Skip to content

Chazen Museum of Art

Chazen Museum of Art is a museum in Wisconsin, at a modelled elevation of 264 m. Blue Mounds stands 524 m to the west, 23 miles off. The nearest named place is Class of 1920 Memorial Plaza, a park less than a tenth of a mile away. Lower Wisconsin River Road Scenic Byway passes 17 miles off. 20 named summits stand within 25 miles.

The story

The Chazen Museum of Art is an art museum located on the campus of the University of Wisconsin–Madison in Madison, Wisconsin. Founded as the Elvehjem Art Center (later Elvehjem Museum of Art) in 1970, the museum moved into a brutalist building designed by Illinois architect Harry Weese to house the university's collection of 1,600 artworks. The museum was named after then-president of UW-Madison, biochemist Conrad Elvehjem. In 2005, the institution was renamed Chazen Museum of Art following an important gift by businessman Jerome A. Chazen and his wife Simona, both university alums. The gift provided part of the construction funds for an additional museum building. The structure was designed by the Boston-based architectural firm Machado-Silvetti and inaugurated in 2011. With 176,000 sq. ft. of gross floor area and a collection of over 25,000 objects as of 2026, the Chazen Museum of Art is the second-largest art museum in Wisconsin, after the Milwaukee Art Museum.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Dates from 2005.

Wikidata Q3666871, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.

What to expect

Fee
No

Official site

How to reach it

Coordinates43.07390, -89.39881

Named places within 25 miles

Parks
  • Class of 1920 Memorial Plaza: 0.0 mi
  • Library Mall: 0.1 mi
  • Alumni Park: 0.2 mi
  • Robert E. Gard Storyteller's Circle: 0.3 mi
  • Elizabeth Link Peace Park: 0.3 mi
Artworks
Historic sites
  • State Historical Society: 0.1 mi
  • 9XM-WHA: 0.1 mi
  • A Stage For All: 0.2 mi
  • The Greenbush 1891-1960: 0.5 mi
  • Memorial Arch: 0.6 mi
Gardens
Attractions
Nature reserves
Beaches: 24
  • Brittingham Beach: 0.8 mi
  • James Madison Beach: 1.0 mi
  • James Madison Beach: 1.0 mi
  • James Madison Beach: 1.0 mi
  • Willow Beach: 1.1 mi
Peaks: 20
Springs: 8
  • Council Spring: 2.2 mi
  • Ho Nee Um Spring: 2.2 mi
  • Big Spring: 2.3 mi
  • Merrill Spring: 3.5 mi
  • Springs: 5.4 mi
Cliffs: 7
Picnic sites: 4
  • Picnic Table and Gazebo: 4.0 mi
  • Tribal Council Picnic: 9.6 mi
  • Williams Knoll: 11.3 mi
  • MacKenzie Picnic Area: 22.2 mi
Rest areas: 3
  • Train Car: 9.8 mi
  • Poynette Rest Area 12: 24.6 mi
  • Portage Rest Area 11: 24.9 mi
Waterfalls: 1
  • Cascade Aerator: 7.7 mi
Ghost towns: 1

Summits around it

The highest named summits within 25 miles of Chazen Museum of Art. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.

SummitBearingElevationDistance
Blue MoundsW 262°524 m23.1 mi
Sugarloaf HillNW 316°346 m21.1 mi
Liberty Pole HillS 182°338 m16.9 mi
Liberty MoundESE 109°326 m12.6 mi
Owls Head HillNNW 335°319 m24.3 mi
Frederick's HillNW 309°317 m5.6 mi
Mount PleasantSW 225°316 m17.5 mi
Mount JuliaSW 222°313 m16.4 mi

When to go

Light through the year

DateSunriseGolden hourSunset
March equinox07:0218:3219:10
June solstice05:1919:5820:41
September equinox06:4618:1918:57
December solstice07:2715:4016:26

Local time (America/Chicago).

Climate normals

Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Oct.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg °F192334475868727062503725
Precip in1.71.72.34.24.65.74.74.13.93.02.31.9

1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — UW Arboretum - Madison, 3 mi away.

Where this comes from

Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.

OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOfficial site

OpenStreetMap element way/295708135

More museums in Wisconsin

Drive to it

Byway plans a real route around stops like this one.

Private beta · Free to join

Take the scenic way to Chazen Museum of Art.

Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.

Private beta · Free to join · No card · Invite when a spot opens