Art Lab
UW Nancy Nicholas Hall-Ruth Davis Design Gallery 1300 Linden Dr., Madison, Wisconsin 53706
media release: In this hands-on workshop, participants are invited to experience art-making as led by the Child Development Lab’s Lead Bunny Classroom teacher, Linda Dyskta. Each workshop offers a creative opportunity to experiment with materials, try new approaches, and follow your own ideas.
Rather than focusing on the finished product, these workshops emphasize the creative process itself by following the CDL’s inquiry-based curriculum: noticing, wondering, exploring, and discovering through making. Art and inquiry are woven into everyday learning at the CDL.
As the seasons progress, each workshop takes inspiration from the world around us. This first workshop in the fall invites you to explore nature. The second workshop, in the winter, will focus on the possibilities of printmaking. The last workshop, in the spring, will be all about bright colors.
Whether you bring your own child or your inner child, all ages are welcome to join these workshops!
more on the exhibition:
Ruth Davis Design Gallery, September 30, 2026 - February 28, 2027
The Science of Human Thriving: Celebrating 100 Years of the Child Development Lab exhibits the innovative, research-based work of University of Wisconsin–Madison teachers, faculty, scholars, and students in the science of early relational health. Rooted in this history, visitors are encouraged to consider how design shapes the spaces where children play, learn, and explore. Interactive displays and replicated study scenarios invite visitors into the world of the Child Development Lab throughout its first 100 years, with a focus on the research that takes place at every level in support of the social, emotional, and educational development of UW’s youngest students.
This exhibition is curated by Dr. Sarah Anne Carter, Chipstone Foundation Design and Material Culture Chair, Associate Professor of Design Studies, and Executive Director of the Nancy M. Bruce Center for Design and Material Culture, in collaboration with Saffron Gonzalez, the Child Development Lab Centennial Project Coordinator, and many generous colleagues in the Child Development Lab and Human Development and Family Studies Department. The Science of Human Thriving and its related programs are made possible with support from the Anonymous Fund, many generous donors and partners who share the vision of the Nancy M. Bruce Center for Design and Material Culture, and the School of Human Ecology. The center creates meaningful opportunities for students, faculty, and the broader community to engage with textiles, design, and material culture.
In 2026, University of Wisconsin–Madison’s School of Human Ecology is marking 100 years of its Child Development Lab, among the first university-based preschool laboratories of its kind in the U.S., and celebrating its leading role in the field of early relational health. Learn more on the Child Development Lab website.
Related Programs:
October 1, 2026, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm: Fall 2026 Exhibitions Celebration
October 10, 2026, 10:00 am – 11:30 am: Art Lab! Making with Linda
October 23, 2026, 12:00 pm – 12:45 pm: Money Magic: Read Aloud with Quentin and Quinlan
December 5, 2026, 10:00 am – 11:30 am: Art Lab! Making with Linda
February 6, 2027, 10:00 am – 11:30 am: Art Lab! Making with Linda
February 20, 2027, 2:00 pm – 2:45 pm: Money Magic: Read Aloud with Quentin and Quinlan
The Nancy M. Bruce Center for Design and Material Culture values inclusion and access for all participants. Please contact Bo Owen, [email protected], or 608-262-1162 to make an accommodation request. Requests should be submitted at least 2 weeks before the event date.
