The Arts and Culture Capital

Madison is a city where you’ll find culture around every corner. Here, you can catch Broadway plays and the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art on the same street—both in stunning César Pelli-designed buildings. Go from art literature labs to live music in one night. Find a stellar lineup of fairs and festivals and meet the makers at tiny galleries. Discover over eight independent bookstores throughout the city. And did we mention how many of the museums in Madison are free? (The answer is five, with one more coming back in 2027.)

Accessibility to the arts means offering opportunities to not just view, but to do. Dozens of our makers, creators and doers offer drop-in classes and workshops that allow you to make a custom work of art or learn a new skill. We like to call these ed-ventures, but you might call them your new favorite travel memory.

Boasting the largest dome by volume in the U.S.—and the only granite dome—the Wisconsin State Capitol Building shares thoughtful architectural elements with the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Monona Terrace

The Home of Frank Lloyd Wright

Madison is the hometown of one of history's most famous architects. Frank Lloyd Wright was an innovator who married art, architecture, design and nature to create stunning works of art for people to live in, gather in, worship in and celebrate in. You can tour three Wright-designed buildings in the Greater Madison area, including Taliesin, which was recently named one of the best historic sites for wellness by National Geographic, and you can even create your own Wright-inspired piece of art to take home during the Inspired By Wright specialty tour at Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center.

Beyond Wright's influence, Madison is a hot spot for architectural wonders, including the Wisconsin State Capitol, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, which is home to several wow-worthy buildings, and the César Pelli-designed Madison Museum of Contemporary Art.

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Art That's Affordable

When it comes to arts and culture, Madisonians prefer not to gatekeep. It’s a place where esteemed and emerging artists converge because there’s culture around every corner. The capital city is home to five free museums including: the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, the Chazen Museum of Art, the Wisconsin Veterans Museum and the National Mustard Museum. But that's just the beginning. On many streets, you'll find art displayed in coffee shops, breweries, shops and more unexpected places. It just makes sense in the hometown of the university that has the #15 fine arts program in the country, the first glass-blowing lab in the U.S and the largest campus-based film festival in the U.S.

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Love for Local, Live Music

Wondering why so many people had Madison as their Spotify Sound Town in 2023? It's because Madison has a deep appreciation for live music and especially our local musicians. Our events calendar has something bumpin', jammin' or rockin' nearly every night on big stages like The Sylvee and The Orpheum, or intimate jazz clubs like North Street Cabaret and Cafe Coda. Internationally renowned jazz musician Hanah Jon Taylor opened Cafe Coda here because legendary bassist Richard Davis was on the faculty at UW–Madison (Taylor thought he could learn a thing or two from living in the same city as Davis—and he did!).

Overture Center for the Arts is a hub for all kinds of live performances. We're talking Broadway shows, cabaret concerts, solo acts, ballets, symphonies and more. Plus, it’s a place where sensory kits and ASL interpretation are always-on considerations.

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