stone wall outside contains an inscription dedicating the building to the men and women of the University of Wisconsin who served in the country’s wars. The building opened in 1928 and was dedicated to members of the university community who served in military conflicts.
The exterior includes arches, carved stone details, decorative ceilings, lights, columns, and landscaping. These design choices make the building appear important and permanent. Unlike a temporary mural, this building was constructed to remain part of the university for generations.
I included the Memorial Union because public art can also communicate memory through architecture. The inscription tells viewers who the building is honoring, while its size and materials show how much importance the university placed on that memory.
Memorial Union, designed by Arthur Peabody, opened in 1928 at UW-Madison.
Art Piece 3:
One of the most interesting objects I photographed was a City of Madison manhole cover marked with the word “Engineering.” At first, this may not seem like public art because its main purpose is to provide access to infrastructure below the street. However, its design includes lettering, patterns, and a city image, which makes it both functional and visual.
As an engineering major, this photograph was personally important to me. It reminded me that much of a city’s engineering is hidden underground or blended into ordinary public spaces. Sewer systems, drainage, roads, sidewalks, utilities, and transportation networks are all necessary for a city to function, even though people may not notice them every day.
The cover represents the connection between engineering and civic life. It was designed to be strong enough to support pedestrians and street activity, while also allowing city workers to access infrastructure. The words “City of Madison Engineering” identify the public department responsible for this system.
City of Madison manhole cover designed by ZD Studios in 2006, photographed on State Street.
Art Piece 4:
Inside the Wisconsin State Capitol, I photographed a white marble statue showing a woman standing beside an eagle. The work is titled The Genius of Wisconsin. The original sculpture was created by Wisconsin artist Helen Farnsworth Mears for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. It was later reproduced in marble by the Piccirilli Brothers and funded by women of Wisconsin. It now stands inside the Capitol.
The figure appears calm and serious, while the eagle suggests power, government, and national identity. The statue is placed in an impressive architectural setting with a decorative ceiling, marble floor, and lighting. This placement gives the artwork an official and respected appearance.
This sculpture is important to representation because it was designed by a woman artist and funded by women. However, the work uses a classical European style, which was common in older government buildings. It represents Wisconsin through an idealized symbolic figure rather than through the appearance of an ordinary resident.
“The Genius of Wisconsin” by Helen Farnsworth Mears, created in 1893 and photographed inside the Wisconsin State Capitol.
Phase 3: Critical Analysis
The public art I documented around State Street and the University of Wisconsin-Madison shows several different ways that art can shape the identity of a community. The mural by OhYa Studio focuses on nature, wildlife, and color. Memorial Union uses architecture and an inscription to preserve the memory of university students and community members who served in wars. The City of Madison manhole cover represents engineering and the public systems that help the city function. The Genius of Wisconsin represents state pride, government, and the role of women in creating and supporting public art.
The location of each piece also affects how much power it has. The mural is part of the everyday street environment, while The Genius of Wisconsin is displayed inside the State Capitol. Placing a sculpture inside a government building gives it a more official meaning. It shows that the ideas represented by the sculpture are considered important to the state. Memorial Union also has a strong institutional meaning because it is part of the university and honors people connected to UW-Madison.
As an engineering major, I also noticed how much public art depends on engineering. The mural needs a stable building surface. Memorial Union depends on architecture, materials, and structural design. The marble statue needs a strong base and a safe interior space. The manhole cover was designed to support weight while still giving workers access to systems below the street. These examples show that art and engineering are not completely separate. Engineering makes many public spaces possible, while art gives those spaces identity and meaning.
Phase 4: Proposal
One part of the State Street area that I appreciate is the variety of public art and design. Murals, architecture, sculptures, memorials, and public infrastructure can all be found within the same neighborhood. These works make the area more interesting and help connect the university, downtown Madison, and the State Capitol.
My proposal is to create a public art and engineering walking route called “From Campus to Capitol: Art and Engineering on State Street.” The route would begin near the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus and continue down State Street toward the Wisconsin State Capitol. It would include murals, historic buildings, sculptures, memorials, and examples of city infrastructure such as manhole covers, sidewalks, lighting, and drainage systems.
Each selected location would have a small plaque or QR code. The information would explain the name of the artwork, the artist, the year it was created, the materials used, who funded it, and what it represents. It could also explain the engineering involved in creating or maintaining the work. For example, the mural stop could explain how the artist planned an image for a tall concrete wall. The Memorial Union stop could explain the building’s materials, architecture, and memorial purpose. The manhole cover stop could explain the infrastructure below the street and the work completed by city engineers.
I would also recommend creating a new community mural somewhere along State Street. The mural could show both the visible and hidden parts of Madison. The top section could include students, local businesses, artists, workers, wildlife, Memorial Union, State Street, and the Capitol. The lower section could show pipes, drainage systems, building foundations, electrical systems, transportation routes, and other infrastructure below the city.
The mural should be created through collaboration between local artists, UW-Madison art and engineering students, city workers, Indigenous representatives, business owners, and Madison residents. This would allow more people to help shape the final design instead of having one institution decide what represents the entire community.
I believe this proposal would help people see State Street in a new way. It would show that public art includes more than murals and statues. It would also recognize the engineering, construction, and maintenance that allow the neighborhood to function every day. Most importantly, the project would create space for more community voices and give visitors a better understanding of Madison’s history, creativity, and public systems.
This project changed the way I think about public art. Before completing my fieldwork, I mostly thought of public art as murals, statues, or monuments. After walking through State Street and the UW-Madison neighborhood, I realized that public art can also include architecture, memorial inscriptions, government symbols, and objects connected to public infrastructure.
The OhYa Studio mural showed me how art can completely change the appearance of a building. The birds, flowers, butterflies, leaves, and water make the concrete structure feel more connected to nature. Memorial Union showed me how architecture can preserve memory and honor people connected to the university. The Genius of Wisconsin showed how a sculpture can represent government, state pride, and the work of women in public art.
The City of Madison engineering manhole cover was one of the most meaningful objects to me personally. As an engineering major, I liked seeing the word “Engineering” included in a public design. It reminded me that many important parts of a city are hidden underground or overlooked. People depend on roads, sewer systems, drainage, utilities, and safe structures every day, but they may not think about the engineers and workers who created and maintain them.
I also learned that public art is connected to power. Artwork inside the State Capitol and major university buildings is protected and maintained because it is supported by powerful institutions. Murals and other street-level artwork may be more temporary. This affects which stories remain visible over time and which ones may disappear.
Overall, State Street shows how art, history, education, government, and engineering can exist together in one public space. This project helped me understand that the design of a city influences how people experience it. Public art can create beauty, preserve memories, recognize community members, and encourage people to think about the stories behind the places they use.
Sources
https://pbswisconsin.org/state-street-mural-project/
https://union.wisc.edu/about/wisconsin-union-history/wisconsin-union-historical-timeline
https://wi101.wisc.edu/manhole-cover-designs-and-contemporary-aesthetics/
https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/record/image/W0136YC
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