Dream Collectors
Central Library Bubbler Room
March 2015
The Dream Collectors residency project was curated by Megan Marsh-McGlone, Andrew Salyer, and Katie Schaag. In 1924, a group of artists calling themselves Surrealists opened a Bureau of Surrealist Research in Paris. The Surrealists wanted to create an archive of as much information as possible about what was happening in people’s unconscious minds, so they invited the public to come to their Bureau and tell them accounts of their dreams.
The Dream Collectors project takes up the work of the Surrealists—inviting the people of Madison to visit the Bubbler and draw, write, and record accounts of the dreams they have while they are asleep. Our residency is a social art project that creates a space for people to share their dreams, the creative work of the unconscious that usually remains hidden.
The residency featured three major components:
A space for participants to share dreams in the Bubbler room during all open library hours
The display of participants’ dream materials
Workshops and special events throughout the month
The Dream Collectors project was generously supported by the UW-Madison Arts Enterprise New Arts Venture Challenge Award.
Return to the residency archive.
