Paddle your canoe to Carnaval

Virtual Canoecopia, a Handphibians celebration, and more Isthmus Picks for March 11-18

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Sneaker Soiree, Thursday, March 11, 6 pm: Girls on the Run of South Central Wisconsin offers programming for girls in grades 3-5 in Dane County and several surrounding counties. One of the nonprofit's annual fundraisers is the Sneaker Soiree, which this year will take place as a free virtual program, with a silent auction and raffle ticket sales. During the livestream, learn more about GOTR's programs for 2021, including new activities for adults. Register here.

The Human Show, Thursday, March 11, 7 pm: This new monthly livestreamed variety show from Cafe Coda honors Women's History Month with interviews, music and more on the theme of "Women's Work." Guests include UW-Madison professor and author Amy Quan Barry; Allied Community Coop President Alice Howard; Ontario, Canada, feminist economist and artist Cassie Thornton; and Forests Without Frontiers founder Nicoleta Carpineanu (aka DJ Nico de Transilvania). Find the livestream, hosted by Madison musician and activist Stephanie Rearick, on Facebook.

The “Infamous Chicago Seven Trial" and William Kunstler, Thursday, March 11, 7 pm: The acclaimed 2020 film The Trial of the Chicago 7 features writer-director Aaron Sorkin's take on the story of the federal conspiracy charges against organizers of protests during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. During this livestream talk hosted by Gail Borden Public Library, the film (which can be viewed on Netflix) will be discussed by David Langum, the biographer of Chicago Seven attorney William Kunstler. Register here.

Robert Jones + Matt Watroba, Friday, March 12, 7:30 pm: The Madison Folk Music Society and Wild Hog in the Woods Coffeehouse are collaborating to present a virtual concert of "Music That Matters" by Michigan natives Robert Jones and Matt Watroba. The duo met decades ago when hosting shows on WDET public radio in Detroit, later forming a performing partnership to present American roots music for new generations of listeners and communities all around the country. The concert will be followed by a Zoom chat by Jones and Watroba with Lou and Peter Berryman, Steve Gillette and Cindy Mangsen; find the livestream and chat info here. Donations are welcomed for the performers and Wil-Mar Center.

Canoecopia, Friday-Sunday, March 12-14: People are itching to get outside. Good news, here comes Canoecopia. Even if you happen to be busy this weekend, the presentations at this year's virtual paddlefest are going to be available online for another 60 days. But try to make any of the three actual days to take part in live Q & As as well as the virtual vendor booths, where you can browse and ask questions about gear. Presentations range from many talks about inclusivity in paddling (age, race, gender) to wilderness skills — and all the amazing destinations. Find tickets ($15) here.

Annual Survey of Museum-Goers, through Friday, March 12: Madison Museum of Contemporary Art welcomes feedback on exhibits and educational and outreach programs, and learning more about how the public is engaging with MMoCA is just as important in our often virtual world. To that end, MMoCA is participating in the American Alliance of Museums' annual survey, which includes both Madison-specific and universal questions. The survey takes 10 minutes or less to complete and can be found here, but responses are needed by Friday, March 12. Note also: MMoCA plans to reopen to the public on March 12; watch mmoca.org for details.

The Handphibians virtual Carnaval, Saturday, March 13, 6 pm: This Madison-based group is a long-time advocate for the joys of Brazilian percussion, both through performances and by teaching any interested community member how to play as a member of the ensemble. The Handphibians' annual concerts celebrating Carnaval can't happen in person this year but the tradition will continue livestream-style. Go behind-the-scenes at the band's practice space, hear tributes to instructors, and enjoy performances from past concerts by the hosts, Ótimo Dance, Samba Novistas, guitar duo Dave Irwin and Helen Avakian, and others. Find the webcast at handphibians.com.

Alligator Records 50th anniversary concert, Saturday, March 13, 7 pm: The Chicago-based Alligator Records has remained steadfastly independent and dedicated to blues and roots music for five decades. During that time it's been the recording home for legends such as Koko Taylor and Luther Allison as well as modern-day musical leaders like Cash Box Kings and Shemekia Copeland. Founder and label prexy Bruce Iglauer will emcee this concert filmed on the stage of Governors State University Center for Performing Arts, featuring performances by Copeland, Lil' Ed Williams, Toronzo Cannon and Billy Branch & His Sons of the Blues. Tickets here; following the premiere, the webcast can be viewed through April 11.

Textiles From Home: Local Crafts, Global Conversations, March 14-20: Anyone interested in the fiber arts should explore this multi-day conference from the Center for Design and Material Culture at the UW-Madison School of Human Ecology. Presentations focus on connections between textile making, domestic space, and local environments, historically and now, and include sessions on such of-the-moment crazes as artful mending, embroidery, women in fiber mills, and Scottish wool. The keynote is from the extraordinary quilt portrait artist Bisa Butler, March 18 at 4 pm. The full schedule is here; signups will be coming shortly.

Rural Crimes, Sunday, March 14, 6 pm: The pandemic has created mix-n-match book festivals, and this Virginia Festival of the Book presentation is coming to us courtesy of a collaboration with the Wisconsin Book Festival. It's kind of a neat premise: The audience is divided into four breakout rooms while the authors visit each room in turn. Video is turned on and mics unmuted, for informal discussion. This presentation includes crime writers S.A. Cosby, Chris Harding Thornton, David Heska Wanbli Weiden and Heather Young; they discuss their books with authors Karen Dionne and Hank Phillippi Ryan. And, theoretically, you. Registration is free, but space is limited.

PhotoMidwest Spring Member Show, through April 3: The spring PhotoMidwest member show is actually up on the walls at the very nice gallery space at the surgery waiting area at UW Hospital. However, unless you are actually waiting for surgery there, you cannot go see it in person. "The show will exist to boost morale for the dedicated hospital employees and patients and their families who are suffering through the pandemic and really appreciate the art being displayed in the hospital," the PhotoMidwest group writes in a statement. But all can enjoy it virtually at the PhotoMidwest website in a nice gallery presentation. Many images will nudge you to see the world, and especially this corner of the Midwest, in new ways.

UW Program in Creative Writing poetry readings, Monday, March 15, 7 pm: Master of fine arts degree candidate poets Gabriella Balza, Adrienne Chung, Miriam Huettner, I.S. Jones, Alison Thumel and Ajibola Tolase come from locales as far-flung as Venezuela and Nigeria and as close as Chicago. Join them for an evening of readings from their works that should delight, instruct and tell "a story about the world and how it’s not so bad," as Thumel writes in her "Dispatches from a Distant Land." RSVP for link on Crowdcast.

Winter Arts Mosaic, through March 31: It's not just the professional companies that have been missing from our arts landscape during the last year. A lot of performers of all ages and experience levels have also been missing the chance to learn and practice their craft. To that end, Central Midwest Ballet Academy, Madison Savoyards and Upstart Crows Productions collaborated on Winter Arts Mosaic, a pre-recorded variety show featuring dance, light opera and scenes from Shakespeare, as well as a collaborative piece featuring new music by Mark Wurzelbacher. Find tickets ($18) here; Winter Arts Mosaic is available for streaming on demand through March.

Bach Around the Clock, March 17-26: This annual celebration of the March 21 birthday of Johann Sebastian Bach is traditionally a day-long event featuring regional players performing the composer's works. For this virtual edition, Bach Around the Clock expands to a full 10-day schedule featuring submissions from local performers, starting at 8 am most days. Evening programs featuring special guests (7 pm) include Livingstone College assistant professor and pianist Lawrence Quinett, Kreutzer String Quartet violist Clifton Harrison, and Madison Bach Musicians founder Trevor Stephenson. A keynote lecture, "The Bridge To and Through Bach," will be given by Wisconsin Public Radio host Jonathan Overby (7 pm, March 18). Find the streaming content at bachclock.com; following its premiere, all content will remain available for the length of the festival.

Keepers of the Water, Thursday, March 18, 6 pm: Proposals for the "Crandon mine" near the headwaters of the Wolf River in northern Wisconsin caused statewide controversy for nearly three decades, and plenty of legal proceedings, until a coalition of groups opposing the mine won a precedent-setting U.S. Supreme Court victory in 2002. Despite that decision, mining remains a contentious issue due to a depressed economy in northern Wisconsin and continued exploration for mineral deposits by business interests (including drilling activities in 2020 by a subsidiary of Can-American Minerals). Water@UW hosts a screening of Keepers of the Water, a 1996 documentary produced by the Wisconsin Resources Protection Council featuring the activists who eventually helped defeat the Crandon mine proposal. The screening will be followed by a discussion by film director Al Gedicks, Menominee community organizer Anahkwet , and UW doctoral candidate Justyn Huckleberry . Register here for the Zoom link.

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.