By james art 
like Tone MadisonAs the 10th anniversary approaches, we’re looking back at some highlights from the past decade.
Tone Madison turns 10 this year. To mark a decade of our fierce independence, reader supported coverage of culture and politics in Madison, we’re revisiting some highlights from our archives. I have a favorite Tone Madison story you think we should include? Let us know by sending an email to [email protected].
Editor’s note: Before you join To Ton Madison editorial team, I mostly worked at newspapers without staff photographers or editorial illustrators. One of the papers did have a guy who did illustrations, mostly for ads, but if you planned ahead he might put one together for a news story. To say that editorial art at these institutions is an afterthought is a gross understatement. Reporters are already busy and on tight deadlines, and now we’re expected to take compelling photos while listening, taking notes, and writing a story for a City Council meeting? Shit – just throw in this decent exterior shot of City Hall and call it a night.
It didn’t even click what a difference editorial art can make, especially for an online store, until I saw it for myself. A thoughtful editorial can heighten the emotions of the material and put the reader in the right frame of mind. And we have very careful editorial artists who know how to convey the sinister in the face of abuse of power. They shrewdly poke fun at poor storytelling and disappointing scenes, and highlight the silliness when we tackle lighter subject matter. I can’t overstate how much I appreciate our editorial artists and how proud I am to be a part of a publication that pays for art. Choosing an artist whose style fits the piece and then seeing what they create has become one of my favorite parts of working at Tone Madison.
As we celebrate 10 years, we want to celebrate all the artists and the great art they have contributed over the years. my colleague Ton Madison editors and I have compiled a series of galleries showing many highlights from over the years, with links to the original stories and the artists’ websites or Instagram profiles. This is far from exhaustive — and it just goes to show you how lucky we are to work with such a wonderful variety of local artists. — Christina Liefring, news and politics editor