What to do in Madison this week: Kashmira Sheth, Benny Benack III Quartet and more Isthmus Picks

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Anamika Singh, April 7-July 13, Chazen Museum of Art; reception April 22, 5-7 p.m.: Anamika Singh’s “Corpus” is as much excavation as exhibition — a body of work that digs into the politics of history, architecture and control. Rooted in her film Sheetla, which documents the Hindi language newspaper Janmorcha and its coverage of the 1992 Babri Mosque demolition, “Corpus” traces the uneasy overlap between archaeology and nationalism. Singh’s work confronts the ways symbols of power are constructed — sometimes literally — from the wreckage of violence. Singh is this year’s recipient of the Russell and Paula Panczenko MFA Prize, awarded annually by the Chazen Museum of Art and UW-Madison’s Art Department. Sheetla will screen throughout the exhibition’s run, from April 7-July 13. A reception takes place from 5-7 p.m. on April 22.

Wisconsin Film Festival, April 3-10, various venues: Famously, the weather for the film fest can vary from snow to 90 degrees – within the same festival. Fortunately, you’ll be inside. Monday through Thursday, all films will be at Flix Brewhouse at East Towne, which makes for easy planning of double, triple or even quadruple features. Order up a tub of popcorn and enjoy. Ticket info at wifilmfest.org, and find previews of Wisconsin's Own selections at isthmus.com.

POSTPONED: Amanda Nguyen, Monday, April 7, UW Memorial Union-Shannon Hall, 7:30 p.m.: Activist, entrepreneur, and 2019 Nobel Peace Prize nominee Amanda Nguyen comes to UW-Madison for what should be a thought-provoking talk about the power of collective action. Nguyen founded the nonprofit Rise to advocate for the civil rights of sexual assault survivors and fight inequities in law; the organization’s work led to the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights Act of 2016, signed into law by President Barack Obama. This Wisconsin Union Directorate Distinguished Lecture Series talk and Q&A will explore how resilience can be a political force, and how healing often begins with demanding to be seen. Note: This talk is moving to April 28.

Ryan Davis, Monday, April 7, Arts + Literature Laboratory, 7 p.m.: Ryan Davis doesn’t just write songs — he builds strange, beautiful worlds you can live in for a while. Fresh off a run of major festival appearances and a spot on Rolling Stone’s Best Indie Rock Albums of 2023, Davis brings his haunting, slow-burning solo project to Madison. Dancing on the Edge — his sprawling, basement-folk debut under his own name — folds experimental country, Mid-Southern melancholy, and off-kilter warmth into a sound that feels timeless and totally unplaceable. Opening is Milwaukee’s Old Pup, whose dreamy, pedal steel–laced second album, Spider Towns, spins everyday moments into something quietly cosmic, and unpredictable Madison twangers God's Country. Tickets at ryandavis.bpt.me.

Benny Benack III Quartet, Monday, April 7, Cafe Coda, 7 + 9 p.m.: A charismatic triple threat — trumpet, voice and sharp-witted charm — Benny Benack III brings his touring quartet for two shows of jazz standards, original tunes and vocalese storytelling. Known for his work with Postmodern Jukebox and regular appearances with Emmet Cohen’s trio, Benack's rep as one of jazz’s most agile entertainers is growing, with recent accolades including the No. 1 spot in the DownBeat Rising Star Male Vocalist poll. His repertoire nods to Broadway and bebop, Mister Rogers and Roy Hargrove — always played with heart, wit and precision. For this tour launching the new Midwest Jazz Collective, Benack is backed by pianist Tyler Henderson, bassist Caleb Tobocman, and drummer Charles Goold. Tickets at cafecoda.club.

Madison Forward Fund Community Celebration, Tuesday, April 8, Black Business Hub, 6 p.m.: In 2022, the city of Madison launched a year-long guaranteed income project providing $500/month to more than 150 households, with the project to be studied by researchers from the UW-Madison and University of Pennsylvania. The results of the Madison Forward Fund study will be released at this event, which also includes dinner, viewing of a traveling art exhibit, and kids' art activities. Register at eventbrite.com.

Kashmira Sheth, Tuesday, April 8, Mystery to Me, 6 p.m.: Kashmira Sheth, known for blending Indian and American experiences with nuance and care, returns with I’m From Here Too — a middle-grade novel in verse that follows Anoop, a Sikh boy navigating middle school, family grief, and questions of identity in a world that often misunderstands him. Set between the everyday and the spiritual, the story balances personal and political, asking how we hold onto faith, heritage and hope when the world pushes back. Seating is limited; RSVPs encouraged and a livestream is available at mysterytomebooks.com.

The Power of Storytelling, Wednesday, April 9, Black Business Hub, 5:30 p.m.: The children’s book Boogie Builds a Clinic on the Southside tells the story of a boy who works to bring more healthcare access to his community. The authors, Troy Malcolm Williams and Joshua Wright, will discuss the origins of their book and how storytelling can play an important role in social change in a fireside chat hosted by the Urban League of Greater Madison. Register at eventbrite.com.

Tyanna Buie, through May 16, Memorial Union-Main Gallery; reception April 9, 6:30–7:30 p.m.: Printmaker and UW-Madison alumna Tyanna Buie returns with “In Retrospect,” a new exhibition. Rooted in memory, family, and the emotional archaeology of everyday life, Buie’s work turns absence into presence — layering image, text and texture to honor what official histories tend to overlook. The reception on April 9 is preceded by a lecture as part of the Art Department’s Visiting Artist Colloquium (5 p.m., Elvehjem Building-Room L160) for a full evening with one of the Midwest’s most compelling visual storytellers.

Lone Piñon, Wednesday, April 9, North Street Cabaret, 7:30 p.m.: The annual Sugar Maple Festival, and the handful of shows the fest brings to town during the year, is responsible for turning audiences on to colorful acts that might not get to Madison otherwise. Lone Piñon is one: an orquesta tipica (string band) from New Mexico that is bilingual and multi-instrumental. The band members are playing music they learned from their elders with guitars, bass, fiddles, accordions and vihuela (tenor guitar). Tickets at eventbrite.com.

Amy Grant, Wednesday, April 9, Overture-Capitol Theater, 7:30 p.m.: She’s a long way from her “Baby, Baby” days — and even further from her “El-Shaddai” days. But Amy Grant, the contemporary Christian music darling turned '90s pop star, is now 64 years old and still making her voice heard. Grant is in the middle of a short tour, and she recently released two compilations (The Hits and The Journey) that showcase some of her most popular Christian and secular work, as well as deeper cuts. Nearly every song in this woman’s catalog touches on faith, hope or love — and often all three. Regardless of your beliefs, these are messages we need to hear more than ever right now. Tickets at overture.org.

Roomful of Teeth, Wednesday, April 9, UW Memorial Union-Shannon Hall, 7:30 p.m.: Genre-blurring vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth reshapes what the voice is capable of, weaving techniques from around the world into music that feels both ancient and avant-garde. Their performances are physical, cerebral, and startlingly alive — the kind that shift the air in the room. Their most recent album, Rough Magic, picked up the group’s second Grammy award in 2024. Tickets at artsticketing.wisc.edu.

A Case for the Existence of God, through April 13, Overture Center-Playhouse: Is A Case for the Existence of God a sister play of sorts to Forward’s last production, Summer, 1976? In that play, two moms meet on the playground; here, in Samuel D. Hunter's 2022 play, two dads meet at a loan office; their kids attend the same daycare, and the themes of parenthood, and male friendship, emerge. But from there, things diverge. Hunter’s play is about the complexities in the relationship between two people, gay and straight, Black and white. There are problems here, but the play argues for hope. Shows are 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sundays, plus 2 p.m. performances on April 12. Tickets at overture.org.

German Art Students album release, Thursday, April 10, Gamma Ray Bar, 7 p.m.: Over two-plus decades Madison’s poppers The German Art Students have grown musically but, thankfully, have never grown up. Their new release, Diamonds and Queens, is filled with butthead humor and Jonathan Richman-esque whimsey. Pro-tip: Listen to the lyrics. Midwestern soulsters The Lower 5th and indie rock revisionists Kitty Butler support. Tickets at gammaray.bar.

Becky’s New Car, through April 12, Bartell Theatre: What would you do if offered a new life? That question is pondered in Becky’s New Car, a comedy by prolific American playwright Steven Dietz, in which a middle-aged woman gets a surprising offer after being mistaken for someone else. This Mercury Players Theatre production will be followed by an improvisation on the play’s themes by cast members and Monkey Business Institute players. Performances at 7:30 p.m. on April 10-11 and 2 p.m. on April 12. Tickets at bartelltheatre.org.

Find the individual Picks collected here, and as part of the full calendar of events.