What to do in Madison this week: Quique Escamilla, 'Make America Gay Again' and more

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Living, Not Just Surviving: Cass Marie Domino, June 2-Sept. 12, UW Memorial Union-Main Gallery: Cass Marie Domino, who has had an enduring impact on Madison’s LGBTQ+ and drag communities, is the focus of this new exhibit celebrating her life as an entertainer, activist and trans woman. Through photos, personal items, a selection of her many gowns, and more, the showcase will provide a history of Domino’s illustrious 35-year career up to now, including her first title of Miss Gay Madison in 1993, her ongoing activism for HIV/AIDS causes, and her work in mentoring young drag queens. Along with a portrait of Domino’s journey, it will offer insight on the broader history of Madison’s LGBTQ+ community. The exhibition is co-curated by the Madison LGBTQ+ Archive and UW’s Open House Learning Community seminar.

PBS Wisconsin Auction, through June 10, online: PBS Wisconsin's 50th annual auction fundraiser features more than 2,300 items up for bid — everything from Wisconsin Dells waterpark tickets and travel packages to a Kawai digital piano and diamond jewelry. There’s something for every budget, including daily “Deal of the Day” highlights and packages of Wisconsin products. Proceeds support PBS Wisconsin’s programs, education, and community engagement…and public broadcasting may need our help now more than ever. Bidding opens at 7 a.m. with auctions ending from 7-8:30 p.m. daily from June 1-10, at auction.pbswisconsin.org.

Madison Bike Week, through June 8, various locations: It’s a full week (eight days a week, actually) of fun stuff designed to promote bicycling, for exercise, for environmental reasons, and for enjoyment. The schedule is jam-packed with lots of group rides, family riding how-tos, bike advocacy sessions and more. There’s free food on the bike paths (like Ian’s mac ‘n cheese slices from 4-6 p.m. on Monday, June 2, on the path near Garver, and frankly a whole lot more food, every day), or wake up with Coffee Outside hosted by Cool Bikes North from 8-9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 4, at the top of the Warner Park sledding hill. If something here doesn’t get you excited about biking, we're not sure what will. Find all the deets at madisonbikes.org.

Emily M. Bender + Alex Hanna, Monday, June 2, A Room of One's Own, 6 p.m.: Not that long ago, AI seemed like science fiction. Now it’s everywhere. Co-authors Emily M. Bender and Alex Hanna will discuss their new book The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech's Hype and Create the Future We Want with Madison’s own Emily Mills. We’re particularly interested in what they have to say about AI possibly putting authors and artists out of business. Bender, a linguistics professor at the University of Washington, and Hanna, the director of research at the Distributed AI Research Institute and a lecturer at the University of California-Berkeley, have advice on how to resist big tech’s AI onslaught.

Charge Up Dane County open house, Tuesday, June 3, Black Business Hub, 6-7:30 p.m.: A current initiative of the Dane County Office of Energy and Climate Change is to expand access to electric vehicle charging stations. At this community open house, Director Kathy Kuntz will discuss the benefits of EVs, offer updates on Dane County’s plans, and gather public input on potential charging station locations. Register at eventbrite.com.

Quique Escamilla, Tuesday, June 3, North Street Cabaret, 7 p.m.: Although he has built an international following from a home base in Canada, Quique Escamilla was born in Mexico and grew up there learning and singing traditional music with his family. Those traditions today inform and enrich the genre-blurring music he creates, which is dizzingly displayed on his most recent album, Encomienda. Escamilla is only playing a few Midwest dates on this current tour, including a rare stop in Madison. Tickets at eventbrite.com.

Madison Jazz Festival, June 5-15, various venues: Cafe Coda is a critical spoke in the wheel of the Madison Jazz Festival; three Coda concerts on June 7 marking the 60th anniversary of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians are a special highlight of the 2025 fest. Singer-songwriter Ugochi Nwaogwugwu & African Soul Ensemble, named Best African Entertainer by the Chicago Music Awards, kicks things off, followed by saxophone explorer Edwin Daugherty and Fivetet, and contemporary reed man Dushun Mosley's Interdimensional Sound Ensemble. And that’s just one day of the fest, which includes the traditional two-night stand at the UW Memorial Union Terrace (June 14-15, with headliners Isaiah Collier & the Chosen Few and Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble), an album release party for Emma Dayhuff (June 6, High Noon Saloon), and much more. With shows all over town June 5-15 presented by Arts + Literature Laboratory, Wisconsin Union Theater, and partners, think of it as the Wisconsin Film Festival only with music and fewer rush lines. Find the full schedule at madisonjazzfestivalwi.org.

The Lead Between the Rhymes, through Sept. 19, History Maker Space: During the last five decades, hip-hop music and culture has grown from its underground origins into an international force, including in Wisconsin. The history of Badger State artists receives some much deserved attention with “The Lead Between the Rhymes,” a new exhibition coordinated by Pyramidal Productions and the Wisconsin Historical Society. Madison artists will be feted with 3D art in the “Madtown Marauders” collection, joined by historical items and photos chronicling hip-hop’s growth in Wisconsin, oral histories, and interactive displays. The WHS’s History Maker Space is in the US Bank Plaza on the Capitol Square.

Wisconsin Triennial, through Sept. 14, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art: After trying out a guest-curated show in 2022, the museum returns to its usual juried process “to reflect current directions in Wisconsin’s visual arts scene.” The 2025 Triennial features 24 artists from around the state, although predominantly from Madison (15 artists!), with Milwaukee a distant runner-up (with four). One of the Madison artists is Christina Ruhaak, whose studio space Isthmus spotlighted in our July 2024 issue. Find a full list of artists at mmoca.org.

Make America Gay Again, Thursday, June 5, 2025, Crucible, 7 p.m.: Cheshire Cat Comedy’s “Make America Gay Again” returns for Pride Month with an unapologetically queer stand-up and drag extravaganza that celebrates fierce LGBTQ+ voices. A stacked lineup includes the sharp wit and relentless energy of Danny Lang, the on-point commentary of Nana Rodriguez, edgy and hilarious storytelling by Gwen Rose (just named a “Comic to Watch” by Time Out), and the rare combo of comedian/English teacher in the person of Rachel Mac. Hosted by the unforgettable Chicago drag star Derry Queen, who brings an edge to every punchline, it’s a show that will keep you laughing long after the mic has dropped. Tickets at eventbrite.com.

Ark’s Last Tape, Thursday, June 5, Arts + Literature Laboratory, 7:30 p.m.: For this performance, Ark Improvisational Theater takes inspiration from Samuel Beckett’s 1958 one-act Krapp's Last Tape, in which a man revisits tapes of his much younger self. As described by the ensemble, “So, the Ark began in 1981, and the remaining company members reflect on this passage of time.” Participating in this Ark revival are a mix of veteran troupe members and newer initiates: Dennis Kern, Mary-Elizabeth, Dan Bielinski, Peggy Rosin, Pamela Adams, Jim Krupski, Giuliana Miolo and Raj’r Taim.

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