Carnelian Art Gallery to Host “Surrealism” Holiday Reception

Madison, Wisconsin, on Monday, Nov. 17 – Carnelian Art Gallery, located at 221 King St., Suite 102, in downtown Madison, is pleased to announce its last art exhibition of the year, titled “Surrealism,” whose theme is centered around the weird, strange and bizarre. The art in this show takes on a dreamlike and uncanny quality. Some works are two-dimensional, while others are three-dimensional.

Participating artists include Kimberly Burnett, Rachael Hunter, Samantha Jane Mullen, Helen Klebesadel and Natalie Jo Wright.

At 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 19, Carnelian Art Gallery will host a holiday reception for Surrealism to close out another successful year of exhibitions. Light refreshments will be served until 8 p.m., when the event ends, and admission is free. 

At 6 p.m. that same evening, Klebesadel will deliver an artist talk regarding her works in Surrealism, as well as her comeuppance as an artist in the Madison area. This is a talk you won’t want to miss. 

Klebesadel, who has a graduate degree in fine arts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is a visual artist, born and raised in rural Wisconsin near Spring Green. Klebesadel is known for her watercolors focused on environmental and feminist woman-centered themes.

An artist, activist and educator for four decades, Klebesadel’s watercolors push the traditional boundaries in scale, content, and technique. Her paintings are exhibited nationally and internationally. They are also represented in numerous public and private art collections.

Klebesadel was previously a university educator for more than 30 years. Her contributions to the larger arts community included serving as a member of the Wisconsin Arts Board and as the national president of the Women’s Caucus for Art, the nation’s oldest organization of women artists and art historians.She maintains an art studio in Madison, where she continues to grow her artistic vision, build a creative community and support others to do the same by mentoring emerging artists.

Burnett is a self-taught artist from North Carolina. Her art is inspired by her childhood love of the old masters of Europe. She taught herself oil paints by studying books on their works and then copying her favorite masterpieces. Today, her works mostly feature lone figures in interior spaces and surreal landscapes with a focus on colors.

She has been painting full time since 2020, when she moved to Milwaukee. In Burnett’s free time, she enjoys gardening, hiking, baking, learning languages and searching for insects.

Wright was born in central Illinois in 1977. She received her undergraduate degree in fine arts from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design in 1999 and her graduate degree in fine arts from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2008.

Her current series, “Four Eyed Cats in MidCentury Spaces,” grew out of memory, imagination and a lifelong love for mid-century design. Wright’s family (on her mother’s side) owned a furniture store for 50 years in the small town where she grew up. As a child, she spent countless hours wandering its rooms and paging through design catalogues. Years later, rediscovering those same books sparked this series.

The paintings combine nostalgia with playful surrealism: Wright’s two cats, depicted with a “four-eyed” twist, inhabit richly detailed interiors drawn from catalogues, memory, and her own home. Handmade “meat pillows” from an earlier body of work and vintage lamps from her collection collapse past and present, blurring the boundary between real and imagined environments. Originally conceived as an immersive installation, the series still carries that spirit—paintings that feel as though the spaces could spill off the wall and into the viewer’s world.

Wright currently works with water-soluble oils, a medium that has shifted her practice from large-scale portraiture toward finely detailed interiors. Her work reflects both a devotion to mid-century design and a desire to invite viewers into spaces that appear familiar at first glance, but reveal something more curious and uncanny the longer you look.

Mullen is mostly a sculptor, sometimes a writer and always a curious creature who currently exists in Madison, Wisconsin. Self-taught, Mullen uses polymer clay, paper clay and various other mediums to create playful, yet shocking, narrative sculptures which focus on our connection to the land, society, childhood and  monsters. Her work delves into the weird and the curious, the parts of ourselves we correct and mask and the perceived failures that act as building blocks for the walls we build between ourselves, our community and our planet. Each piece is a love letter to the panic attack, the shame shadowed, the glittering and tired, the imagination driven dragon seekers and monster lovers, the playful, hopeful, damned but kind.

Mullen strives to build a mythology within her work that invokes a magical realm in which we are all little monsters exploring the unknown together, inviting the beasts within like wolves to the fire and giving them a little treat.Hunter is a painter based in Madison, Wisconsin. Growing up in Minnesota as an only child, she spent much of her time alone playing make-believe. She continues this practice today by creating paintings that inhabit a world parallel to ours, entirely her own.

Her focus is on creating ambiguous and unsettling narratives that invite viewers to create their own meaning. She works primarily with vibrant oil, acrylic and Flashe paints on alternative surfaces. Wood planks found on the side of the road are intuitively carved into blobs, and bedsheets sourced from second-hand stores, friends, or even her own bed become her canvas.

A key influence in Hunter’s artistic journey is the legacy of the magical realists of the Midwest, such as Sylvia Fein and John Wilde. Like these artists, Rachael uses her paintings to explore and understand an increasingly horrifying reality. With fascism on the rise and a small group of people attempting to control every aspect of daily life, she paints to keep it together and find meaning in it all.  

“We are so thrilled to showcase the works of these talented artists,” said Carnelian Art Gallery owner and head curator Evan Bradbury. “This show is all about allowing oneself to be weird and have fun.”

MMSD Takes Steps to Save Trees at Referendum Project Sites

MADISON, Wis.—The Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) has relocated a number of trees at its Phase 1 facilities referendum sites, preserving valued natural assets at Sherman Middle/Malcolm Shabazz City High and Samuel Gompers Elementary/Black Hawk Middle schools.

The work, which took place last week, was made possible through the volunteer efforts of Adam Alves, a Dane County forestry specialist and Madison College instructor. Alves donated both his time, on behalf of the Dane County Tree Canopy Collaborative, and equipment, including the use of a 44-inch tree spade, to carefully uproot and replant trees that would otherwise have been removed during construction. 

“Trees are part of a school’s identity and a community’s memory,” Alves said. “I’m grateful I could help MMSD preserve these ones, so they can continue to grow alongside the students and families who care about them.”

At Gompers/Black Hawk, three orchard trees were relocated to a hillside near the school’s new community garden. At Sherman/Shabazz, Alves worked to move many of the trees that form the early stages of the schools’ student-planted forest. These trees were relocated to the west side of the property to protect them from upcoming construction. The orchard at the site will remain in place and be protected throughout the project, and several mature oaks are also planned for preservation.

“MMSD is committed to protecting our natural spaces, and we heard clearly from families and neighbors how much these trees mean to them,” Bryanna Krekeler, MMSD sustainability manager, said. “Thanks to Adam’s expertise and generosity, we were able to save trees that hold history, meaning and educational value.”

The effort required significant planning and coordination, including scheduling around utilities and working with licensed archeologists because of an uncategorized burial site located at Sherman/Shabazz. Through this collaboration, a substantial number of trees were moved safely. Final totals will be confirmed after assessments are complete, though early estimates suggest between a dozen and two dozen trees were relocated across both sites.

The tree relocation project is part of MMSD’s Phase 1 facilities referendum work, which includes upgrades to learning environments, improved outdoor spaces and long-term planning centered on sustainability, safety and community needs.

This project also highlights the powerful role volunteers play in supporting schools. Community members regularly contribute their time and expertise in classrooms, outdoor spaces and programs across the district. MMSD encourages anyone interested in making a difference for students and school communities to explore the many ways they can get involved by becoming a district volunteer.

For more information regarding the 2024 referenda, please visit the MMSD website. For questions, please reach out via Let’s Talk.

###

About the Madison Metropolitan School District

The Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) is the second-largest school district in Wisconsin, serving more than 25,000 students across 52 schools. The district’s vision is that every school will be a thriving school that prepares every student to graduate ready for college, career and community. With more than 6,000 teachers and staff, MMSD is committed to ensuring the district’s goals and core values are held at the center of its efforts, so students can learn, belong and thrive. For more information, visit mmsd.org.

Drastic Radon Gas Reduction in Madison is Possible

The EPA recommends installing a radon mitigation system for any home testing above 4.0 pCi/L (picocuries per liter). But how high can radon gas levels reach?

The highest levels we’ve seen throughout our service history in south-central Wisconsin were in Madison. What were they? 144 pCi/L. The pre-mitigation test was performed by an independent radon testing company.

When radon gas levels are this high it’s hard to believe that a radon mitigation system can effectively reduce radon gas concentrations in a home under the EPA recommended action levels. However, if a radon mitigation system is designed properly, it is in fact possible. In the case of this homeowner, we were able to reduce their radon concentrations to 0.5 pCi/L, well below EPA thresholds. Amazing! And the best part is the homeowner has drastically reduced their ongoing risk for lung cancer.

Learn more about the radon reduction techniques we employ over at PureTech Home Services.

RMHC-Madison Celebrates Kindness Day, Inspires Community Support

Madison, WI – November 13, 2025 – Ronald McDonald House Charities of Madison (RMHC-Madison) welcomed their neighbors and community on Thursday, November 13, 2025, for a Kindness Day celebration at the Ronald McDonald House in Madison.

Guests enjoyed a morning of warmth, connection, and community spirit, including donuts donated by Duck Donuts, hot chocolate donated by Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee Truck, and the opportunity to learn more about the kindness the Ronald McDonald House volunteers and staff offer families every day.

“Kindness Day was a powerful reminder of how compassion can uplift those in thecommunity,” said Stephanie Hayden, CEO of RMHC-Madison. “Every act of kindness—whether shared with a stranger or a neighbor—has the power to lift spirits, sparkconnection, and remind us that no one faces hard times alone.”

As the year comes to a close, RMHC-Madison asks the community to keep spreading kindness – not just during the holidays, but all year long. Your support makes a lasting impact on families with sick or injured children. Whether you make a meal for families, drop off wish list items, collect pop tabs, or donate at rmhcmadison.org/donate2025, every act of kindness helps provide housing, meals, and a supportive community for those who need it most.

About Ronald McDonald House Charities of Madison (RMHC-Madison): Since 1993, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Madison has provided a continuum of care for those who live hours or even a plane ride from their child’s treatment. By offering housing, meals, and a supportive community, RMHC-Madison is Keeping Families Close during life’s most challenging moments.

MMSD Completes First Round of Safe and Secure Building Upgrades

MADISON, Wis.—The Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) has completed, or is nearing completion on, the first round of its safe and secure entrance upgrades. These entrances help front office staff control and monitor who enters the building, helping to increase the district’s safety measures. 

Upgrades at Aldo Leopold, Charles Lindbergh, John Muir and Paul J. Olson elementary schools have been completed, with Midvale Elementary currently under construction and slated for completion by the end of November. Construction at Velma B. Hamilton Middle School is scheduled to be done over winter break.

“The safety of our students and staff is a top priority,” said Sedric Morris Sr., executive director of safety and security. “These upgrades help increase MMSD’s safety practices and contribute to overall building security.”

Each of the schools that were part of the community-supported 2020 facilities referendum received secure, dedicated welcome centers; those part of the 2024 facilities referendum will, as well.

“We are excited to move this work forward,” said Scott Chehak, senior executive director of building services. “We will now have better access and better control of visitor, student and staff entry, which increases everyone’s peace of mind.”

Work on safe and secure entrance upgrades is expected to continue into the 2026–27 school year. In addition to those mentioned above, 12 MMSD schools will get safe and secure upgrades, including Emerson, Dr. Virginia Henderson, Lapham, Lincoln, Lowell, Marquette, Mendota, Randall, Herbert Schenk, and Shorewood Hills elementary schools, and Georgia O’Keeffe and Annie Greencrow Whitehorse middle schools.

To learn more about MMSD’s safe and secure entrances, and the other measures that guide its approach to school security, please visit the District Safety Plan on the MMSD website.

###

About the Madison Metropolitan School District

The Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) is the second-largest school district in Wisconsin, serving more than 25,000 students across 52 schools. The district’s vision is that every school will be a thriving school that prepares every student to graduate ready for college, career and community. With more than 6,000 teachers and staff, MMSD is committed to ensuring the district’s goals and core values are held at the center of its efforts, so students can learn, belong and thrive. For more information, visit mmsd.org.