What to do in Madison this weekend: Greek Fest Plus, Hanif Abdurraqib and more Isthmus Picks

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Great Wisconsin Quilt Show, Sept. 5-7, Alliant Energy Center: The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show celebrates 20 years in 2024, and will honor the late Nancy Zieman, the event founder and host of the long-running PBS Wisconsin series Sewing With Nancy. The gallery feature is landscape quilts (Zieman’s favorite form), and the weekend includes 11 more exhibits, more than 100 lectures and workshops, vendors, a community quilting project, raffle and more. Hours are 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sept. 5-6 and 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sept. 7; find tickets and class registration at quiltshow.com.

Ann Garvin, Thursday, Sept. 5, Mystery to Me, 6 p.m.: If you didn’t grab a copy of Ann Garvin’s Bummer Camp when it was featured as an Amazon “First Reads” selection in August, here’s your chance to purchase an actual print copy from a local indie bookstore. Bummer Camp — the sixth novel from the witty Madison-based USA Today bestselling author — focuses on two adult sisters sucked into the family business: a run-down Wisconsin theater camp overtaken by a crackpot life coach who converts it into a camp for anxious and depressed adults. Garvin will be joined in conversation by another Madison novelist, Christina Clancy, whose third novel (The Snowbirds) will be published in February. This event is free, but reservations are requested, and it also will be livestreamed; find links at mysterytomebooks.com.

Hanif Abdurraqib, Thursday, Sept. 5, Goodman Community Center-Brassworks, 6 p.m.: Essayist and poet Hanif Abdurraqib’s last book, 2021’s A Little Devil In America, was a National Book Award finalist and bestseller. In his latest, Abdurraqib again casts a keen eye on American culture, this time with a focus on basketball and his native Ohio. There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension of course features fellow Ohioan LeBron James, but is about much more than James or basketball; NPR’s Michael Schaub calls it “a piercing look at how we consider others, as well as ourselves.” Abdurraqib will discuss the book in a free talk hosted by A Room of One's Own.

Feel the Beat: Felted Textiles, through Dec 1, UW Nancy Nicholas Hall-Lynn Mecklenburg Textile Gallery: Get the feels for felt this fall. Felt happens when one accidentally or on purpose agitates wool, creating a dense mat of fabric (as anyone who has mistakenly washed a wool sweater in the machine can attest). It's one of the oldest “constructed” textiles. The UW-Madison’s textile program takes a closer look at felt in physical and sociological terms with “Feel the Beat: Felted Textiles,” which highlights the communal nature of creating felt in some cultures, with felt pieces from the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection, along with new works from makers in Kathmandu, Nepal, and Iluman, Ecuador. Gallery hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday and Friday; 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursday; and noon-4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.

The Stolen Sea album release, Thursday, Sept. 5, Gamma Ray, 7 p.m.: The members of the music and art collective The Stolen Sea have been busy in recent times, with at least four new albums out or on the way soon. The latest Stolen Sea release is C-Sides: How to Generate Power, the second album in a three-part song cycle called “The Stolen Sea Tell Tall Tales” (the first, The Voyager’s Companion, emerged in July). C-Sides features the folk-rockers' current lineup and was tracked live in the studio; while the album is currently only available for streaming, an art and lyric companion book will be available at the release party. Find links for streaming music and more projects at facebook.com/storiesofthestolensea. With Jonathan Millionaire.

King Lear, through Sept. 28, American Players Theatre, Spring Green: As usual, Shakespeare manages to fit right into the contemporary zeitgeist. The tale is of an elderly king who is not making the wisest choices any more. He seeks to divide his kingdom among his three daughters, giving the most money and land to the one who flatters him the most. Themes of familial love, devotion and betrayal run throughout, along with the lust for power, the quest for sincerity, and the difficulty of dealing with grandpa after the car keys get taken away. While King Lear has often been seen as depressing, it’s also one of the Bard’s most insightful works. As Lear says, “Who is it that can tell me who I am?” Read Linda Falkenstein's review here. Shows this week at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 5 and 2 p.m. on Sept. 7; tickets at americanplayers.org

The Levitations album release, Thursday, Sept. 5, Rigby, 8 p.m.: During his time studying sound geography at UW-Madison, keyboardist and composer Luke Leavitt also kept very busy playing in a musically diverse array of bands (Cop Circles, Feestet, Laminal Animil and more) along with recording solo projects. Two long-awaited recordings featuring Leavitt are emerging this week, in both streaming and physical incarnations. Already out is Cruel Optimism, a jazz-ambient-free music collaboration by Leavitt, bassist Ari Smith and drummer Devin Drobka. And Sept. 5 at the Rigby, The Levitations unveil the new album Hold Me, featuring more music demolishing genre boundaries. Opening is earmuffs for strangers.

Daughters of Saint Crispin + Noun, Thursday, Sept. 5, Mickey’s Tavern, 10 p.m.: Noun is a longtime project led by Marissa Paternoster, former Screaming Females lead singer and guitarist. The new single, “Wanted” / “Consumed” is a return to heavy rock following the quieter sounds of the 2021 Noun album, Peace Meter. Madison duo Daughters of Saint Crispin has released a string of intriguing singles and EPs in recent times, and returned to their usual heavy doom mode (after a brief dance party interlude) with Beauty Slips Away. This one should be a ripper of a show, also including sets by Cincinnati cello punk duo Lung (on tour with Noun) and Frozen Charlotte, a spiky new project by Madison multimedia artist Sigra DeWeese.

Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival, Sept. 6-8, Jefferson County Fair Park, Jefferson: The knitterati are on full alert for this yearly festival, which highlights sheep farming in Wisconsin. While raising sheep for meat and dairy is a topic, the real focus is yarn, with two barns full of wool and yarn vendors selling U.S. yarns, much of it from in-state, and sometimes breed-specific. Another barn shows off various sheep breeds. There are also stock dog trials, classes, and more, including a walk and knit (and walk and crochet) challenge relay on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. More at wisconsinsheepandwoolfestival.com.

Scottish Showcase Concert, Friday, Sept. 6, Goodman Community Center-Brassworks, 7 p.m.: Get out your kilts, laddies. There’s no caber tossing, but all of this evening, organized by the St. Andrew's Society of Madison and Madison Pipes & Drums, is Scottish. In addition to Madison Pipes & Drums, the Lochanside Ceilidh Band, Breckenridge Highland Dance School, and the Madison Scottish Country Dancers will perform. Arrive early (starting at 6 p.m.) and you can even try your hand at drums like the traditional bodhran, or your hands and lungs at the bagpipes. Tickets at madisonscotsinc.org.

Midwest Gypsy Swing Fest, Sept. 6-7, Art in the Barn, Fitchburg: The annual Midwest Gypsy Swing Fest is a highly anticipated late summer event for music listeners who love the distinctive guitar style and compositions of Django Reinhardt. Madison Djangologists Harmonious Wail have hosted the fest for more than two decades, and always put together a lineup of hot jazz stars from around the world; this year features trios led by Issac Eicher and Alfonso Ponticelli, a duo performance by Joscho Stephan and Sam Farthing, the Ryan Picone Quartet and Third Coast Swing. Music begins at 7 p.m. Friday and 2:30 p.m. Saturday; find the schedule and ticket info at midwestgypsyswingfest.com.

MANTIS, Friday, Sept. 6, Communication, 7:30 p.m.: MANTIS is an a times anarchy-inducing project of baritone saxophone specialist Anders Svanoe. The Madison woodwind marvel is joined in this trio by Madison musicians Brad Townsend on bass and Nick Zielinski on drums. The night’s second act, Kowalski/Grimm/Robekin, zooms into avant-garde territory with the unlikely combo of drums (Jordan Kowalski), bassoon (John Robekin), electric cello, pipa and more (Brian Grimm). Tickets at communicationmadison.com.

Mo Amer, Sept. 6-7, Comedy on State, 7:30 and 10 p.m.: In a November Los Angeles Times interview, Mohammed “Mo” Amer said something that makes for a succinct description of his work: “Comedy is an extremely powerful tool to create understanding.” The Palestinian-American stand-up and actor has never been afraid to tackle difficult subjects, so it seems likely the war in Gaza will be discussed in his coming tour and the forthcoming second season of the acclaimed Netflix series Mo. Find tickets at madisoncomedy.com.

Nordic Utopia? African Americans in the 20th Century, through Nov. 10, Chazen Museum of Art: Forget Paris. “Nordic Utopia? African Americans in the 20th Century” focuses on Black artists who turned to Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, where they found opportunities not available to them in the United States. More than 60 drawings, paintings, photographs, textiles, film, music and dance are featured, with subjects including Josephine Baker and Dexter Gordon. Coming up: Exhibition co-curator Ethelene Whitmire (a UW-Madison Department of African American Studies professor) will give a curator talk at 10 a.m. on Sept. 13; registration required.

Sarah Jarosz, Friday, Sept. 6, Majestic, 8 p.m.: Texas-born and Nashville-based singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Sarah Jarosz arrives in Madison near the tail end of a recently extended tour in support of Polaroid Lovers, her seventh album. She also is a member of the progressive-folk trio I’m With Her featuring Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek) and Aoife O’Donovan (Crooked Still). Straddling Americana, country and folk, Jarosz’s silky voice, melodic flair and sincere storytelling work well in an intimate venue like the Majestic, and songs like the soaring “Jealous Moon” and the gorgeous “Take the High Road” will make you wonder why this talented artist — despite her four Grammys — isn’t more broadly recognized. Indie roots duo Viv & Riley open. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.

COPA Festival, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2825 Index Road, Fitchburg, 9 a.m.-9 p.m.: This packed day of entertainment, art and wellness activities highlights what’s been going on during the past year at COPA (aka Community Organizations Promoting the Arts), and takes place outdoors near the site of the organization’s future new arts facility. Along with a community mural wall, the entertainment schedule ranges from bluegrass (Squirrel Gravy) to jazz (Max Brown Quartet) to Mexican folk dance (Yaro Rivas) to hip-hop (Nimi Phillips) and more. Find the full schedule at facebook.com/events/1726609551214997.

The Joinery grand opening, Saturday, Sept. 7, 8508 Fairway Place, Middleton, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.: The Joinery is a shared shop facility offering access to high-quality woodworking tools and tech. The makerspace also gives classes in stained glass, bookbinding, watercolor painting, printmaking, and more. A short year after opening, The Joinery has outgrown its original space. Tour the new digs at 8508 Fairway Place at this open house. Read Mel Hammond’s story about The Joinery here, and find more info at thejoinery.club.

Greek Fest Plus, Sept. 7-8, Assumption Greek Orthodox Church: East-side festival fans breathed a sigh or relief when Greek Fest Plus returned last year after an extended pandemic hiatus. This is always a fun one, with its cultural scope and deliciousness including Greek music and dancing, tours of the church’s iconography at 3 p.m. each day, and an array of homemade foods — from gyros and fries to lemon chicken and spanakopita, and of course hot, honey-dipped loukoumades (Greek doughnuts). Hours are noon-7 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. on Sunday. More info at facebook.com/people/Greek-Fest-Madison-WI/100054461080330.

Schumacher Heritage Fest, Saturday, Sept. 7, Schumacher Farm Park, Waunakee, noon-5 p.m.: Mostly fun for the kids, but all are welcome at this look at what life was like on a farm a century ago, at this county park that was once a working farm. Attendees can pet farm animals, feed chickens and horses, and learn to milk a cow.Wagon rides, ice-cream making, old-timey games like hoop racing, and more are also on the docket. The park also has lovely prairie and woodland walking trails. Proceeds go to Friends of Schumacher Farm for projects like prairie restoration and more. Details at schumacherfarmpark.org.

Urban Triage Harvest Festival, Saturday, Sept. 7, Farley Center, Verona, 3-8 p.m.: Urban Triage celebrates another successful season of growing food by its Supporting Healthy Black Agriculture workgroup with this annual event at its farm space at the Farley Center. The day includes kids' activities and entertainment, music by Cigarette Break and DJs, spoken word, free food, and more. A shuttle from the Urban Triage office, 2312 S Park St., is available every half-hour starting at 2:30 p.m.; find a schedule at urbantriage.org.

Respect: A Celebration of Women in Music, Saturday, Sept. 7, Majestic, 8 p.m.: This annual concert highlights women in rock, country, soul and folk music. Versatile Madison band The Big Payback provides the backing for a who’s who of vocalists tackling songs by 10 music legends, from Beyoncé (Raquel Aleman) to Björk (Meggie Shays) to Patsy Cline (Shawndell Marks). Also performing this year are carisa, Molly Fish, Courtney Hollis, Anitra Hovelson, Cassidy Lund, Nikko Murphy, and Summer Wuestenberg; Beth Kille will emcee. Find tickets at ticketmaster.com.

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, through Sept. 7, American Players Theatre, Spring Green: APT moves away from romantic comedy with this 1982 August Wilson play that centers on conflict during a recording session for blues singer Ma Rainey. Rainey’s real life inspired the play; “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” is one of her own songs. See Mel Hammond's review here. The final performance is at 8 p.m. on Sept. 7; tickets and info at americanplayers.org.

Madison Good Neighbor Gathering, Sunday, Sept. 8, Brittingham Park, noon-4 p.m.: This annual outdoor festival is programmed in favor of the kiddos, with interactive activities from Madison Children’s Museum, Wisconsin Science Festival, Vilas Zoo, Dane County Trash Lab, and more. There's also info tables from community organizations, food carts (but keeping with the family-friendly theme, no beer tent), and plenty of entertainment including Red Rose with Raquel Aleman, Black Power Dance and Ballet Folkorico. There’s even a talk for kids and families by Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway at 2 p.m. It’s hosted by Neighborhood House, New Culture Church and six neighborhood associations. Isthmus is a sponsor. Find more info at neighborhoodhousemadison.org.

John Harbison, Rose Mary Harbison & Jeff Stanek, Sunday, Sept. 8, Token Creek Concert Barn, 4 p.m: The founders of the Token Creek Chamber Music Festival, John Harbison and Rose Mary Harbison, return to play in the famous barn. They will be accompanied by pianist Jeffrey Stanek in “Visionaries: A Life in Concert,” featuring works from Bach, Beethoven and John Harbison himself, a noted composer in many genres. Tickets at aftontickets.com.

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