Arts + Literature Laboratory exhibits

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Beth Racette

"Love Letters to the Earth" by Beth Racette.

"Love Letters to the Earth" by Beth Racette.

ALL is chock-a-block full for its 2026 gallery debut. A Roundhouse Studios exhibit showcases the artists working at these Commercial Avenue studios, a project spearheaded by none other than ALL. It’s a wide-ranging visual feast, with prints, paintings, fiber arts and installations; 25 + artists are represented. “Diastole and Systole: The Pulse of Life,” a collab from Madison artists Richie Morales (paintings) and Beth Racette (acrylic ink paintings, sculpture and installation) looks at the opposing forces in our work and highlights the need for balance and harmony. Madison’s Randall Berndt is publishing a retrospective book of his work, Stories: Words & Images. The book launch (with images from the book displayed) is Jan. 17 from 3-5 p.m.; a reception for all the exhibits is Jan. 10, 5-7 p.m.

media release: The latest round of exhibitions at Arts + Literature Laboratory, are on display from Jan. 2-Feb. 21.

An opening reception for all current exhibitions will be held on Saturday, January 10, 2026 from 5:00pm to 7:00pm and a dedicated event will be held on Saturday, January 17, 2026 from 3:00pm to 5:00pm to celebrate the launch of Randall Berndt's forthcoming book, Stories: Words & Images.

Randall Berndt: This exhibition features works from Stories: Words & Images, the artist's book providing a retrospective view of Randall Berndt's rich practice. In the book and exhibition, Berndt embraces the marriage of image and text, creating what he describes as something like "elaborate cartoons that have need of elaborate captions."

The paintings and drawings presented in the gallery were created first, with stories composed afterward to guide viewers through Berndt's sophisticated and densely layered compositions. Berndt's art celebrates the rich interplay between visual experience and narrative meaning. The exhibition moves through past and present, blending fact and fiction in a humor-filled parade that navigates the artist's evolving relationship with art-making. 

The exhibition reflects Berndt's artistic journey across a decades-long career and celebrates both the "meaningful marks of pencil and brush and print on paper" and the stories that bring them to life. 

Pulling Together: Work from Madison’s Roundhouse Studios, a group exhibition featuring local artists, celebrates Madison’s creative vitality and the work of artists producing remarkable things right here in our city. Pulling Together showcases the wealth of visual art talent in Madison, spotlighting the diverse community of creators working together in one of the city’s newest creative hubs. 

Roundhouse Studios opened in January 2025 as a collaborative project between Arts + Literature Laboratory and Apex Property Management to address Madison’s critical shortage of affordable artist workspace. Located on the second floor of a beautifully renovated former railway building on Madison’s north side, the studios provide over 40 visual artists with professional space to support their creative practices – and crucially, to support them working and producing in Madison. 

The artists in this exhibition represent an important cross-section of Madison’s artistic community. From printmakers and painters to fiber artists and installation creators, they span career stages from emerging talents to established professionals, all united by their commitment to making art in Madison. Their diverse practices reflect the rich creative output happening across our city, demonstrating that Madison is not just a place where art is appreciated, but also where it is actively produced.

Beyond showcasing local talent, this exhibition celebrates how community and collaboration can fuel artistic production. Roundhouse Studios provides more than workspace; it offers connection, creative exchange, and the professional environment that allows artists to thrive in Madison. By supporting spaces where artists can create, exchange ideas, and build community, we strengthen not only individual practices but Madison’s broader cultural identity as a city where art is made, celebrated, and sustained.

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS:

Sarah Braden, Zo Croxford, Lucija Drake, Lyra Evans, GG, Katie Hogan, Rachael Hunter, Jesse Lee Kercheval, Katrina Koppa, Diane Lilli Art, Maile Lloyd, Issis Macias, Paola Mayorga, Sara Meredith/Smere Tactics, Museum of Raccoons, Lesley Numbers, Ben Orozco, Marcela Poffald, Emily Popp, Audrey Rankin, Ciel Skål, Jaroslava Sobiskova, Katherine Steichen Rosing, Kaylie Steinhaus, Lauren Stephenson, Mallory Stowe, Adam Raiford Wilson.

Diastole and Systole: The Pulse of Life, an exhibition by Richie Morales and Beth Racette: Diastole and systole are rhythmic forces within our bodies, expanding and contracting our hearts, allowing the circulation of blood and other life processes. The exhibit, Diastole and Systole: The Pulse of Life, invites us to immerse ourselves in the beauty that persists despite the shadows outside and within us. In our paradoxical world we contemplate the mysteries of existence where violence and oppression coexist with serenity and liberation. The juxtaposition of destruction and creation, injustice and compassion, challenges us to seek a balance amidst chaos. The exhibition reflects on our human condition and Earth’s fragility, highlighting the need to live in harmony with ourselves and all of creation—a call to seek beauty in imperfection, to find strength in vulnerability, and to build a more just and compassionate world. 

Gallery & Library Hours: Our regular exhibition and library hours are Tuesday through Friday from 10 AM to 5 PM and Saturdays from 12 Noon to 5 PM. The galleries are closed between exhibitions and holidays.