ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE
Interdisciplinary Arts Residency Programs (IARP)
Seph Rodney
2026-27
Seph Rodney joins UW–Madison as the 2026–27 Interdisciplinary Artist in Residence, hosted by the Chazen Museum of Art with key collaborations across Creative Writing/English, the Department of Art History, and community partners in Madison.
Across an academic year, Rodney’s residency is structured around two fall “anchor” visits—an October ecosystems convening and the November collections reinstallation and reopening week—followed by a spring return that focuses on teaching, criticism, and public conversations. During his time on campus, he will serve as a critic‑in‑residence and thinking partner for the museum, while also working closely with students, faculty, and community organizations.
Rodney’s work as a writer and critic centers on how museums imagine and address their publics, how race and class shape visual culture, and how art criticism can foster more equitable cultural spaces. His residency will connect these concerns to UW–Madison’s collections, classrooms, and communities through class visits, workshops, staff roundtables, public programs, and collaborations with partners such as the Center for Black Excellence and Culture, the Bubbler at Madison Public Library, and the Odyssey Project.
About the Artist
Seph Rodney, PhD is a writer, critic, and curator whose work focuses on contemporary art, museums, and visual culture. He is a former senior critic and opinions editor at Hyperallergic, and is now a regular contributor to Hyperallergic and The New York Times. Born in Jamaica and based in New York City, Rodney has lived in Los Angeles and London and holds a PhD in Museum Studies from Birkbeck, University of London.
Rodney is the author of The Personalization of the Museum Visit, a book that examines how museums have reimagined the “visitor experience” in the era of interactivity and digital media. His criticism and essays explore how museums and artworks frame questions of race, citizenship, belonging, and power, and how audiences encounter those narratives in galleries, media, and public space.
As Interdisciplinary Artist in Residence, Rodney brings his perspective as a critic, curator, and “lapsed poet” to UW–Madison, inviting students, faculty, and community members into sustained conversations about how museums can be more reflective, accountable, and imaginative.
Media & Recognition
Regular contributor to Hyperallergic and The New York Times, with writing on contemporary art, museums, and public culture.
Author of The Personalization of the Museum Visit (Routledge), a study of how museums reconfigure visitor experience and public engagement.
Recipient of the Rabkin Prize for arts journalism and an Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant recognizing his contributions to critical writing on contemporary art and museums.
On‑camera commentator and critic in documentaries and media projects about Black art, museums, and visual culture, including Black Art: In the Absence of Light.
Residency Events
2026-27
Ecosystems Convening
October 20-25, 2026
Tuesday-Thursday, Oct 20-22
Chazen Museum of Art
Staff and curatorial conversations, and class/partner meetings.
Friday, Oct 23
Chazen Museum of Art
10am – 12pm
Ecosystems Convening
12pm
“Placing the Reader on Your Shoulder”
Workshop
Saturday, Oct 24
Chazen Museum of Art
Follow‑up discussions with museum leadership and faculty
Collections Reinstallation Opening Week
November 11–14, 2026
Friday, Nov 13
Chazen Museum of Art
Public Events
Saturday, Nov 14
Chazen Museum of Art
Open House
Presented by
Seph Rodney’s Interdisciplinary Artist in Residence engagement is presented by the University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of the Arts in partnership with the Chazen Museum of Art. and the Department of Art History, with additional collaboration from units across campus.