Visiting Artist Colloquium: Jim Gaylord

Jim Gaylord is a New York-based artist who explores the possibilities and boundaries of abstraction, adapting languages of formalism, geometry, ornament, and iconography. He interlayers motifs from both man-made and organic structures, finding connections between engineered and naturally occurring patterns. Recontextualizing symbols from our visual culture, his work resonates in ways that are specific yet enigmatic, inviting multiple readings.

Gaylord manipulates heavy watercolor paper through processes of addition and removal—cutting, bending, and scraping—to create his multidimensional surfaces. His singular approach to image-making encompasses painting, drawing, collage, and sculpture. Working primarily in monochrome, he focuses on effects of light and shadow cast upon raised edges, volumetric forms, and surface textures. Through this formal exploration, Gaylord seeks out a sense of hharmony and rightness among shapes that appear otherwise idiosyncratic.

Jim Gaylord received his MFA from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2005 and a BA from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, in 1997. He has had solo exhibitions at Sperone Westwater, New York; Deanna Evans Projects, New York; Gregory Lind Gallery, San Francisco; Torri & Geminian, Milan; and Jeff Bailey Gallery, New York; among others. Selected group shows include DC Moore Gallery, New York; the Weatherspoon Art Museum, Greensboro, North Carolina; le Pavillon Carré de Baudouin, Paris, France; Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions; and the Brooklyn Academy of Music; He has completed residencies at the Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program, MacDowell, and Yaddo, and has received fellowships from the Joan Mitchell Foundation, the Pollock-Krasner Foundation and the New York Foundation for the Arts. His work is held in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York; the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley, California; the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester, New York; and others. He is currently represented by DC Moore Gallery in New York, where he will have hist first solo xhibition with the gallery in the spring of 2027.JIM GAYLORD

About the Visiting Artist Colloquium:

The Art Department Colloquium is a series supported by the Anonymous Fund and the Brittingham Trust. Visiting Artist lectures are held every Wednesday during the academic year, and are free and open to the public.

RSVPs recommended. Walk-ins welcome as capacity alllows.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Where should I park?

There are several parking garages within a few blocks of the museum. Limited accessible parking stalls are located in front of the building. Contact UW Transportation Services for more information: https://transportation.wisc.edu/visitor-parking/. We are also on several Madison Metro bus routes, and BCycle stations are nearby.

Where at the museum is this event?

This event will take place in the Chazen's Auditorium.

Can I call if I have questions?

Yes! You can call the welcome desk to speak with our Visitor Services team at 608-263-2246.