Painting: Beneath the Surface
2024-11-15 08:00 - 2025-02-15 17:00 (America/Chicago) | UW-Eau Claire — Barron County, Fine Arts, 1800 College Dr, Rice Lake, 54868
This exhibition is featuring student work alongside professional work. The show is a conversation through painting addressing current issues. Featured artists in the show work in various mediums and styles addressing issues such as nature, the body, identity, and politics.
Featuring: JD McGuire, Brandi Matthews, Don Ruedy, Mary Caton-Rosser, Kaitlyn Orr, Leah Orr, Nevaeh Krchnavy, Jess Margan, Bella Bixby, Bela Myre, Paityn Butzler, Lillie Gohde, Cinnamon Sattler, William Dean Schneider, Emma Bauer

Manitowoc Public Library Winter Reading Program 2026: Warm Up to a Good Book!
2025-01-11 00:01 - 2025-02-28 23:59 | Manitowoc Public Library, 707 Quay Street, Manitowoc, Wisconsin, 54220, United States
The Winter Reading Program is open to All Ages! Read or be read to for a total of 10 hours from Sunday, January 11 through Saturday, February 28. Everyone who finishes receives a raffle ticket to enter to win one of a variety of fantastic prize baskets! Participate by tracking your reading on the Beanstack app, by visiting manitowoclibrary.beanstack.org or by picking up a paper tracker at any MPL Service Desk! For a full list of sponsors for the Winter Reading program, click HERE!

Michelle Grabner: Under the Sink
2025-01-17 08:00 - 2025-05-24 17:00 | Haggerty Museum of Art, 1234 W Tory Hill St, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53233, United States
Milwaukee-based artist, writer, and curator Michelle Grabner pays homage to custodial labor through this installation of household sinks and replicated everyday objects. Largely unseen janitorial work is instead foregrounded through the presence of commonplace objects used to keep institutional spaces sanitary. In the traditionally orderly gallery space, rests a silver leafed garbage can, cast bronze broom, and cast porcelain buckets, caddies, wash brushes, toilet paper rolls, washcloths, “wet floor” signs, and cleaning supplies.
The majority of the work in Grabner’s exhibition is produced in the Kohler MakerSpace, an invitational project space for artists and designers based in Kohler’s Pottery. In addition, the display includes work from Kohler Co.’s commercial production line including single basin wall-mounted sinks.
Grabner’s display celebrates the labor of sanitation, highlights the design of those objects, and creates a conceptual link to Cleaning Woman, a photograph by August Sander in the Museum’s adjacent collection display.

Parallel Play: The Art of Science & the Science of Art
2025-01-17 08:00 - 2025-05-24 17:00 | Haggerty Museum of Art, 1234 W Tory Hill St, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53233, United States
Parallel Play was created as an integral component of Marquette’s Biology class, Creative Problem Solving. This cross-disciplinary course teaches STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) students to embrace divergent thinking as a path to innovative problem solving. Through art-based activities and small group interactions with artists and STEM faculty, the class emphasizes the similarities between the creative processes of scientists and artists. The class is team-taught by Dr. Deanna Arble, Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences and Lynne Shumow, Curator for Academic Engagement, Haggerty Museum of Art.
Featuring work from the Haggerty’s permanent collection, Parallel Play is divided into four sections that coincide with the scientific method—clarify, ideate, develop and implement. Through the exhibited art pieces, connections have been made between the work of artists and scientists with a special emphasis on the essential elements of scientific research—rejection, revision and the formulation of new ideas. Parallel Play aims to demystify the process of innovation across disciplines and to illuminate the multiple routes of discovery and interpretation that art has to offer.
Support for this exhibition is generously provided by the Stackner Family Endowment Fund.

The Big 4-0, Vol. 2: New Views of the Collection
2025-01-17 10:00 - 2025-05-24 17:00 | Haggerty Museum of Art, 1234 W Tory Hill St, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53233, United States
The Big 4-0, Vol. 2: New Views of the Collection reimagines the Haggerty Museum of Art’s six lower galleries for the spring semester, presenting an entirely new installation of outstanding works from the Museum’s own holdings. The exhibition expands on collection favorites such as Keith Haring and Salvador Dalí paintings with rarely seen works on paper brought out for the special anniversary. The show of modern and contemporary art contains distinct themes within each gallery such as artistic composition through chance, the role of personal biography, artistic use of commercial printing, and artistic creation following wartime.
The Big 4-0 Vol. 2 is the second of a two-part installation of the exhibition galleries. Vol. 2 features a completely new display to demonstrate the breadth and depth of the Museum’s collection. In combination, the Fall and Spring anniversary exhibitions feature more than 100 works of art. Both installations are curated by Dr. Kirk Nickel, Marc and Lillian Rojtman Curator of European Art.
Support for this exhibition is generously provided by the Emmett J. Doerr Endowment Fund and in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Mike Schneider Presents the History of Polka Music
2025-01-30 10:30 - 11:30 | History Maker Space, 1 S Pinckney St, Madison, Wisconsin, 53703, United States
Help celebrate National Polka Month with the Wisconsin Historical Society! Join six-time polka hall of fame accordion player, Mike Schneider, for an entertaining presentation highlighting Wisconsin’s Official State Dance, tracing the history of polka music from its Eastern European roots to the dance halls and festivals of our state and beyond. As this presentation incorporates live polka music, don’t be surprised when your toes start tapping!
Schneider first began playing accordion at the age of six after hearing America’s Polka King Frankie Yankovic perform in Milwaukee—and since then, Schneider has made it his mission to spread the history and culture of polka music across the world.
Tickets: Adult (18-64): $10 Teen (13-17): $10 Senior (65+): $10 Child (5-12): $10 Child Under 5: Free. Society members receive a 10% discount
Purchase at https://buy.acmeticketing.com/events

Artist Talk: Jason S. Yi and Bridge Work Alumni
2025-01-30 18:15 - 19:15 | Milwaukee Art Museum, 700 N. Art Museum Dr, Milwaukee, 53202
Join interdisciplinary artist Jason S. Yi, co-founder of Plum Blossom Initiative, for a conversation celebrating the 10th anniversary of Bridge Work Professional Development Program, a Midwestern-based arts initiative focused on mentoring emerging artists in developing a responsible studio practice, broadening the scope of their connections and experiences, and navigating the nuances of the contemporary art world. Hear from Bridge Work alumni Julia Bradfish, Phoenix S. Brown, Dominic Chambers, Chad Alexander Matha, and Lindsey Yeager about where they are now and what continues to inspire their practice and creativity.

Them Coulee Boys
2025-01-31 19:30 - 21:30 | Mineral Point Opera House, 139 High Street, Mineral Point, WI, 53565
“A rollicking blend of bluegrass, folk, and rock-and-roll.” – Folk Alley
Them Coulee Boys make their long-overdue Mineral Point Opera House debut on Saturday, January 31, 2026, at 7:30 pm. Doors will open at 6:30 pm. Tickets range from $20 to $25 (plus taxes and fees) and will increase by $5 on the day of the show. Friends of the MPOH will have access to tickets starting Tuesday, July 1 at 8:00 am, and the general public on Tuesday, July 15 at 8:00 am.
Soren Staff and Beau Janke—co-founders of folk/rock/Americana outfit Them Coulee Boys—met as camp counselors in northern Wisconsin in 2011. Their weekend workshopping of Avett Brothers and classic country tunes led to original songs and added Soren’s brother Jenson on mandolin, Neil Krause on electric bass, and Stas Hable on drums.
The band’s name is a nod to the glacial melt-carved river valleys they call home, known by early French fur trappers as coulees. Known for wild swings of emotion during sets, it is not unusual to see fans in tears and minutes later dancing with abandon. The honesty and ability to talk and sing about the feelings and emotions that shape them has endeared them to a growing group of fans and friends.
Throughout five albums, the band has garnered international attention and earned press in Americana UK, American Songwriter, Ditty TV, Folk Alley, and The Bluegrass Situation. The band has played support to Trampled by Turtles, Los Lobos, Old Crow Medicine Show, and Band of Heathens, and No Depression writes of the recent release, “a remarkably wide-ranging, enduringly sympathetic examination of the human condition.”
2025 marks the release of No Fun In The Chrysalis, an expansive new collection that finds the band picking up where their 2021 release, Namesake, left off. Goldmine writes “TCB present their material with the presence of War on Drugs and Band of Horses (“Mountains”), but with an intimacy at times of Rick Danko’s best work with The Band (“I Am Not Sad”).”
The band’s co-founder, Soren Staff, wrote about his ongoing struggles with self-worth and anxiety on “I Am Not Sad,” the first single from the album – “it was a tonic, 4 minutes of musical therapy hearing this for the first time,” claimed Americana UK. The band worked again with Grammy-winning producer Brian Joseph (Bon Iver, Sufjan Stevens, Humbird), whose production on Namesake shepherded the band beyond their folk-grass, Americana roots to “go electric.” No Fun In The Chrysalis was recorded at The Hive in the band’s hometown of Eau Claire. The Bluegrass Situation calls it, “Rambunctious, playful, and wonderfully inspired, the recording is submerged in the mystery of transformation; the relentless blitz of change is the most dominant theme of the songs.”
For all things Them Coulee Boys, please visit themcouleeboys.com.

Yoga at the Museum
2025-02-01 08:00 - 09:00 | Milwaukee Art Museum, 700 N. Art Museum Dr, Milwaukee, 53202
Begin your Saturday with a calming 60-minute all-levels yoga class amid the serenity of the Quadracci Pavilion and stunning views of Lake Michigan.
Doors open at 7 a.m. and class begins at 8 a.m. Arrive early with your yoga mat to settle into the space, and enjoy complimentary tea, water, and coffee before the class starts. After class, extend your visit to the café and store, which open early, at 9 a.m. Parking is available in the Calatrava underground garage; enjoy a $5 rate when you exit before 10 a.m.

Wade House Timeless Tales Speaker Series From Wood to Watercraft: Dugout Canoes of Wisconsin
2025-02-01 13:00 - 14:00 | Wade House Historic Site, W7965 State Highway 23, Greenbush, 53026
Settle into the Walnut Room, located in Wade House’s Visitor Center on Highway 23, and prepare to learn, discuss and engage with captivating stories from celebrated authors and historians alike. From a deep-dive on Indigenous watercraft to a history of Wisconsin’s iconic bar and brewery culture to the stories behind famous – and strange – early Badger State recipes, our state history is rife with little-known facts, untold secrets and astonishing revelations—revelations you won’t want to miss out on.
Every Timeless Tales Talk at Wade House includes a special presentation, a live question-and-answer segment and, often, an opportunity to purchase a book signed by the presenting author or authors. Learn more about each speaker and presentation dates below.
Saturday, February 1, 2025 | From Wood to Watercraft: Dugout Canoes of Wisconsin
The Wisconsin First Peoples were no strangers to utilizing their environment in innovative ways—a notion the Wisconsin Dugout Canoe Survey Project remains committed to highlighting through the preservation of artifacts and the documentation of Indigenous cultural traditions still practiced today. Join Sissel Schroeder, professor of archaeology in the Anthropology Department at UW-Madison, as she explores the history of Indigenous watercraft— including the discovery of a well-preserved dugout canoe found in Lake Geneva in 1929—and the intersectional nature of transportation, social power and relationships within Wisconsin First Peoples communities. Schroeder is a contributor to the larger Wisconsin Dugout Canoe Survey Project, which highlights the persistence of cultural traditions and technological ingenuity among Indigenous groups through time.
Sissel Schroeder received her PhD from The Pennsylvania State University and is currently a Professor in the Department of Anthropology. She is also an affiliate of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, the Center for Culture, History, and the Environment, the American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program, and the Material Culture Studies Program. Her current research is focused on issues of sociopolitical complexity, climate change impacts, and historical ecology among ancient Native American societies of the southeastern and midwestern United States.

Ritt & Wilder Deitz (with Host of Sparrows)
2025-02-01 20:00 - 23:00 | North Street Cabaret, 610 North Street, Madison, WI, 53704
With ten albums under his belt, Wisco-Kentuckian acoustic roots rocker Ritt Deitz returns to North Street Cabaret with his son Wilder Deitz.
Madison’s Isthmus said Ritt “resembles Tom Waits in his ability to marry sophistication with down-homeness.” Fort Thomas, KY house concert series Parlor and Patio called the father-son duo’s sound “rivers of harmony.”
Wilder grew up touring the Midwest and Southeast with his dad in various small groups, along with his own soul– and jazz-based projects, and is the founding director of the Wilder Deitz School for Creative Music in Madison.
Folk duo Host of Sparrows open the show.

Shark Week
2025-02-02 00:00 - 2025-02-08 23:59 | Cave of the Mounds, 2975 Cave of the Mounds Rd., Blue Mounds, Wisconsin, 53517, United States
Shark Week is an exciting blend of geology and paleontology! Dive into the ancient past and discover the fascinating connection between the cave and the prehistoric oceans

Stoughton Norwegian Dancers’ Annual Norse Afternoon of Fun
2025-02-02 13:30 - 16:00 | Stoughton High School, 600 Lincoln Ave, Stoughton, 53589, United States
The internationally known Stoughton Norwegian Dancers will present their annual “Norse Afternoon of Fun” performance on Sunday, February 2, 2025, at 1:30 p.m. in the Stoughton High School gymnasium, located at 600 Lincoln Avenue in Stoughton. Doors for this event will open at 12:30 p.m.
This annual event is the Norwegian Dancers’ answer to “cabin fever.” The combination of colorful Norwegian costumes, known as bunads, rousing music, and exuberant ethnic folk dancing produces the necessary elements to relieve those winter blues.

Admission is $5 for adults if tickets are purchased in advance or $10 at the door. Stoughton Area School District students in grades five or below can attend this exciting event for free. Admission is $1 for all children who are under the age of 14. Tickets can be purchased in advance through current Norwegian dancer families, select Stoughton businesses, or by emailing stoughtonnorwegiandancers@gmail.com.

Favorite Things: Illuminating Futures
2025-02-02 14:00 - 15:00 | Bethel Lutheran Church, 312 WISCONSIN AVE, MADISON, Wisconsin, 53703-2108, United States
A Benefit Concert for International Partners for Education, Inc.

The Imagination Equation Gallery Talk
2025-02-06 11:00 - 12:00 | Haggerty Museum of Art, 1234 W Tory Hill St, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53233, United States
A gallery talk with Dr. Deanna Arble (Biology) and Lynne Shumow (Haggerty Museum of Art) featuring the exhibition Parallel Play: The Art of Science & the Science of Art.
Parallel Play: The Art of Science & the Science of Art was created as an integral component of Marquette’s Biology class, Creative Problem Solving. This cross-disciplinary course teaches STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) students to embrace divergent thinking as a path to innovative problem solving. The class is team-taught by Dr. Deanna Arble, Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences and Lynne Shumow, Curator for Academic Engagement, Haggerty Museum of Art.
Featuring work from the Haggerty’s permanent collection, the Parallel Play exhibition makes connections between the work of artists and scientists with a special emphasis on the essential elements of scientific research—rejection, revision and the formulation of new ideas. The exhibition aims to demystify the process of innovation across disciplines and to illuminate the multiple routes of discovery and interpretation that art has to offer.

SWEPT OVER THE RUG — Michelle Grabner + Brad Killam
2025-02-06 17:00 - 20:00 | Carlsten Gallery | UW-Stevens Point, 1800 Portage Street, Stevens Point, 54481
Artist Reception: Thursday, Feb 6 | 5:00–8:00pm
Exhibition: Jan 23 – Mar 7, 2025
A visually arresting and wonderfully provocative installation. Bronze-leafed wash buckets to porcelain toilet paper rolls to Wisconsin landscape paintings.
Michelle’s tableau of custodial implements memorializes janitorial labor. A concept that emerged from her artist-in-residency experience at Kohler Co. Michelle transforms these elements in silverleaf, bronze, and porcelain in celebration of their design and use.
The unexpected juxtaposition of Brad’s bucolic landscapes causes us to wonder about our own custodial practices and responsibilities in the world around us — and reflects the couple’s shared life as dedicated artists, teachers, and parents.
Grabner’s interplay between material experimentation and conceptual rigor is contrasted with Killam’s enthusiasm for traditional genre painting and its histories. While their ongoing engagement with their daily environments may yield different approaches to artmaking, art as a lived experience is something they both value.
Michelle Grabner is a Guggenheim Fellow and Crown Family Professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Brad is a professor at College of DuPage. These domestic partners have collaborated on artwork, curating, and publishing since the 1990s.
Gallery Hours: Tue-Fri 12-6pm | Sat 10am-2pm

Wedding Showcase + Happy Hour
2025-02-07 16:00 - 20:00 | Milwaukee Art Museum, 700 N. Art Museum Dr, Milwaukee, 53202
Experience first-hand the splendor of Windhover Hall in its full wedding finery. Envision your dream wedding at the Museum and meet the event staff that will make it a reality. Mingle with some of our preferred vendor partners and experience their artistry firsthand. Explore table settings that preview up-and-coming trends in stationery, florals, furniture, and decor. Toast your engagement with complimentary champagne and enjoy hors d’oeuvres that provide a taste of the Museum’s in-house catering menu.

Wintertime
2025-02-07 19:30 - 21:30 | Bartell Community Theatre, 113 E Mifflin St, Madison, 53703, United States
Madison Public Theatre invites you to experience Wintertime! This show is the perfect romantic comedy for the Valentine’s season.
Jonathan loves Ariel. His mother, Maria, loves Francois. Frank, Maria’s husband and Jonathan’s father, loves Maria and his lover, Edmund. Bertha and Hilda, outspoken lesbian lovers, join the group, along with the composter guy and Dr. Benoit. Members of this gloriously eccentric family arrive at their summer house in the winter woods for supposedly secret rendezvous – and soon bodies collide, doors slam, dishes fly, and everyone’s perfect plans go fantastically wrong.
Doors slamming? Bodies colliding? A secret rendezvous going horribly awry? Only in… Wintertime!
Strollers Theatre d/b/a Madison Public Theatre

House Concert with Radoslav Lorkovic
2025-02-07 19:30 - 21:30 | Our House Concerts, 451 North Few Street, MADISON, WI, 53703, United States
Rad is a classically trained blues and folk performer from Chicago who was born in Croatia. He is a master on the piano and accordion, whose music draws from the blues, jazz, country and soul. He wowed an Our House crowd on his last visit, so don’t miss him this time around.

The Path of Wisdom: Daylong Hybrid Retreat in Madison
2025-02-08 09:00 - 17:00 | Tergar Meditation Community of Madison, 301 S. Blount St, Madison, WI, 53703, United States
Join us in person or online at Tergar Madison for a one-day Insight Meditation retreat with Dr. Cortland Dahl.
Insight Meditation offers a profound path to understanding yourself and the world with greater wisdom and clarity. In this daylong retreat, you will explore cutting-edge research and ancient meditative teachings on the cultivation of wisdom, learning practical skills to see beyond the mind’s habitual patterns and develop a greater sense of clarity and insight. The focal point of our exploration will be the self. Through practical teachings, guided meditations, and supportive discussions, you will explore how insight meditation can help you unravel limiting beliefs, develop a rich inner life, and empower you to navigate life’s challenges with curiosity and wisdom.
**Dr. Cortland Dahl** is a scientist, translator, and meditation teacher who offers workshops and leads retreats around the world. He has practiced meditation for nearly three decades and has spent time on retreat in monasteries and retreat centers throughout Japan, Burma, and India, including eight years spent living in Tibetan refugee settlements in Kathmandu, Nepal.
He has a Ph.D. in Mind, Brain and Contemplative Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he was mentored by renowned neuroscientist Dr. Richard Davidson. He also holds a master’s Degree in Buddhist Studies from Naropa University. In addition to his work as an Instructor for the Tergar community and Executive Director of Tergar International, Cortland serves as Research Scientist and Chief Contemplative Officer at UW-Madison’s Center for Healthy Minds and the center’s affiliated non-profit, Healthy Minds Innovations.
Cortland is actively involved in scientific research and has published articles on the impact of meditation practices on the body, mind, and brain. He has also published twelve books of translations of classical texts on Buddhist philosophy and meditation.
He currently lives with his wife and son in Madison, Wisconsin.

13th Annual Frozen Assets Festival – Save the date!
2025-02-08 10:00 - 15:00 | The Edgewater Hotel, 1001 Wisconsin Pl, Madison, 53703
Join Clean Lakes Alliance on Saturday, February 8th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for Frozen Assets, with Hosting Sponsor The Edgewater! The family-friendly festival at The Edgewater helps connect the community with the lake through free winter activities.
Festival attendees can see figure skating, dance, and science demonstrations. Festival goers can also enjoy free hot chocolate and more!
The day will start with the Frozen Assets 5K Run/Walk on frozen Lake Mendota. Registration includes a soft t-shirt and a post-race beer/seltzer (21+). Kids 10 and under can participate for free with a registered adult.

Salon Piano Series presents Janice Carissa
2025-02-08 19:30 - 21:00 | Wisconsin
Indonesian pianist Janice Carissa returns to dazzle SPS with a program of Rachmaninoff, Tanzil, Scarlatti, Beethoven and Schumann.
With “the multicolored highlights of a mature pianist“ (Philadelphia Inquirer), Indonesian pianist JaniceCarissa “conveys a vivid story rather than a mere showpiece” (Chicago Classical Review).

Chuck Prophet & His Cumbia Shoes
2025-02-08 19:30 - 22:00 | Stoughton Opera House, 381 East Main Street, Stoughton, Wisconsin, 53589, United States
When a stage four lymphoma diagnosis forced him off the road and into the hospital, Chuck Prophet didn’t know if he’d live long enough to see the end of the year, let alone get back on tour.
“I was going through a tunnel,” he recalls. “It was dark. But I had music: music to play, music to listen to, music to get me out of my head. Music was my savior.”
That much is plain to hear on Wake The Dead, Prophet’s extraordinary new album. Recorded with band of brothers ¿Qiensave?, the collection explores the world of Cumbia music, which consumed and comforted Prophet during his illness and subsequent recovery. The songs are intoxicatingly rhythmic, all but demanding you move your body, with arrangements that blur the lines between tradition and innovation. There are flashes of rock and roll, punk, surf, and soul, all filtered through the streets of San Francisco and wrapped up in the rich legacy of a genre that traces its roots back to the jungles of South America.
Captured live in the studio, Wake The Dead resumes Prophet’s streak of more than a dozen critically acclaimed solo albums stretching all the way back to 1990, when the California native first shifted focus from pioneering neo-psych band Green on Red to working under his own name. Since then, Prophet—who’s now in full remission—has earned raves everywhere from Rolling Stone to NPR, landed songs in a slew of films and television shows, and seen his work covered by Bruce Springsteen, Solomon Burke, and Heart, among others.

Charlie Parr
2025-02-08 19:30 - 22:00 | Stoughton Opera House, 381 East Main Street, Stoughton, Wisconsin, 53589, United States
Charlie Parr is an incorruptible outsider who writes novelistic, multi-layered stories that shine a kaleidoscopic light on defiant, unseen characters thriving in the shadows all around us. Parr has a new record with only his name on it, and it isn’t shiny and perfect and commercial and catchy. It’s him. It’s pure Charlie Parr and that’s enough. He hasn’t moved to LA or Nashville; he’s stayed in the cold gray north of Minnesota, because that’s his home.

Midwest Gypsy Swing Fest
2025-02-08 19:30 - 22:30 | Garver Feed Mill, 3241 Garver Green, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
The 2025 Midwinter Midwest Gypsy Swing Fest is a celebration of the music of Django Reinhardt. This 21st annual event, hosted by Harmonious Wail, welcomes Ferench Gypsy Jazz Guitarist, Stephane Wrembel from New York. Stephane Wrembel is quite simply one of the finest guitar players in the world. This prolific musician, composer, educator, and musical director has released a steady stream of music since 2002 making his mark as one of the most original guitar voices in contemporary music. In October of 2019, Stephane released Django L’Impressionniste putting the spotlight on 17 little-known solo pieces Reinhardt recorded between 1937 and 1950. Stephane is the first interpreter who has performed all of these solo pieces and collected them in one definitive masterwork.
Harmonious Wail is also excited to host the return of Debi Botos from Budapest, Hungary with her trio. From an early age Debi Botos has cultivated an interest in the Gypsy music of Hungary, where she was born into a family of musicians. She continues that exploration in combination with a serious study of the tradition we know as jazz manouche. She excels not only as an interpreter, but as a composer and champion of Hungarian traditional Gypsy Jazz. The show begins at 7:30 with doors at 6pm.
$40, General Admission
Line-up
7:30 Harmonious Wail Festival Band with Scott Hlavenka
8:30 Stephane Wrembel — Django l’impressionniste
9:30 Debi Botos Trio
10:20 Closing Djam

Alicia Rytlewski album release show w/ Collections of Colonies of Bees and Field Report
2025-02-08 20:00 - 23:00 | Pabst Theater, 144 E Wells St, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53203, United States
We’re excited to announce the RETURN of the $10 Buck Show on Saturday, February 8th at 8:00PM! Come see local bands, beloved and emerging, in the lower level of the Pabst Theater. Headlining the return is Collections of Colonies of Bees, opened by Alicia Rytlewski, who will be performing her debut album release show, and the locally renowned Field Report.

Collections of Colonies of Bees
For two decades, Collections of Colonies of Bees have existed in various forms and incarnations, beginning with Chris Rosenau and Jon Mueller.
From there, the line-up grew and evolved. At one time, Nick Sanborn — currently in the spotlight as one-half of Sylvan Esso — counted himself as a member. At another, the group joined forces with Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon to release two albums under the moniker Volcano Choir. (In fact, it was Vernon who proclaimed of his collaborators: “If the world was perfect, they would be as big as U2.”)
Never content to paint the soundscape twice, the previously instrumental Bees now come outfitted with vocalist Marielle Allschwang, finding the Wisconsin-based ensemble harvesting the fertile intersection between experimental and pop to maximum effect.
Alicia Rytlewski
Alicia Rytlewski is a pianist, composer and vocalist from Milwaukee who released her debut album “When We Were Bears” on January 24th. Brimming with movement and wonder, her compositions soundtrack transition and transformation, chronicling the rhythms of the seasons and the heart alike.
Milwaukee Record called the record “a wonderful – and wonderfully accessible –
contemporary classical album…earthy, mournful, dramatic, hypnotic, and rich.”
Interlude Magazine in Hong Kong wrote, “Her ability to draw inspiration from personal
connections and translate them into music has made her compositions deeply resonant.”
She composes and teaches at her home studio in Bay View.
Field Report
Field Report is a folk rock band led by Christopher Porterfield, with Barry Clark, Caley
Conway and Devin Drobka. Since 2012 they have released four albums and toured
extensively.
Paste Magazine called Field Report “imaginative, detailed and highly literate, creating
character-driven songs, sketches that reinforce their narratives with imagery that coalesces into a remarkable sense of place.”
Field Report has shared stages with peers including Aimee Mann, Emmylou Harris, Bon Iver, Jeff Tweedy, Bahamas, Richard Thompson and many others. They live in Milwaukee.

Madison Folk Music Society presents: David Francey
2025-02-09 15:00 - 17:00 | North Street Cabaret, 610 North Street, Madison, WI, 53704
David Francey is a Scottish-born Canadian carpenter-turned-songwriter, who has become known as “one of Canada’s most revered folk poets and singers” (Toronto Star). Born in Ayrshire, Scotland to parents who were factory workers, he moved to Canada when he was twelve. For decades, he worked across Canada in rail yards, construction sites, and in the Yukon bush, all the while writing poetry, setting it to melodies in his head and singing it to himself as he worked.
A truly authentic folk singer, Francey is a documentarian of the working person who never imagined earning a living from his music. But when he was in his 40s, his wife, artist Beth Girdler, encouraged him to share his songs and sing in public. The reaction was instant. His first album Torn Screen Door came out in 1999 and was a hit in Canada. Since then, David has released thirteen albums, won four Juno Awards and has had his songs covered by such artists as The Del McCoury Band, The Rankin Family, James Keelaghan and Tracy Grammer.
Francey also had the honour of receiving the prestigious SOCAN Folk Music Award as well as taking home the Grand Prize in both the International Acoustic Music Award and in the Folk category for the John Lennon Songwriting Award.
David Francey was born in Ayrshire, Scotland where he got his first taste of the working life as a paperboy. At age 10 he was devouring the newspapers he delivered, establishing a life-long interest in politics and world events while developing the social conscience that forms the backdrop of his songs. He was twelve when his family immigrated to Toronto. He says he can trace his love of the land, the history, and the people of his adopted country to weekend family drives exploring southern Ontario. Music played a large part in these family outings. They sang traditional Scottish tunes as they drove through the Canadian countryside. Dad and sister Muriel sang melody, while mother and David sang harmonies.
His attachment to Canada grew with travel. He hitched across the country three times, then thumbed his way to the Yukon. This attachment surfaces in his songs of rail lines, farms, and the St. Lawrence Seaway. He grew to understand the people while working in Toronto train yards, the Yukon bush, and as a carpenter in the Eastern Townships. These experiences colour his first CD, Torn Screen Door, with songs like Hard Steel Mill, Gypsy Boys, and Working Poor and his second, Far End of Summer, with Highway, Flowers of Saskatchewan and February Morning Drive.
In concert David is a singer and a storyteller. His wry humour and astute observations combined with his openhearted singing style have earned him a loyal following.
David lives with his wife, artist Beth Girdler in the quiet but charming Lanark Highlands in southern Ontario. They are visited often by their son Colin, daughters Amy and Julia and grandkids Tristan, Alice and Millicent.
About the promoter: Madison Folk Music Society (“Mad Folk”) is a non-profit society dedicated to fostering folk/acoustic music in the greater Madison, Wisconsin area. We offer concerts and publish a monthly newsletter full of information about relevant music and dance events. More about Mad Folk at www.madfolk.org.
Tickets: $25 advance, $30 day of show

PHILOMUSICA STRING QUARTET - concert - “European Sampler”
2025-02-10 19:30 - 21:00 | Schwann Hall, 8815 Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, 53226, United States
Resident at Wisconsin Lutheran College, the critically acclaimed Philomusica Quartet will perform string quartets by Bazzini, Beethoven and Ravel!

Lunchtime Talk by Kirk Nickel, PhD, Marc and Lillian Rojtman Curator of European Art
2025-02-12 12:05 - 12:25 | Haggerty Museum of Art, 1234 W Tory Hill St, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53233, United States
Please join us for this engaging 20-minute Lunchtime Talk featuring the work of Ray Johnson. A New York Times art critic once labeled Johnson “New York’s most famous unknown artist.” A contemporary of Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg, Johnson today is internationally recognized for his achievements in both collage and correspondence art. This month’s Art Talk will present some two dozen pieces of mail art that Johnson sent to the Haggerty Museum through the U.S. postal system in the early 1990s. Currently on view in the Museum’s anniversary exhibition, The Big 4-0 Vol. 2: New Views of the Collection, these wonderfully playful and witty creations will forever locate the Haggerty within Johnson’s seemingly infinite web of correspondents. After the discussion, you can stay to continue the conversation or explore the Haggerty’s current exhibitions.
In partnership with Marquette University’s GROW program. Free and open to the public.

Pretty in Pink - A Galentine's Stroll
2025-02-13 17:00 - 20:00 | Hilldale Shopping Center, 726 N Midvale Blvd, Madison, 53705, United States
Bring your BFFs to Hilldale Thursday, February 13 beginning at 5 pm for an evening celebrating friendship at the Pretty in Pink Galentine’s Event! Purchase a passport for $25, with proceeds benefitting Black Girl Magic Educational Services, and shop your way through Hilldale with exclusive deals, discounts, freebies, and experiences at participating restaurants and retailers including Shake Shack, Little Words Project, Café Hollander, and more. Guests will receive one stamp for every business visited from the list below, no purchase required. Receive at least 5 stamps by the end of the night to be entered for a chance to win a prize basket of goodies from some of your Hilldale favorites!
All guests are required to check in at Ulla Eyewear, located 562 N. Midvale Blvd., and pick up a passport any time between 5–7 pm.
The fun doesn’t stop when the stroll is finished. Mingle with your besties (or make new ones!) upstairs at Café Hollander starting at 7pm with live music, a complimentary cocktail or mocktail, and light bites. At this time, turn in your stamped passport for the chance to win a prize basket. Or, stay and order dinner! There will be a private bar to order additional drinks from, as well.
Here are just a few of the fun things happening:
• Complimentary dessert samples and mocktails at Forage Kitchen, BOGO beer at Great Dane, free laser hair removal treatment at LaserAway, beauty samples at Macy’s, Bissinger chocolate at Paper Source, custard at Shake Shack
• Free personalized poems by local poets at J. McLaughlin, Little Words Project and Title Nine
• Craft an origami heart at Paper Source
• Gifts with purchase: Macarons at Gigi’s Cupcakes, flower bouquet at Kendra Scott, socks at Morgan’s Running, koozies at Wisconsin Design Team and so much more!
Visit hilldale.com/events for full details on available deals and happenings. Pre-registration is required and space is limited.
