Featured Artwork in the Market

The Madison Public Market and TruStage MarketReady Hall are filled with artwork of all shapes and sizes. Collectively, the pieces reflect the core principles of Sustainability, Ecology, History, Place and Inclusivity. Murals, ceiling hung abstracts, historical tapestries and descriptions, land acknowledgements and glass etchings contribute to a sense of knowledge, wonder and honor.

Individual pieces are described below:

The first work featured is Elizah Leonard by Tom Jones. It is an exterior mural along First Street.

Jones is a Professor of Photography at UW-Madison and creates work that examines American Indian identity, experience, and perception. His photography is held in prestigious collections including National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, National Portrait Gallery, and Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Elizah Leonard won second prize in The National Portrait Gallery’s 2022 triennial Outwin Portrait Competition.

And Still, She Blossoms is a vibrant and engaging mural created by Madison La Follette High School and Middleton High School students under the guidance of La Follette teacher Monique Karlen. It is based on an original sketch by Shantiana McNeal, then a freshman at La Follette.

The mural first appeared as part of the 2020 Downtown Street Art & Mural Project.

High resolution photographs of the work were used to recreate the piece in vinyl on aluminum panel.

This mural is now located on an exterior wall facing the Market’s parking lot.

Axolotl & Alma by Issis Macias and Rodrigo Carapia are from the Raíces en Color (Roots in Color) collection that showcase the artists’ shared Mexican heritage. Macias, the 2025 Latina Artist of the Year, started the works with bold abstract compositions and contrasting colors. Carapia, a self-taught artist from Mexico City, superimposed vivid imagery celebrating Mexican culture.

The murals are located on two exterior walls that face the parking lot behind the building.