Carlee Latimer
The cohort, clockwise from op left: Amadou Kromah, Anwar Floyd-Pruitt, Sylvie Rosenthal, Papa-Kobina Brewoo, Teena Wilder and Gabrielle Javier-Cerulli.
The Bubbler studio, the Madison Public Library’s art/makerspace on the ground floor of the Central Library, has been closed since the pandemic hit. But the Bubbler program continues — and has undergone a significant transformation.
Artist residencies were a core part of the Bubbler since its inception eight years ago — one artist in residence at a time, working mostly within the Bubbler space at the Central Library for two months. A new “cohort” model that began this summer is meant to bring multiple artists together — right now, six — for a longer period of time, explains Carlee Latimer, Bubbler program assistant, and send them out into the community.
In the new model, the Bubbler is focused on making connections, Latimer says. “How can we build deeper [connections] with artists and with each other?” The Bubbler wants to help provide “what artists actually need to be supported as teaching artists.”
The problem with the two-month residencies is that artists would just be hitting their stride at the end of their time, says Latimer. The cohort model creates “more time to be together and work together.” The current artists are providing plenty of feedback “so we can mold for the next phase.”
The pandemic was not the instigating force behind changing the residency model, even though it continues to direct how Bubbler artists interact with the public.
Originally the idea was for the cohort to continue to work out of Bubbler studio at Central, but it remains mostly empty “because it’s just not as safe,” says Latimer. Instead the artists have been doing pop-up projects at events and festivals already planned by other community groups, and at branch libraries, often outdoors. “It’s what makes sense,” says Latimer. “The pandemic will shape how we interact, not the model itself.”
This year’s artists are Papa-Kobina Brewoo, Teena Wilder, Sylvie Rosenthal, Gabrielle Javier- Cerulli, Anwar Floyd-Pruitt and Amadou Kromah; they were narrowed down from a larger list of artists by Bubbler staff with help from the racial equity and community engagement teams at Madison Public Library, says Bubbler program coordinator Trent Miller. “These were the top six and they all said yes, which we were thrilled about.” Miller says there could be an application process in the future but now staff is still “figuring out what the program will look like in the future.”
Gabrielle Javier-Cerulli
Tiles can be saved by the young artists and taken home, or smashed to be used as part of a communal mural project.
“We all bring something different to the table,” says artist Javier-Cerulli, who likes being part of a cohort. “It’s nice to have a crew. We don’t necessarily do any [programming] together but we do meet and talk about ideas.”
Through the Bubbler she has done art events at both Hawthorne and Ashman branches, and is now working with a juvenile shelter home to make a community mosaic for the shelter, where kids begin by decorating a white ceramic tile. They can keep the tile to enjoy as art or use as a trivet, or they can smash it to use in the mosaic, which is “fun and stress-relieving,” says Javier-Cerulli. Plus they get to enjoy a medium new to most of them, alcohol ink, which is what is used on the tiles. Kids came up with the theme of the mosaic as well: waves, symbolizing waves of change, among other things.
“Without the Bubbler we would not reach nearly the number of kids who could use positive interaction with adults or kids who don’t get the opportunities to make art,” says Javier-Cerulli.
“Is this life-changing? Who knows? But in the moment, their shoulders relax and they’re trying something new. And now they can load a caulk gun. I’m honored to be a part of it and hope it continues in this platform because it can reach so many kids.”
Anwar Floyd-Pruitt
Puppets as a project are both art and performance.
Floyd-Pruitt focuses on puppet-making — one of his go-to projects because it involves kids “not just in the making of the object but performance.” He’s also improvised percussion instruments with a lot of the same recycled materials — cardboard and dowels — he uses for the puppets. “I’m interested in making the project accessible for them outside of me being there,” says Floyd-Pruitt. “Once you have a puppet blank, you can figure it out again on your own, which is empowering.”
Rosenthal has been working with kids to make a “large-scale community charm necklace.” Young artists draw their “charm” on wood and Rosenthal cuts the shape out with her band saw: “They see their drawing become an object.” Rosenthal thinks that getting kids used to being around shop equipment like saws promotes self reliance and manual dexterity. She also welcomes the chance to bring woodworking, as an art, to diverse communities: “My field, woodworking, is painfully white and male. I believe we need to teach kids how to use their hands.”
Rosenthal also hosted the first all-cohort meeting at her studio. “It was great to hear what the other folks had been up to. And we carved pencils, which is one of the objects I use for a first carving experience, because you learn a lot about grain, you can use a knife or a file, and if you biff it you are still left with a usable pencil. So we sat around and kibitzed. I think these monthly meetups with the cohort will be great with keeping pace with what’s going on.”
