The Future of Restaurants in Your Community, Monday, May 16, Zoom, noon: This virtual discussion of Corey Mintz’s book The Next Supper: The End of Restaurants as We Know Them, and What Comes After should be provocative for food lovers, diners, and the business community alike. The live Zoom conversation will include Wisconsin community leaders and restaurant owners and operators, concentrating on the future of restaurants in small communities. It’s sponsored by UW-Madison Division of Extension Community Food Systems. Register here.
DarRen Morris, May 2-27, UW Extension Pyle Center: “I did not know then that there were actual Black artists,” writes DarRen Morris in the artist statement on his website. Morris is currently in a Wisconsin maximum security prison, sentenced to life without parole at age 17. Morris says he was “party to the unintentional death of an innocent man. Although I was involved in this death, I am not a murderer.” In this show, Wisconsin Images: From Kenosha to Green Bay, expect to see works that showcase an artist who often must rely on memory and the imagination. Current hours at the Pyle Center are 7:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekdays.
Wisconsin Wrights, May 18-21, Edgewood College-Ballweg Theatre, 7:30 p.m.: Forward Theater Company’s 2022 Wisconsin Wrights New Play Festival kicks off on May 18 with a reading of Viragos — A Play with Found Text by Katherine E. Norman of Madison (directed by Jessica Lanius). It’s followed by Civil Union by Amy Hanson of Racine on May 19 (directed by Dana Pellebon); and Lifers by Quan Barry of Madison on May 20 (directed by Mary MacDonald Kerr); plus a “bonus reading” of Artemisia by Lauren Gunderson on May 21 (directed by Jennifer Uphoff Gray). There’s nothing more exciting than seeing the debut of a new play, especially by a writer from your own city. $15 suggested donation at the door.
Collateral Damage, through May 31, UW Extension Pyle Center: This ambitious exhibit, curated by Victoria Charleson and Kel Mur, looks “to destigmatize mental illness through open discussion and genuine representation.” Artists include the curators, papercut work from Nibiiwakamigkwe, portraits from Anwar Floyd-Pruitt, watercolor and fiberwork from Mallory Shotwell, and Gabrielle Javier-Cerulli’s mosaic mural work with residents of The Shelter Home. Learn more about all the participating artists at collateraldamageproject.com, and read Linda Falkenstein’s preview.
Charlie Hunter + Scott Amendola, Wednesday, May 18, The Bur Oak, 8 p.m.: There will not be a more accomplished guitarist in Madison this year than Charlie Hunter. He’s known for aggressive jazz and rock explorations on custom-made seven- and eight-string guitars that allow him to simultaneously blend bass and melody lines. He was up for a Grammy this year in the jazz vocal category for “SuperBlue” with Kurt Elling, “the standout male vocalist of our times” (The New York Times). Hunter is on a duo tour with drummer Scott Amendola, and visiting Madison for a BlueStem Jazz concert.
Kayla Bauer, through June 17, Chazen Museum of Art: The Panczenko Prize goes yearly to an outstanding master of fine arts degree recipient from UW-Madison, and these artists never fail to wow. Being given their own gallery in the Chazen this early in their careers is a rare opportunity. This year Kayla Bauer has created I Left My Heart…, a love letter to San Francisco that is a photo essay of her own photographic prints, coupled with the impulses of a collector — there’s a curio cabinet of city souvenirs and a wall filled with San Francisco-themed plates.
Anderson Farm Dog Park opening, Thursday, May 19, 914 Union Road, Oregon, 4-6 p.m.: Anderson Farm County Park outside Oregon is now Dane County’s eighth park with an off-leash dog area. The 35 acres includes a separate small dog area, two parking lots, a storm water basin and an edible orchard. At the opening celebration there will be treats for pups (Excite Bites dog treat truck) and hoomans (Karben4 beer, with 10 percent of proceeds benefiting Dane County Parks and the Anderson Park Friends group).
Decoteau J. Irby, Thursday, May 19, A Room of One’s Own, 6 p.m.: An associate professor in the Department of Educational Policy Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Decoteau J. Irby examines racial equity in K-12 schools in the 2021 book Stuck Improving: Racial Equity and School Leadership. Irby follows the actions of leaders at a large high school over a five-year period as they work toward equity for a student body becoming continually more diverse. (The title phrase, “stuck improving,” refers to making strides for equity while also learning more needs to be done.) Irby will discuss the book during an in-person event on the patio at A Room of One’s Own.
Jason Vargas & the Apollos EP release, Thursday, May 19, High Noon Saloon, 8 p.m.: This Madison trio plays the blues with a side of psychedelia; the cut “Look Out” on their self-titled debut EP sounds like a lost early Jimi Hendrix Experience track. The juxtaposition of Vargas’ soulfully lighter than air vocals and the heavy music makes for a unique combination. The EP makes its debut on CD at this show. With Chicago jam rock ensemble Earthmother.
Shock and Awe, Thursday, May 19, The Rigby, 9 p.m.: Did you know Madison has a homegrown movie-riffing collective (a la Mystery Science Theater 3000)? Well, now you do. Shock and Awe for May features comedians Cody Lemke, Chris Schmidt and Olivia Witt, who will poke fun at The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires. If you’re not familiar with the film, it was an attempt by legendary horror/sci-fi studio Hammer Films to combine its Dracula franchise with kung fu, by collaborating with the also legendary Hong Kong production company Shaw Brothers. Results were mixed, but it does have Peter Cushing as Van Helsing.
We hope it’s handy for you to find Picks grouped together in a single post. The individual Picks can still be found in the usual places online: collected here, and sprinkled throughout all the events.
Note: Many venues and businesses may continue to maintain individual requirements for masking, as well as proof of COVID-19 vaccination and/or a negative test for entry. Before heading out for any in-person event, confirm it is still taking place and check for any attendance guidelines on the relevant business websites or social media accounts.
