In Celebration of the Museum

A city-wide celebration of the arts and local artists, Madison’s Gallery Night, displayed dozens of exhibitions and artwork for an evening of exploration last November . The Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA) sits central to Gallery Night, organizing and hosting the event since its revival in 2021. Alongside Sabina Ott’s exhibition “All This and Not Ordinary,” the Fall 2025 Gallery Night saw the MMoCA host a dedication to the Museum and its designer, César Pelli. 

Photographed by Dana Yedica

The exhibition featured original sketches, models, and plans from the museum’s conception. The sketches imagine the street view of the museum and the third floor balcony. Framed alongside these was the block’s blueprint. In the center of the exhibition stood a wooden model of the surrounding Madison area with the proposed design of the museum in white. Notably lacking from these displays were labels, dates, and accreditation, consequentially assigning all credit and importance–however incorrectly–to Pelli. The last two walls presented a documentary on the design of the museum and a step-by-step guide to the construction.

Lastly, two glass cases held written process reports and building material samples. Offering no more explanation than the other displays, and inspiring no deep contemplation or appreciation of the objects themselves, the exhibit nonetheless asks viewers to consider the museum around them. In breaking down the museum’s conception in this wordless way, one’s admiration can be drawn to the museum itself. After all, the exhibit’s name “Iconic” narrates not these elements, but the totality of process and product.

The next Gallery Night will take place on the evening of May 8, 2026.

Material Samples by Pelli

Photographed by Dana Yedica