The Joyful Urgency of Dickey Lee Stafford

Celebrate the vibrant and multifaceted work of Madison artist and HIV/AIDS activist Dickey Lee Stafford with The Joyful Urgency of Dickey Lee Stafford, an exhibit presented by the UW–Madison Libraries’ LGBTQ+ Archive and the Wisconsin Union Directorate Art Committee. 

Stafford’s work spans commercial illustration, corporate design, graphic design for gay causes in the 1980s and ‘90s, and deeply personal fine art. By examining these works together, the exhibit presents the narrative of a well-known local figure in the late 20th century, reclaiming the story of one of the thousands of artists lost to the HIV/AIDS pandemic.  

The exhibition draws from two recent large donations of Stafford’s work to the Madison LGBTQ+ Archive, housed within the UW–Madison Libraries’ UW Archives, alongside private loans from friends and collaborators. Featuring original works — including representations of his 3-D paper and clay sculptures, handmade paper compositions, commercial greeting cards, activism artwork, and paintings — the exhibit restores a vital, visionary voice to the history of local late 20th-century American and queer art.