By Abigail Sibilski, Schenk-Atwood-Starkweather-Yahara Neighborhood Association

If you’ve walked past the new Talbot Gallery 2118 at 2102 Atwood Ave. and wondered about it, you should know that the man behind it, Terry Talbot, is someone who has impacted the neighborhood and Madison as a whole for a long time.

Talbot first came to Madison in 1965 as a journalism student. He was drafted, serving in Alaska, then came back in 1970 with a camera, a band and a lot of ideas about how communities could work better together. One of those ideas was a musicians’ collective consisting of 30 bands and 300 members — built entirely on the idea that people could show up for each other without anyone taking a cut.

He wrote the grant that created Madison’s first bicycle safety program. He also taught photography at Freedom House, an alternative school that was part of the free schools movement of the late 1960s and 1970s, where students were free to develop their interests at their own pace. Freedom House occupied the building where Atwood Music Hall is located.

The gallery itself has its own interesting origin story. Talbot started selling art out of an orange crate and eventually moved into a gallery space just a few doors down at 2118 Atwood Ave., where he stayed for 15 years. When his landlord passed away and the building sold, Talbot was understandably stressed about what came next. Three days later, his neighbor stopped by to say he was retiring and had space available.

“I feel like I’ve had an angel on my shoulder my whole life,” Talbot said.

He strongly feels that everything happens for a reason and that this new space is where he is meant to be.

Talbot has been nominated for Madison Magazine’s Best of Madison three times and just recently found out he’s been nominated again this year in the Arts and Entertainment category. That’s just another reflection of how consistently present he has been in the Madison community over the past decades.

Talbot believes that art should be celebrated and accessible.

“It’s all about the people,” he is fond of saying.

Most of what you’ll find at Talbot Gallery 2118 comes from artists he has met over the years — most who just walked in one day and started a conversation. The art ranges from large pieces to smaller, more affordable ones. Some is for sale online. If you look closely enough, some of the photography in the space is Talbot’s.

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