What to do in Madison this weekend: LunART Festival, Hometown Days, and more Isthmus Picks

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Moments With Paul, June 2-3 and 5-6, Bartell Theatre, 2 and 7:30 p.m.: A true Renaissance man of the 20th century, Paul Robeson was an All-American athlete in college and earned a law degree, but left the profession for the stage, becoming an international star as an actor and singer. He was also an activist for racial justice and labor rights; Robeson's outspoken advocacy led to him being attacked as communist, his career derailed by McCarthy-era government suppression and entertainment industry blacklists. Moments With Paul is a play telling his story, starring Milwaukee native Jason S. McKinney as Robeson and Christopher A. Bagley as Lawrence Brown (a frequent accompanist to Robeson on piano). Find tickets at bartelltheatre.org.

Gin, Chocolate & Bottle Rockets, Thursday, June 2, Bakken Park, Cottage Grove, 6 p.m.: Get a jump start on the weekend with some three-part harmony courtesy of Gin Chocolate & Bottle Rockets. The Madison-based trio features Jen Farley (also on percussion), Beth Kille (guitar and mandolin), and Shawndell Marks (keyboards), who keep the music stripped down to let focus remain on their stellar vocals. This concert (rescheduled due to rain last week) kicks off the Music in the Grove series, which brings free performances to parks in Cottage Grove on select Thursdays all summer. Find the schedule at facebook.com/CGMusicInTheGrove.

LunART Festival, through June 5, downtown venues: Madison-based nonprofit LunART works to center the voices of women in the arts, through interdisciplinary performances, educational programs for artists and the community, and more. LunART's annual festival returns after a couple years of virtual events with a week of programming loosely focusing on the theme of “identity.” Chamber music concerts on June 2 and 4 include new music by festival composer-in-residence Stacy Garrop, as well as Alexis Bacon, Ula Goldstein, Katie Jenkins, Patricia Lopes, Nicole Murphy, Rosita Piritore and Yuting Tan (the winners of LunART's Call for Scores program). Also still to come is the premiere of Threads, a new theater work written by and starring Deborah Hearst and Dana Pellebon, on June 3 (see Gwendolyn Rice’s story); a stand-up comedy showcase on June 5; and more. Find the full schedule and ticket info at lunartfestival.org.

Disaster Passport, Thursday, June 2, Shitty Barn, Spring Green, 7 p.m.: The schedule of touring artists tends to sell out quickly at the friendly, rustic Shitty Barn (pro tip: tickets for shows starting in August are on sale July 1). However, occasionally a local show will slip under the radar of the Wisconsin River valley venue's dedicated concertgoers. Such is the case with Madison's Disaster Passport, who will be playing their live soundtrack to the documentary/art film Koyaanisqatsi. The four band members each composed new music for a section of the film (including space for improvisation); it's not a replication of the original Philip Glass score. William Z. Villain opens; check ticket availability at shittybarnsessions.com.

Spring Art Tour, June 3-5, Mount Horeb/surrounding communities, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.: Art is back! No more virtual studio visits. This road trip through some of southwestern Wisconsin's most charming hamlets — Black Earth, Blanchardville, Blue Mounds, Mazomanie, Mount Horeb, New Glarus, Prairie du Sac and the town of Vermont — and the hills and valleys between them features stops at 35 local artists' homes or studios. The art forms are as varied as the locations, with painting, photography, jewelry, metal art, pottery, fiber art, wood sculpture and more. Find the map of tour stops and information about each artist at springarttour.com.

Verona Hometown Days, Friday-Sunday, June 3-5, Hometown Festival Park, Verona: One of the most kid-friendly area fests, Verona Hometown Days features a petting zoo, pony rides, and an entertainment tent for the young ones, plus a Sunday morning kids' fun run (register at 11:15 a.m., Sugar River United Methodist Church). The weekend also features fireworks (9:30 p.m., June 3), an auto show (starts at 9 a.m., June 4) and favorite regional bands such as Cherry Pie (8:30 p.m., June 4) and The Jimmys (1 p.m., 6/5). Find the full schedule at veronahometowndays.com.

Abel Contemporary Gallery exhibits, June 3-July 17, ACG, Stoughton; reception June 3, 5-8 p.m.: Three new shows come to Abel Contemporary, one of the most interesting galleries within a stone's throw of Madison. Illinois artist George Shipperley creates transformative large scale works with oil pastels, the creamy drawing medium that may look like crayons but was elevated to fine art by the Sennelier company specifically at the request of Pablo Picasso. Shipperley will talk about his work from this show, called Impressions, at 2 p.m. on June 18. And two faculty members from UW-Madison's fine furniture design and woodworking program, Katie Hudnall and Tom Loeser, have a joint exhibit called Boxing Match, which will surely transform your concept of wood boxes. They'll talk about the show at 3 p.m. on June 4. A group exhibition, The Aviary, is curated by Craig Clifford.

Festa Italia, June 3-5, McKee Farms Park: Celebrate Italian food, culture and music at Festa Italia, hosted by the Italian Workmen’s Club. The three-day festival will include Italian food and dessert, cultural exhibits, folk dancing, a bocce tournament, cooking demonstrations, and plenty of music. Catch live performances from Gerri DiMaggio (6 p.m., June 3), Mama Digdown’s Brass Band (5:30 p.m., June 4), and Cash Box Kings (4:30 p.m., June 5), plus many others. View the complete schedule for the weekend at iwcmadison.com.

The Flavor That Kills + Heavy Looks, Friday, June 3, Chief’s Tavern, 7 p.m.: Finish off the week with a drink at Chief’s Tavern and a side of local music. Madison band The Flavor That Kills is on an unofficial tour across the east side, popping up at taverns and bars to perform their new music. The rockers are joined by another quartet of Madison scene veterans, old-school power-pop band Heavy Looks.

Driveway Thriftdwellers, Friday, June 3, Bur Oak, 8 p.m.: The mostly-Milwaukee-based country rock ensemble Driveway Thriftdwellers keeps alive the cussed spirits of Haggard and Jones while feathering in a modern, Midwestern flavor. Songwriter/guitarist Jon Knudson’s melodies are tailor-made for his brother Ryan’s pedal steel. Madison-based lead guitarist Kyle Rightley shows why he’s one of the most in demand players in the area. Opening is .357 String Band founder Joseph Huber, with music from his just released album, The Downtowner.

Free Fun Weekend, June 4-5, statewide: Everybody loves a freebie. And not everyone can afford the fees that help support Wisconsin's 49 state parks, 15 state forests, 44 state trails, and other public lands and programs. The first weekend every June, it's all free — state park admission fees, fishing licenses and trail passes are waived. See how much fun you can have. You might even catch yourself a free dinner. Find more at dnr.wisconsin.gov/adventure/freefun.

Family Opera Day, Saturday, June 4, Overture Center, 9:30 a.m.: Family Opera Day, a free, annual event hosted by Opera for the Young, returns in-person with a performance of Cinderella. Founded in 1970, Opera for the Young is a nonprofit whose focus is exposing children to opera. The day kicks off with an art lesson and yoga for children at 9:30 a.m., followed by a music lesson at 10:15 a.m., and the opera at 11 a.m.

Learn to Row Day, Saturday, June 4, James Madison Park, noon: Mendota Rowing Club hosts this event marking National Learn to Row Day. Groups of eight, at staggered start times through the afternoon, get a tour of the historic Bernard's Boathouse, practice rowing on indoor equipment, and take a boat out for a short row (weather permitting). All ages are welcome to participate in this free event (but those under 12 can't participate in the on-lake rowing); advance sign-up at mendotarowingclub.com is required.

Schumacher Farm Music Fest, Saturday, June 4, Schumacher Farm County Park, Waunakee, 2-8 p.m.: The Friends of Schumacher Farm returns with its annual music festival, featuring three local bands: acoustic duo Back2Back, composed of Jim O’Connor on guitar and Christine Anderson on vocals; country trio Back 40; and Elvis tribute artist John Lyons & the Jailhouse Hound Dogs closing the show. Local food, beer and wine, a raffle, silent auction and craft fair round out the festival. Tickets at schumacherfarmpark.org.

Lakewaves, Saturday, June 4, Communication, 7 p.m.: Graham Marlowe (who performs as Lakewaves) is a trippy instrumental explorer. A self-styled music transcendentalist, the keyboardist takes his audiences on far-fetched, hypnotic sonic adventures that can be blissed out, meditative and enthralling. He’s played weddings, funerals, warehouse shows, even an all-night train car gig, all the while turning his space into the site of a live film score.

Madison Bike Week, June 5-11: Whether you're a rider who picked up the hobby as a way to get out of the house during the pandemic or an old hand on two wheels, Madison Bike Week has an activity for you. There are morning and afternoon commuter stations with snacks, giveaways and safety checks (depending on location), group rides, and special events such as a launch event for the 2022 BCycle Art Bikes program (4:30 p.m., June 9, Garver Feed Mill). Before the official start of the week, don't miss a “prologue event” on June 4: The Trek Pride Ride, co-hosted with Forward Madison FC, is a free social ride from (and returning to) Breese Stevens Field (registration begins at 2 p.m. for the 3 p.m. ride). Full list of events at madisonbikes.org.

Pupy Costello & the New Hiram Kings, Sunday, June 5, Crystal Corner Bar, 2 p.m: For years, Pupy Costello & His Big City Honky Tonk played a weekly residency at the Crystal Corner, which doubled as an informal social for Madison's country and Americana scene. Costello returns with the New Hiram Kings for a Sunday matinee (and rare summertime show at the CCB) in honor of a much-missed member of the Crystal family. Funds raised will be donated to the family of Mary Reed, a longtime bartender at the Crystal and other spots who lost her life in March while on vacation. (A GoFundMe page can be found at gofundme.com/f/mary-reed-and-family).

Bob Westfall Celebration of Life, Sunday, June 5, High Noon Saloon, 2-5 p.m.: Guitarist, mandolinist and songwriter Bob Westfall was a longtime presence on the local music scene, performing weekly shows with his eponymous band for more than a dozen years at the Angelic, and influencing countless players through music lessons. Westfall lost his battle with cancer in November 2021, and friends and bandmates Mary Gaines and Chris Wagoner have organized this concert in his honor, which will also include a selection of Westfall's home videos. Gaines & Wagoner will play as a trio with John Parrott and with a reunited Bob Westfall Band, and the lineup also includes Willy Porter, The Common Faces, Annie & the Oakies, Madison Mando Madness and Crunchy Sock.

The Illustrated Old Testament, Sunday, June 5, Arts + Literature Laboratory, 5 p.m.: Minnesota-based artist Sam Robertson spent seven years creating 257 illustrations inspired by the King James version of the Old Testament, which he has compiled into a stunning 520-page hardcover book published by 11:11 Press in Minneapolis, The Old Testament, King James Version. As part of the project, Robertson plans to sell the book door-to-door and record his interactions with potential customers for a performance art piece he hopes to develop into a podcast. At the free ALL event, he is expected to present a snippet of that work in progress, as well as show and discuss 25 paintings from the book and answer questions. He’ll be joined by poets I.S. Jones and Rita Mae Reese.

Simplified Characters, Sunday, June 5, Communication, 7 p.m.: Justin Heitman and Brittany Kutka form the indie-rock band Simplified Characters. The Milwaukee-based duo released their first album, Medley, in March, a thoughtful exploration of music genres and isolation. Joining Simplified Characters are The Meliorists, a psych-rock band led by Marty Adams, and Clare McCullough, a pop-rock artist with folk and blues influences. Communication, a Madison arts and music nonprofit committed to equity and anti-racist work, is an all-ages, sober space.  

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

Note: Many venues and businesses may continue to maintain individual requirements for masking, as well as proof of COVID-19 vaccination and/or a negative test for entry. Before heading out for any in-person event, confirm it is still taking place and check for any attendance guidelines on the relevant business websites or social media accounts.