Bubbler Room Residency
Bubbler Room Residency
Updated Nov 25, 2025:
Jennie is seeking sewing help from the community in order to complete a 16ft by 12ft quilt titled Flood Quilt.
Jennifer Bastian
Hold & Release
Thurber Park Artist-in-Residence
October 2024 - Fall 2026
Beginning February 2025:
Open studios sessions are held on the last Friday of the month from 10:00am - 12:00pm at Thurber Park (3325 Thurber Ave) hosted by artist Jennie Bastian.
There is a lot of grief in our world right now. For some it is delayed processing of loss due to the ongoing Covid pandemic and ramp-up back to “normal,” for others it is due to income inequality or racial inequity in a segregated city, others are impacted by the reality of multiple concurrent genocides around the world. I believe we need space to slow down and process our grief. Art can help us access the emotions our daily lives do not leave room for.
Programming during my residency will include sewing circles, grief-themed sewing workshops, and opportunities to collaborate on larger projects as a community.
Grief Circles, a sewing series, will invite community members to bring supplies or inspiration from home to work with as a group to create a collaborative piece. I will also host photo sessions where neighbors will be encouraged to bring in objects to be photographed as a symbol of their grief. These photos will be made in the Thurber studio, and participants can be in the photograph as well if they wish. They will also receive a file or print of the photo.
Curated library materials list — coming soon!
Photo taken at Communication by Nate Ryan
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Beginning February 2025:
Open studios sessions are held on the last Friday at Thurber Park (3325 Thurber Ave) hosted by artist Jennie Bastian.
Feb 21 from 10:00am - 12:00pm
March 28 from 10:00am - 12:00pm
April 25 from 10:00am - 12:00pmDrawing, collage and fibers materials will be available for mixed media making. Jennie will be available to talk about ongoing projects.
Please note: One or more individuals in this small space are immunocompromised. For that reason, we are requesting all attendees kindly mask before entering. Masks are provided on-site if needed. -
Jennifer Bastian is an autistic, queer and disabled artist and mother. Making art is what allows Bastian to regulate her nervous system. Her practice is related to the labor of parenting, grieving, and making community.
Bastian received her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and her MA and MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She was a finalist for the Women’s Forward Fund Forward Art Prize in 2022, and was given an Award of Merit from WVA in the 2022 Wisconsin Biennial at MOWA. Bastian will be the Thurber Park Artist in Residence 2024-2026. -
Currently Jennie Bastian is preparing for her solo exhibition at Art Lit Lab in January 2025. Get involved by helping her prepare a large-scale piece, Flood Quilt.
See more here!
If you're interested in connecting with Jennie regarding her residency, email: jenniferhbastian@gmail.com. -
Learn about how the Thurber Park artist residency came to be here.
Workshops
Community Event: A Thurber Welcome!
October 5 from 10am-12pm at Thurber Park (rain or shine)
Please join new Thurber artist-in-residence Jennie Bastian for her first community event. She will share what she’s currently working on, have work samples to view, and wants to hear from YOU about what is happening in your life right now. Input from the community will help to shape Bastian’s residency.
Grief Circle Workshops
Come to the Thurber Studio for a physical and emotional take on the classic sewing circle. There will be sewing, conversation around personal and societal experiences of grief, and some physical exercises aimed at finding our supportive center as makers. Due to space limitations we will be focusing on hand sewing. Bringing some of your own materials is encouraged, but not required. All levels of sewing knowledge is welcomed.
Please note: One or more individuals in this small space are immunocompromised. For that reason, we are requesting all attendees kindly mask before entering. Masks are provided on-site if needed.
This workshop is designed for adults. Ages 16-18 are welcome to join with an adult or guardian. Registration is required and will open 3 weeks prior to the workshop date.
Saturday, Nov 16 from 10:00am - 12:00pm,
registration opens 10/26/24
Saturday, Feb 8 from 10:00am - 12:00pm,
registration opens 1/18/2024
Process through Portraits
March 8 from 11:00am-2:00pm at Thurber Park (rain or shine)
April 19, 11:00am-2:00pm at Thurber Park (rain or shine)
Bring an object to the Thurber Studio that represents grief in your life. This could be something literal: a loved one's urn, a photograph of someone you've lost, or piece of clothing. It could also be something less obvious: a plant, a type of food, a piece of art. Anything that connects you to grief in your life. You will be invited to be in the photograph as well, this is optional.
Please note: One or more individuals in this small space are immunocompromised. For that reason, we are requesting all attendees kindly mask before entering. Masks are provided on-site if needed.
Registration info coming soon!
Location:
The Thurber Park Artist Residency is supported by Madison’s Municipal Arts Fund (Madison Arts Commission), The Friends of Madison Arts Commission, Madison Public Library, and The Friends of Madison Public Library.
