What to do in Madison this week: Sept. 7-10, 2026

Chloe Benjamin, LaborFest and more Isthmus Picks

by

Arts

  • LaborFest, Monday, Sept. 7, Madison Labor Temple, noon-5:30 p.m.: LaborFest celebrates Labor Day the old-fashioned way: by bringing people together. The South Central Federation of Labor's annual gathering fills an afternoon with music, kids' activities and refreshments, along with the traditional 2 p.m. solidarity roll call. Shakira tribute band Hips Don't Lie gets the music started before blues powerhouse Chris O'Leary takes over. O'Leary is on tour behind his appropriately titled new album, Blue Collar, mixing Chicago blues with a bit of soul and funk flavors.
  • Shifting Gears, Monday, Sept. 7, Brittingham, McPike + Wirth Court parks, noon-6 p.m.: This expansive dance performance that's spread out in parks along the bike paths has become a Labor Day tradition. Its subtitle — “where Madison’s parks and bike paths become a stage” — indicates how this community embraces arts, integrating them into other forms of recreation. Multiple performances will take place at each park with styles ranging from American contemporary to Scottish highland dance to Bollywood fusion. See full schedule at isthmusdancecollective.com.
  • Pressing Issues: Printmaking as Social Justice in 1930s US, Sept. 8-Dec. 13, Chazen Museum of Art: The New Deal-era Works Progress Administration sent millions back to work during the Great Depression — including many visual artists. While many works were designed to help lift people’s spirits, others documented American life during hard times; the lithographs collected in “Pressing Issues: Printmaking as Social Justice in 1930s US” mostly feature the latter thematic focus. Curator Kathryn Koca Polite (from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Krannert Art Museum, home of the exhibition’s first incarnation) says some tap into “surrealist nightmare fuel.” That sounds appropriate for our current moment as well. Read Chali Pittman’s exhibition preview here.
  • Thinking About Music, Tuesdays, Sept. 8-22, Token Creek Concert Barn, DeForest, 7 p.m.: The Token Creek Chamber Music series is hosting Madison-based philosopher Phil Mack for a three-part lecture series considering music. If a symphony is played by different orchestras, is it the “same?” What about “Danny Boy” when interpreted by Conway Twitty rather than Dennis Day? And what about bird calls, or silence? Each presentation by Mack will be followed by time for discussion. Find info on weekly topics and tickets at tokencreekchambermusic.org.
  • Chloe Benjamin, Wednesday, Sept. 9, Central Library, 7 p.m.: Chloe Benjamin’s second novel, The Immortalists, was a New York Times bestseller during her time living in Madison. Now living in the San Francisco area, Benjamin returns to Madison for a Wisconsin Book Festival talk about her new novel, Under Story, which employs a fantasy premise (alternate universes) to explore big themes including love, parenthood, nature and second chances. Read Michael Popke’s preview here.
  • Setting, Wednesday, Sept. 9, Arts + Literature Laboratory, 7 p.m.: Multi-instrumentalists and serial collaborators Nathan Bowles (Pelt, Black Twig Pickers), Jaime Fennelly (aka Mind Over Mirrors), and Joe Westerlund (DeYarmond Edison, Megafaun) play together as Setting. On their self-titled 2026 album, the trio creates trance-inducing improvisational pieces building from a base of Fennelly’s keyboard programming and other looped material. As it seems their music could leave the bounds of earth’s gravity in a live setting, this is a perfect fit for ALL’s Auricle New Music Series. Tickets at zeffy.com.
  • Great Wisconsin Quilt Show, Sept. 10-12, Alliant Energy Center: Quilters are in the house. And for three days, they rule the roost. They’re like Swifties, only with sewing machines. And if you are a quilter, or love a quilter, this is the place to be, with classes, workshops, demos, speakers and lawsy, the vendors. Booths range from crafters selling quilted clothing to nonprofits like Project Linus (security blankets for kids in need). Even non-quilters will find some pleasant rabbit hole to go down. Madison’s own Catrina Sparkman will speak in a special lecture Friday on how Black artists preserve history through textile and narrative (6 p.m., with separate admission). General hours are 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sept. 10-11 and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sept. 12; learn lots more at quiltshow.com.
  • Ugly Little Monkeys, Thursday, Sept. 10, UW Union South-Marquee, 6 p.m.: Founded in 1964, Los Changuitos Feos de Tucson was the first youth mariachi group in the United States, giving young Mexican American musicians an outlet to show pride in their culture. The members also had to confront plenty of people who weren't quite ready for them. The new documentary Ugly Little Monkeys tells how the group went far beyond its Tucson beginnings to inspire generations of musicians and help spark a national youth mariachi movement. Latinos Organizing for Understanding and Development (LOUD) hosts a screening followed by a Q&A with co-directors David E. Valdez and Enrique Castillo. Tickets at eventbrite.com.
  • Kam Patterson, Sept. 10-13, Comedy on State: Kam Patterson reached a major career milestone when he joined the cast of Saturday Night Live for season 51. Patterson may still be better known for the fearlessly freewheeling stand-up comedy that he made a splash with as part of the Kill Tony podcast and tours, and his quick-witted crowd work can be Ricklesian when firing back at an audience; it's often NSFSNL. Shows at 7 p.m. Sept. 10, 7 and 9:30 p.m. on Sept. 11-12, and 6 p.m. Sept. 13. Tickets at madisoncomedy.com.
  • Ritt Deitz with Wilder Deitz album release, Thursday, Sept. 10, North Street Cabaret, 7 p.m.: Sept. 10 is release day for Transients and Strangers, an album of new songs by longtime Madison musician and writer Ritt Deitz (plus a pair of instrumentals by his son, Wilder Deitz, who also accompanies on piano, mandolin, bass and vocals). Deitz is a master of putting a lot of story in a song with an economical amount of lyrics, as in “Along the Old River,” featuring a musing soldier on the long road home. Other new songs tell human-scale tales of folks thinking about home, and sometimes a long way from it. With Sophie Delaney.
  • Steady She Goes, Sept. 10-27, Overture-Playhouse: Remember that sea shanty craze a few years back? It will have prepped you for the tunes in Steady She Goes. The romance of the sea. The thrill of dangerous winds and waves. Mutiny. These situations worked for Melville and audiences will be reminded of why in this true story. Mary Ann Brown Patten, back in 1856, took control of a merchant marine vessel when her husband, the captain, took ill. And move over, Ahab — she was 19 and eight months pregnant at the time. Brian Cowing directs Erica Berman’s script for Forward Theater; music arrangements are by Scott McKenna Campbell. This production is part of World Premiere Wisconsin. Shows at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, plus 2 p.m. on Sept. 19, 24 and 26. Tickets at overture.org.
  • Mannequin Pussy, Thursday, Sept. 10, Sylvee, 8 p.m.: During the last decade and a half, Mannequin Pussy have grown from DIY heroes to opening for Foo Fighters during that band’s 2026 tour. All one has to do is listen to a bit of their music to hear why; they’ve long been able to shift from visceral punk blasts to melodic rockers with ease, accompanied by sharp and powerful lyrics and singing by Marisa Dabice. They’re back on tour this summer along with working on a new album. With Finom. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.

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