While Judy Faulkner is best known as the billionaire founder and CEO of Epic Systems, she is also an enthusiastic supporter of the arts — and has made routine visits to Madison’s annual Art Fair on the Square to acquire works for the company’s immense Verona campus.
I recently came across a post on Instagram where Madison artist Joseph Taylor, who works with reclaimed wood and creates sprawling nature landscapes, underwater worlds and fantastical space scenes, shared that Epic has officially become the largest collector of his work — most recently making a major acquisition for its Sci-Fi building.
The electronic health records company’s themed campuses, including the Wizards Academy, the Storybook campus (with buildings inspired by “Alice in Wonderland” and other tales) and the Farm campus, which includes a barn, are open for prescheduled, self-guided tours. Visitors will also find a treehouse and the former Ella’s Deli carousel housed on the Epic campus.
The company sees these unique spaces as a way to encourage innovation and productivity in its employees, a philosophy noted in a recent Harvard Business School case study about the company, which Joe Vanden Plas wrote about for this month’s issue.
For artists like Taylor, Epic’s commitment to the arts offers more than just a paycheck.
“Knowing that my pieces live in a place that values creativity, imagination and thoughtful spaces is an honor,” Taylor wrote on Instagram on April 17. “Their ongoing support has helped me grow not only as an artist, but as a believer in the power of art to transform environments and connect people.”
That theme — of how art transforms communal spaces and brings people together — appears repeatedly in our June issue. In Brittney Kenaston’s cover story on the new Bayview, she writes about how vibrant murals decorating the buildings there serve as a unifying symbol for the diverse community.
Such elements were important to residents, who played a key role in crafting what the reimagined development would look like.
Bayview, also the first home of several arts groups, has allotted space for public art projects to enliven the neighborhood.
And Kenaston’s interview with Brenda DeVita, American Players Theatre’s artistic director, also touches on how art brings people together — in APT’s case, to a beautiful outdoor theater in Spring Green for Shakespeare and other more contemporary plays.
It’s a magical experience to pack a picnic, climb the hill and watch this exceptional theater company perform under the stars. The essence of summer!
Enjoy the issue and thanks for reading.
