What to do in Madison this week: Grace Pettis, 'I AM a Man' and more Isthmus Picks

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I AM a Man: The Re-humanization of Black Men, Nov. 18-Feb. 18, Goodman South Madison Library: A visit to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial at the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis inspired Madison artist Sharon Bjyrd to curate “I AM a Man: The Re-humanization of Black Men.” As she writes in the exhibition description, “In this exhibit, I hope to reclaim the humanity denied to Black men, not only in moments of historic protest but in everyday life — whether through the devastating impact of systemic racism in policing, prisons, or the policies that enforced single motherhood.” Meet the artists and participate in art activities at community gatherings from 6-7:30 p.m. on Dec. 5 and Feb. 20 and 1-4 p.m., Jan. 18. Note, the opening has moved back a few days from the original announcement. More info at madisonbubbler.org.

John Murray Mason, through Nov. 30, U-Frame-It-East: Nobody knows Madison’s trees like photographer John Murray Mason. For the last two decades, Mason has been capturing the sculptural beauty of Madison’s trees in black-and-white. This exhibit, held in conjunction with PhotoMidwest, accompanies his new book Madison Trees in Season, which features 51 photos of Madison trees. Is your favorite among them?

Billy Bronsted + Joe Johnson, Monday, Nov. 18, Up North Pub, 6 p.m.: Northwoods troubadour Billy Bronsted possesses a voice that can range from a tear to a growl, which fits well with his down-to-earth storytelling style. Joe Johnson has been a scene stalwart in Colorado Springs for two decades with The Wildfire and Creating a Newsense; he’s been off the road for a few years and has many new songs to share. The two singer-songwriters are doing a run of shows together across the upper Midwest, and it’s certain to be a compelling evening of rootsy sounds in the laid-back listening room that is the Up North.

Safe Communities 25th Anniversary Celebration, Tuesday, Nov. 19, Black Business Hub, 5 p.m.: This month’s issue of Isthmus focuses on the good nonprofits are doing in our community. Safe Communities of Madison and Dane County is a nonprofit coalition of more than 350 organizations working to improve our area, from raising awareness of addiction to supporting those in recovery, creating safer roads, preventing senior falls and more. Join the anniversary celebration at the beautiful new Black Business Hub, 2352 S. Park St. You might just find a way to help out, too. Register here.

Betsy Draine + Michael Hinden, Tuesday, Nov. 19, Mystery to Me, 6 p.m.: For the fifth novel in their globetrotting Nora Barnes and Toby Sandler mystery series, co-authors Betsy Draine and Michael Hinden bring their art historian and antique dealer protagonists to the UW-Madison campus for an intriguing tale inspired by local history. The Bones of Bascom Hall revolves around the discovery of bones in the attic of an administration building. Might they be connected to the Sterling Hall bombing during the Vietnam War? Draine and Hinden, both emeritus professors of English at UW-Madison, also manage to work in a subplot involving lost architectural plans drafted by Frank Lloyd Wright. Draine and Hinden will discuss the novel with Doug Moe; seating is limited and reservations are suggested, and it also will be livestreamed via Crowdcast. Find links at mysterytomebooks.com.

Jazz at Five Fundraiser, Wednesday, Nov. 20, AC Hotel, 5 p.m.: This gathering will look back at this summer’s season of the downtown concert series and look forward to 2025, while enjoying music by the Austin Cebulske Quintet. Saxophonist Cebulske, a lecturer at UW-Platteville, has also been a busy player since arriving in the Madison area, and has gathered an all-star lineup for this quintet: bassist John Christensen, trumpeter Dave Cooper, pianist Chris Rottmayer, and drummer Wayne Salzmann II. They will play original music and songs by 20th century pillars such as Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell.

Nelson Devereaux, Wednesday, Nov. 20, The Rigby, 8 p.m.: Minneapolis-based musician Nelson Devereaux deeply studied the world of jazz saxophone while growing up in Milwaukee; in recent years he’s been busy playing a variety of woodwinds on tour with rock and pop artists such as Bon Iver, Craig Finn, Har Mar Superstar and others. His own projects draw influences from all over and blend them with a jazz sensibility, as on his experimental new solo album, infinity, which mixes a production style reminiscent of hip-hop with free jazz woodwinds, singing, gauzy guitar, spoken word and more. With Andrew Fitzpatrick (a Madison-based Bon Iver collaborator most recently spotted in the duo FRIEND) and Suko Pyramid.

Grace Pettis, Thursday, Nov. 21, Bartell Theatre, 7 p.m.: The Writer’s Block series assembles a national touring musician with a regional artist and a local player. For this edition, a dynamite trio of woman artists performs in a Nashville-style in-the-round format: each taking turns around the circle with a song and a story. Former Austinite and now Nashville-based Grace Pettis turns rumination into emotional uplift. Former Madisonian Anna Vogelzang, now based in Evanston, Illinois, makes bright, textured folk pop. Madisonian Kari Arnett is an accomplished writer of story songs. Tickets at bartelltheatre.org.

SistaStrings, Thursday, Nov. 21, Stoughton Opera House, 7:30 p.m.: Natives of Milwaukee, SistaStrings moved to Nashville not long ago. In a short time they were playing in the bands of Allison Russell and Brandi Carlile, along with being named best instrumentalist by the Americana Music Association in 2023. In their own music as SistaStrings, Chauntee Ross (violin) and Monique Ross (cello) create a winning blend of sister harmony singing, soul, classical and folk. Tickets at stoughtonoperahouse.com.

It’s a Wonderful Life, Nov. 21-Dec. 1, Mitby Theater, Madison College: This new Capital City Theatre musical by Andrew Abrams and John Atkins reimagines the classic Christmas film with Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed, featuring original songs like “Angel Gets His Wings” and “You Can’t Keep the Bailey Boys Down.” Abrams and Atkins have also updated It's a Wonderful Life’s approaches to gender and diversity. The cast is drawn from Madison (including retired Wisconsin Court of Appeals judge Paul Higginbotham) and actors from New York and Chicago. Read Denise Robbins’ preview here. Shows are at 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday, plus 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 21 and 2 p.m. on Nov. 30. Tickets at capitalcitytheatre.org.

BingBong album release, Thursday, Nov. 21, Bur Oak, 7 p.m.: Shimmering guitars (“Let’s Run Away”); groovy, crunchy rockers (“I Am You”); introspective janglers (“Wait for Me”); even a Spooner cover (“Mean Old World”)…for fans of catchy guitar rock, Hip Eponymous has the goods. It's Madison quartet BingBong’s third album, and will be celebrated at this release party. They are joined by Madison rock-country outfit The Also-Rans (an all-star quartet drawn from many other local bands past and present) and prolific Rockford rockers Son of Janus (led by Ryan Hayes). Tickets at theburoakmadison.com.

UW-Madison Dance Department Faculty Concert, Nov. 21-23, Lathrop Hall, Margaret H’Doubler Performance Space: Every year this excellent introduction to the dance world takes place on the UW-Madison campus. This fall's Faculty Concert features something quite different — still recovering from an injury, Omari Carter will present his film called finding my feet, a “docu-dance that explores the frustrations, doubts and struggle of an injured dancer.” Li Chiao-Ping will present two works, Side x Side, a new duet, and Earth, an ensemble work for six dancers that draws on the I Ching. Collette Stewart, Jin-Wen Yu, and guest artist Takehiro Ueyama will all present works as well, inspired by the natural world, desire, and creation myths, Shows are at 8 p.m. on Nov. 21-22 and at 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 23. Tickets at artsticketing.wisc.edu.

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