RECOLLECT: Sam Gilliam

RECOLLECT: Sam Gilliam is an opportunity to not only reflect on the innovative production of an internationally recognized artist, but also to consider his impact on the development of Madison, Wisconsin’s creative culture. Starting in 1972, Sam Gilliam (b. 1933, Tupelo, Mississippi–d. 2022, Washington, D.C.) traveled between his home in Washington, D.C. and Madison every summer for over forty years. Each trip was marked by a whirlwind of artistic activity as well as friendship, mentorship, and transformation. Rather than a traditional survey of an artist’s work, RECOLLECT: Sam Gilliam invites visitors to celebrate the connections found in his art and through his art. Guided by stories shared by those who knew Gilliam, the exhibition is a meditation on individual and extremely personal ties to the artist and his works.

Image: Sam Gilliam, Butterfly Days, 1986. Printed acetate and painted wood on printed, handmade couched paper with string embedded, 43 x 53 1/2 inches. Gift of Sue Steinmann and Bill Weege, Collection of the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art.