Art in situ (or approximately)

In-person art studio visits return, and more Isthmus Picks for April 29-May 6

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Goodman Community Center fundraiser, through May 1: The near east side neighborhood center has joined forces with seven restaurants to help raise money for programming and bring folks back to the eateries at the same time. Customers dining in or ordering take-out at the participating restaurants can add a donation to their order, which will be matched (up to $10,000) by generous gifts from Vogel Bros. Building Co. and Madison-Kipp Corporation. The restaurants include: Cento, Grampa’s Pizzeria, Harmony Bar & Grill, Harvest, Monty’s Blue Plate Diner, Player’s Sports Bar and Rosie’s Coffee Bar and Bakery, all of which have relationships with the center. So order up a pizza or a sandwich platter with a side of generosity. Find links to the restaurant websites here.

The Bodega, Thursday, April 29, 4-8 p.m.: It’s back! The fun “bodega” nights at Breese Stevens Field, featuring artists, portable gift shops, small-batch food entrepreneurs and food carts, returns for four dates this spring and summer. Woo-hoo! It’s outside and social distancing regulations will be in effect but, like, wow!? Favorites that will be back in 2021 and that you may encounter during the debut bodega include Grasshopper Goods, and many more vendors you may not know. Food stops may include Jakarta Cafe, Jolly Frog, Sabor Queretano and Pizza Brutta, and vendors are still being added.

Jackie Ernst, Thursday, April 29, Come Back In, 5 p.m.: Local clubgoers may recognize Jackie Ernst for her vocal pyrotechnics with cover bands such as VideoStar or SuperTuesday. But in recent times Ernst's focus has been on performing solo (including a weekly cover song post on YouTube), writing her own songs, and starting work on her first album. A weekly residency also recently resumed as part of the patio music at Come Back In, and you can catch up on what Ernst is working on most Thursdays (excepting the third week each month).

Lift Every Voice, Thursday, April 29, 7 p.m.: This new series from Madison Ballet highlights new creations by company dancer Jacob Ashley, School of Madison Ballet director Rachelle Fochs, and South Chicago Dance Theatre executive artistic director Kia Smith — all choreographers of color. Each worked with dancers and local filmmakers Dave Alcorn, Jordan Biagomala and John Urban to create filmed versions of new choreography; the April 29 premiere will be "La Vie En...(Ode to Serendipity)," a work by Ashley. That film, along with “Ethos of Force,” choreographed by Chicago-based Kia S. Smith, and “Mercy,” choreographed by Fochs, will remain available for viewing through May 16 on the Madison Ballet YouTube channel.

The New Orleans Tribute, Thursday, April 29, Garver Feed Mill, 7 p.m.: Music is ramping up once again for the season on the Garver patio (including many BlueStem Jazz concerts), but you’ll want to keep an eye on the schedule ahead of time as many shows are ticketed. As of Tuesday tickets were available for this concert featuring The New Orleans Tribute, led by trombonist Darren Sterud. Can’t get a ticket, or not ready to go out yet? A livestream will be available on YouTube and Facebook, with a $15 donation suggested.

Loud 'N Unchained Black Theater Festival, Friday-Saturday, April 30-May 1: Several years in the making, this celebration of theater, music, poetry and performance art written, directed and performed by Black artists was originally on the schedule last summer at Broom Street Theater. The LNU Festival instead will make its debut virtually with five filmed performances premiering free of charge at blacktheaterfestival.com (7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Friday, 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Saturday). The fest includes works by Austin Dean Ashford, Sean Avery, Quanda Johnson and Rachel Lynett, as well as a showcase of spoken word and drag performances by Madison and Milwaukee performers. Note, each performance will only be available at the time it premieres. Read Gwendolyn Rice's preview here.

Edgewood College Spring Celebration Concert, Friday, April 30, 8 p.m.: A quartet of ensembles from the music department at Edgewood College will present a wide variety of material during this virtual concert. Perhaps most intriguing is the Guitar Ensemble tackling arrangements of music by Michio Miyagi (written for koto and shakuhachi) and horn rock superstars Chicago, but the rest of the program has more surprises in store. Also performing are the Chamber Winds, Chamber Singers, and Chamber Orchestra featuring soloists Gwyneth Ferguson (trumpet) and Malia Huntsman (oboe). Find the livestream at music.edgewood.edu.

Threads: Reality? Friday-Saturday, April 30-May 1, Garver Feed Mill, 8:30 & 9:15 p.m.: Each spring, UW-Madison textile and design students host a public event featuring new fashion creations, and this year's collection takes inspiration from our distance-connected present. Threads: Reality? emerges as a filmed runway show via large-scale projection at Garver Feed Mill, for a socially distanced audience. Tickets aren't required, but you can RSVP on Facebook. A virtual exhibition can also be found here.

Clay Collective Spring Pottery Tour, Saturday-Sunday, May 1-2, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.: Art is back on in 2021, with Clay Collective potters and 11 guests making up for lost time with this self-guided driving tour of their studios in south central Wisconsin (all within a 45-minute drive from Madison). Most will be showcasing their wares outside, and the normal safety protocols must be followed (masks, hand sanitizer, no food or snacks). In addition to Purell, you will definitely need a map to the studios; see theclaycollective.org. It's going to be a beautiful weekend for a country drive.

Wisconsin Flute Festival, through May 8: Madison Flute Club sponsors this annual event for flute players and listeners, with a mix of interactive workshops, talks and performances taking place on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays through May 8. This week's schedule includes master classes and a recital (3 p.m.) on Saturday by Stephen Clark, a Scotland native who has performed around the world and studied with Sir James Galway. Buy tickets here ($45 adults; $35 students/seniors) for access to the festival. Scholarships are available, and if you miss something, never fear: Sessions will be recorded and available for later viewing.

Neal Francis, Saturday, May 1, 8 p.m.: Radio listeners in the Monona area are probably already aware of WVMO, a volunteer-run low-power FM station. If you're outside the listening area, you might want to check out the station streaming on the web; it's twice won station of the year awards from the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association. WVMO celebrates five years on the air with a special concert from the stage of the Barrymore Theatre, featuring the rockin' soul and roots music of Chicago-based songwriter-pianist Neal Francis and band. Find the livestream on YouTube (or, listen over the air at 98.7), and information on how to donate to WVMO at the Facebook event.

Marquette-Atwood Art Walk, Sunday, May 2, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.: The Marquette-Atwood Art Walk is back, live and (mostly) in-person. More important than getting your steps in, you can get your art in. While 2020 was for some a productive year for output, it wasn't tops in fairs, sales, open studios, gallery nights or the like. This neighborhood walk offers artists the chance to showcase their work in situ, though there may be more front yards and garages this year than in-studio setups, as the Walk will follow public health orders. Some artists will be virtual only. There are well known names like Laura Meddaugh, Helen Klebesadel and Leah Evans, plus many more you may be meeting for the first time. For the full rundown, map, and livestream instructions, visit marquette-atwoodartwalk.com, or pick up a map at Hatch Art House.

From Here on Out, Sunday, May 2, Marƶeń, 1-5 p.m.: This collaborative exhibit from Integrated Art Group and Café CODA, curated by Deerfield artist Tony Catteruccia and IAG founder Margaret LeMay, celebrates Black lives and examines how artists interpret current events and help communities come together. The exhibit closes on Sunday with an in-person reception at IAG's Marƶeń showroom, featuring music by the Hanah Jon Taylor Artet and live painting by Milwaukee Artists for Racial Justice participants. It's also a chance to see a recently added exhibit, Windows to the Soul, initiated by Threshold and featuring work by artists who created State Street area murals in summer 2020. View the virtual exhibits and RSVP here for reception sessions at 1 or 3 p.m.

Amy E. Reichert + Ann Garvin, Wednesday, May 5, 7 p.m.: You had us at journalist who can see ghosts. That's one plot point of The Kindred Spirits Supper Club, the new novel from Amy E. Reichert about a writer whose current circumstances lead to a return home to Wisconsin Dells. Reichert will be in conversation with another Wisconsin-based writer, Ann Garvin, whose latest novel is I Thought You Said This Would Work. It's a humor-laced road trip tale of former friends brought back together on a mission for another friend with cancer. Register here for the Crowdcast livestream, hosted by Mystery to Me.

Black Business Resiliency Showcase, Thursday, May 6, 4 p.m.: In our current times, resiliency has proven more important than ever, and this Madison Black Chamber of Commerce event recognizes local businesses that have found ways to survive and thrive as we emerge from pandemic times. This year's virtual showcase also features guest speakers Loida Nicolas Lewis (former CEO of TLC Beatrice, the first Black-owned billion dollar business) and Jason Fields (MadRep president and a former state legislator). Tickets are $35; register here.

Alison Bechdel, Thursday May 6, 4 p.m.: You're a certain age if you remember Dykes to Watch Out For, Alison Bechdel's groundbreaking cartoon strip featuring a cast of smart and funny lesbians who would have been right at home on, say, Dunning Street. Bechdel has moved on to literary and theatrical fame with her graphic memoir/musical Fun Home; now she's back with another graphic memoir, The Secret to Superhuman Strength, which takes on the American obsession with fitness crazes. She'll be in discussion with Cheryl Strayed (Wild) in partnership with Literary Arts (Portland, Oregon), The Loft (Minneapolis), Black Mountain Institute (Las Vegas), and the Wisconsin Book Festival. Register here.

Elizabeth Warren, Thursday, May 6, 7 p.m.: Secretly there is a parallel universe where Elizabeth Warren is president; RSVP for the link. No, seriously, there is just this universe, where Warren is a senator, a financial whiz, the woman with the plan for that, and the author of Persist, an adamant new memoir, which she will discuss live via Crowdcast as part of the Wisconsin Book Festival. RSVP for the link. It's not a wormhole to another dimension, but it may be the next best thing.

We hope it’s handy for you to find the Picks in a single weekly post. The individual Picks can still be found in the usual places online: collected here, and sprinkled throughout all the events.