Sometimes you just stumble upon something by accident. Finding the Museum of Contemporary Art during a recent trip to Madison, Wisconsin was one of these happy accidents. I was walking around Madison Square and saw a huge glass building with really long colored stripes behind huge glass windows. Whoever designed this building had style, and I knew I had to go inside and explore.

Free Admission!

Thankfully, I didn’t have to make much of an investment to discover whether or not the Museum was worthwhile because admission is completely free of charge. For the traveller on a budget, it doesn’t get much better than that.

Fantastic View of Madison Square

I entered the museum and climbed its many flights of glass stairs to the fourth floor where there was a charming little restaurant and a door leading outside to the roof. I stepped outside and beheld an amazing view of Madison from the very top of the museum building. The museum features art on each of its four levels, and some sculptures had been placed up here. Though they’d been exposed to the elements for years, it was alright because these sculptures were clearly built to withstand the weather.

The only sculpture that caught my eye on the roof was a plant-like white sculpture. It’s flowing form fit well with the cumulous clouds behind it. But the best part about being on the roof was the view itself. Looking down to the street level, I could see the Orpheum Theater, and in the distance I could even see the Golden Lady sitting atop the Madison Capitol building. If the museum itself is closed when you visit, you should still be able to walk up to the roof for some really excellent photo opportunities.

The Sunlight Dances with the Glass Staircase

Perhaps the Golden Lady gave me her blessing that day, because as I was walking back down the glass staircase, the sun was setting just behind the steps. I was there just in time to capture the beautiful way the light interacted with those translucent glass steps. It’s difficult to describe in words, but it was a truly memorable experience.

I walked down to the ground floor and noticed that each colored ribbon was actually a single piece of vinyl that ran the entire length of the museum — suspended from the ceiling of the 3-level stairwell all the way down to the bottom of the ground floor where I was standing. These seamless ribbons created an interesting effect as the setting sunlight shone through them, striping the floor in shadow. I could easily see things happening at street level because the only thing separating me from the street was a piece of glass. In fact, it was pretty impressive how much glass was used in the construction of this building, and the result was a truly unique structure.

Silly Scared Artists

Unfortunately, I was not allowed to photograph any of the strange paintings on level 3 of the museum. And although you might not agree with me at first, these restrictions have their root in fear. In this world of truly ubiquitous digital photography, I have to wonder how long it will be before people realize one of the facts of this new century: if it can be seen with the human eye, someone will manage to photograph it. Being an artist myself, I’ve learned to cope with that fact. Plus, putting artificial barriers on photography only limits the exposure an artist can achieve. After all, a photograph is never an ample substitute for actually being there.

Lost in the Overture Center

I wanted to explore more, but they sort of kicked me out since it was closing time. However, I did return the next day, and as I was wandering around the first floor of the museum I actually got a bit lost. I found myself in a strangely futuristic white hall with white columns and tile. I found out that this was the Overture Center, and it was connected to the museum.

More fascinating architectural creations were to be found in this area, further reinforcing that the greatest work of art was the very thing I had been standing in and walking around in all day — the building itself. The carefully curving halls and meticulously arranged columns lent the building an atmosphere that very few buildings ever achieve — a kind of minimalistic elegance.

Recommended Experience

To be brutally honest, unless you’re a big fan of avant garde style painting, the view from the roof and the building itself may be more interesting to you than the exhibits.

For this writer, the view alone is worth the time to check out the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, and I plan on visiting again the next time I’m in Madison. Check out their website at MMOCA.org, and be sure to look in the gallery for high resolution photos from this trip.

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Check out all of the photos from this location in the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art album. All photos in the Byteful Gallery can be used as desktop wallpapers because they are high resolution (1920×1440) just as the fullscreen & widescreen wallpapers are.

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I’m going to start of with Tenney Park because it’s the first interesting new place I visited on this, my fourth trip to Madison. Or was it fifth? In any case, every time I visit Madison it shows me a different side of itself. I never thought a city of under a quarter of a million would have an unpredictable dynamic quality that is usually only reserved for cities in the millions.

A Hidden Gem

As parks go, Tenney Park is a hidden gem, and it lies on the northern part of the Madison isthmus. (And if you didn’t know, an isthmus is a land bridge between two bodies of water.) The park features some excellent boating opportunities, but most of the park encompasses the land around the pond and Tenney Lock. According to a plaque I found nearby, the Tenney Lock connects Lake Mendota and Lake Monona which allows boats to travel between the two lakes, even though Lake Mendota’s water level is actually five feet above Lake Monona.

Tangential?

Now, please forgive me if this feels completely tangential, but I saw something really eye-catching on my way to the park.

As I was walking north on Baldwin Street, I passed parked plumbing van that, instead of having a plumbing logo on the side, it had a comic strip! The comic strip depicted a superhero plumber saving the day. Is that not awesome? I’d never seen a comic strip used this way before. It was such a creative idea that I had to snap a picture, and I’ve included it in the Tenney Park album.

First Glance

At first glance, the park seems very similar to the James Madison Park just a mile southwest, but Tenney Park has something more to offer: the bravest ducks in all of Wisconsin. (True story.) Oh, and there’s also the matter of its photogenic pier.

The Tenney Park pier juts out hundreds of feet into Lake Mendota, and it’s just begging to be photographed. Something about the style of its lamp posts, its benches, and its overall sheer concreteness give it a contemplative, reflective quality — almost as if a road was once where the lake now flows, and the lamp posts are still waiting for a car to drive up any day now. I walked out to the end of the concrete pier took some contemplative photos from that perspective. Whenever I photograph a place, I try to capture its unique character and atmosphere.

Curiously enough, the banks of the pier were lined with yellow and violet colored boulders. Had these boulders been colored, and if not, what kinds of rocks were these? What do you think? If have any ideas, feel free to let me know!

South Side

After checking out the lock, I headed to the south side of the park and came to a charming stone bridge arching over the water. Manmade though it was, this artificial river (being the channel between the two lakes) seemed right at home within this small forest reserve. The tree overgrowth over the lock made the park feel older than it probably was, and I was pleased that, instead of merely making a lock, the city of Madison had taken the time to create a pleasing park that benefitted the entire community.

Tenney Park is a charming place, and it’s a great destination for swimming, fishing, or just enjoying the nature around you. If you find yourself in Madison, I highly recommend you experience it for yourself!

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Check out all of the photos from this location in the Tenney Park album. All photos in the Byteful Gallery can be used as desktop wallpapers because they are high resolution (1920×1440) just as the fullscreen & widescreen wallpapers are.

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The zoo’s narrow gate opened to reveal a path heading straight, a shop to the left, and a complex of buildings to the right. I turned and headed toward the buildings to the right. Inside were various members of the primate family: gorillas, ring-tailed lemurs, and orangutans. The orangutans seemed to be having the most fun, climbing around the ladders and ropes inside their large plexiglass cage.

Wandering Around Meeting Mammals

The building exited out near the lion area, complete with a large fallen tree and huge boulders. Last time, when I had visited here in January, a lion and lioness were relaxing on the rocks, but none were in sight today. I snapped a picture because it was a pleasant landscape… even without the lions.

Heading down past the shop, I made my way to the Malayan Tapirs, strange animals that reminded me of a cross between a hippopotamus and a small elephant, though they’re actually more closely related to rhinoceroses. One tapir bathed in a small pool as another looked on, and I wondered if they felt out of place so far from Southeast Asia. Later I was surprised to learn that in Japanese anime, tapirs can actually eat people’s dreams.

Next came the White Rhinoceroses, a truly graceful animal for what looks like a living tank at times. As the two walked around there sizable pen, the texture of their skin made me wonder if they were possibly a genetic experiment of aeons past. But that’s impossible, right? Passing the rhinos, I took a brief look at a lone camel, but this 2-humped Bactrian Camel wasn’t in the mood to be photographed and walked away.

The Tallest Living Land Animal

In the distance I thought I saw a giraffe, but it disappeared behind an usually tall building. Is it true? Is the tallest living land animal really here? I hurried over to the building, and then the smell hit me.

It wasn’t a bad smell per se, but the two towering giraffes overhead left no guess as to its source. I was in a room with giraffes. Sure, there were bars between us, but that didn’t change the fact. I was really in a room with giraffes. Unfortunately, the giraffes didn’t look very comfortable in the, albeit very large, holding area. As I was snapping photos of them, one even looked directly at me, and he seemed to have a questioning look in his eyes. Or was I only adding meaning where there was none?

Only 1000 KM north of the Caribbean

I exited the large room and saw a small pond filled with a beautiful flock of Caribbean Flamingoes. Most were a beautiful pink-orange color and would frequently stand on one leg for no apparent reason. A White Pelican was also in the pond with the Flamingoes, though I wasn’t sure why a bird native to southeastern Europe and Asia would be living with Caribbean Flamingoes. At any rate, it looked interesting, and they seemed to get along alright. The pelican even walked up to me and gave me a great opportunity to take a portrait of its strange face. Thanks Mr. Pelican!

Behind the flamingo display, I found another area that wasn’t active when I had visited in January: Otters! These Northern River Otters were in an aquarium-like setup and seemed to be having great fun swimming up to the glass and pushing off, doing backflips into the water. For small mammals, they could swim quite fast. Perhaps they were excited from all the attention they were getting as people gathered around. They seemed to glean their greatest joy from oneness with their surroundings.

Heading to the Aviary

On my way to the Aviary, I passed some Capybaras leisurely sitting in the grass, watching passers by. They weren’t here in January either, most likely not being able to withstand Wisconsin’s January temperatures.

Being a strange Aviary, the first thing I saw inside the Aviary building were water creatures. A Motoro stingray even decided to show me its mouth as I passed by. The light was so dim in the area, I would have done well to use flash, but as they say, hindsight is 20/20.

Past the stingrays were some fish, including piranha fish who decidedly failed to live up to their reputation. They seemed rather docile, but that may have been because they weren’t actually eating anything at the time. A panel that read “Piranha Facts” hung above them and further deflated the mythos around piranhas, explaining that “people are certainly not preferred prey”. Haven’t these zoo keepers seen movies?! Seriously though, I’m glad that I’m not #1 on the piranha gourmet menu. From the panel, I was surprised to learn that they live to be over 25 years old. That’s rather long for a fish, isn’t it?

Entering the Aviary

A wall of humid air hit me as I finally stepped into the Aviary itself, lush plant life all around me and above me. Far below me was a giant Aldabra Tortoise, which will probably live to be over 100 years old. Why had they put the tortoise so far down below the path? I did the best I could to photograph the tortoise from a distance. The light was dim down there: not exactly the preferred conditions for photography.

After snapping some photos of a few birds I have as yet been unable to identify, I continued down the Aviary path, only to find a unique kind of duck… that I also couldn’t identify, and I didn’t see a panel describing it either. If anyone can identify the blue tropical birds, the yellow-breasted bird, and this mysterious type of duck in the Henry Vilas Zoo album, please let me know in the comments. I would really appreciate it. (EDIT: More info in the comments of this post.)

Not all was ineffable, though! Nearby were a group of irritable Blue and Yellow Macaws. One Macaw even shot me an accusatory look as I took its portrait. Though these birds have an attitude at times, they are quite beautiful. (The portrait I took is the last photo in this article.)

Polar Bear with an Attitude

Just outside of the Aviary is the bear area. A few variety of bears were there, but the polar bears proved to be the most entertaining. One polar bear in particular made growling faces to the crowd. I’m glad I took plenty of pictures, because when I returned home to view the photos on my Powerbook, I was delighted to find proof of what the polar bears really think of zoo visitors. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that I took a photo of a polar bear sticking his tongue out at me!

Zoo Soon Closed

Not long after, it was announced that the zoo would soon close, and I began heading back towards the front gate. On my way out, I observed a group of African Penguins scuttle around their man-made peninsula. They seemed out of place in the Wisconsin summer weather. Each one of them had a color-coded tag on their wing. I wondered how I would feel if I spent the rest of my life with a tag around my arm. Still, their life expectancy is probably longer in captivity since they’re protected from their natural predators. And as people have one-on-one experiences with some of the strange and wonderful creatures this planet has to offer, their eyes are opened to how precious this planet’s diversity is. Perhaps the greatest service that a zoo can offer is awareness.

Check it out for yourself!

A big thank you to Henry Vilas Zoo for providing everyone with the opportunity to experience, for free, some of the wonderful diversity of our planet up close. If you find yourself heading to Madison, I highly recommend you check this zoo out!

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Photos from this trip are in the Byteful Gallery. All photos in the Byteful Gallery can be used as desktop wallpapers because they are high resolution (1920×1440) just as the fullscreen & widescreen wallpapers are.

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