Phil Porter

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courtesy Waisman Center

Madison artist Phil Porter and a work during a 2014 exhibition.

Are you lucky enough to have invested in a Phil Porter? Porter, a visual artist well known in the Madison art scene, painted what he saw around him in exuberant colors and loose, vibrant strokes. Favorite subjects included Willy Street, the state Capitol and the Red Gym. Porter passed away in January at the age of 75. This memorial will also launch A New Sun in the Sky, a retrospective show of Porter’s work, beginning with early, never-before-seen images to late works, and many will be for sale, benefiting ARTS for ALL Wisconsin. Porter “embodied our mission, and he leaves behind a legacy that will be celebrated for a long, long time,” says Christina Martin-Wright, the executive director of ARTS for ALL Wisconsin. The exhibit will be on display through July 29.

media release: On Saturday June 18 ARTS for ALL Wisconsin and ArtWorking will host a memorial celebration honoring the life and work of iconic Madison artist Phil Porter, who died in January at the age of 75. The Celebration of Life will also mark the opening of A New Sun in the Sky, a retrospective show of Porter’s work. A longtime fixture of the Madison art scene, Porter is best known for bringing local cityscapes to life with vibrant colors and expressive brushwork, including beloved depictions of Madison landmarks like the state Capitol and the Red Gym on the UW-Madison campus.

The memorial celebration will be open to the public at the ARTS for ALL Wisconsin Art Center on Aberg Avenue in Madison from 2 – 5 pm. Open to the public, no registration needed. AFA will officially dedicate the Phil Porter Memorial Gallery, provided through generous support from the Porter Family, Leslie and Dave Griffith, and James Riordan. The exhibit will be on display through July 29.

While Porter’s work has been featured in numerous exhibitions in Madison, A New Sun in the Sky offers the first comprehensive presentation of Porter’s art, spanning early, never seen pieces to mature work from his late career. "Phil Porter leaves an enduring legacy in Madison as both an artist and an individual,” says AFA Art Director Peter Bovenmyer. “His resiliency, originality, and prolific talent showcased the strengths of the disability community and helped us all see the city as a unique work of art." A sizable portion of the exhibition will be available for sale with proceeds donated to ARTS for ALL Wisconsin where Porter launched his career.