The story of Smart Studios begins with Butch Vig and Steve Marker, who met while attending the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the mid 1970s. Though neither Vig nor Marker knew much about professional production or running a business, they were music lovers that operated through a sense of passion and their own self-taught methods. These were qualities they carried with them when they established Smart Studios in 1983, opening their first location in the Gisholt building on East Washington Avenue in Madison. During this time they met Dennis Nechvatal, whose art studio was located just down the hall.

Nechvatal created the “SMART” banner for Smart Studios in their first year of operation. It is hand-painted on a cotton textile canvas and is much larger in person than one would expect. Unlike Nechvatal’s other work, this piece is harsh and chaotic, almost to the point of looking violent. The gritty, haphazard, handmade style of the “SMART” banner makes it highly fitting for both its namesake and its recipient.

Smart Studios moved across the street to 1254 East Washington Avenue in 1987. They flourished here with their close ties to Madison’s community of music enthusiasts. By 1990, Smart Studios’ work had caught the eye of Sub Pop Records, and in April of that same year, the band Nirvana came to Madison to record at Smart Studios. One of the songs recorded during this session, “Polly,” made it onto Nirvana’s second album, Nevermind, which went platinum soon after its release. This was a turning point for Smart Studios and its founders, who would go on to produce music for more recognizable names from all over the globe including The Smashing Pumpkins, L7, Death Cab for Cutie, Fall Out Boy, Garbage, and so on until they closed their doors in 2010.

Not many people would expect that a rundown little building in Madison, Wisconsin, was responsible for producing some of the more legendary music of the late twentieth and early twenty first century, but Smart Studios put Madison on the map as a significant location for the grittier, grungier music scene of the time.

1978	Dennis Nechvatal moves to Madison, WI
1983	Dennis working in artist loft in Gisholt Building down the hall from Butch Vig
1983	Smart Studios opens in Gisholt Building on E. Washington Ave.
1983	Dennis creates “SMART” banner for Butch
1987	Smart Studios moves to 1254 E. Washington Ave. location
1989	works from Killdozer and Die Kreuzen gain attention from Sub Pop Records
1990	Nirvana records at Smart Studios - April
1991	Nevermind released, goes platinum
1993	Smart Studios is remodeled and upgraded
1995	Garbage founded with Butch Vig, Steve Marker, Duke Erikson, and Shirley Manson
2010	Smart Studios closes May 1