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7 havens for Madison fine arts

Lindsay Christians  —  8/28/2008 12:24 pm

We are blessed with a great arts scene in Madison, which many of us take for granted. An oft-repeated sentiment is that with all the plays, concerts and gallery openings to take in, a person can get overwhelmed quickly.

But a few places stand out as being consistent locations to experience locally and nationally made art, and offer a good introduction to the fine arts scene here. Some are obvious: The Overture Center, for example, is an entire city block of arts activity for lovers of classical music, dance, theater and visual arts, as well as a hub for both local and national touring acts.

Other places are less obvious. Here are my top seven recommendations for exploring fine art in the Mad City:

1. The Bartell Theatre 

113 E. Mifflin St.

Six of Madison's community theater groups come together downtown at the Bartell where, on just about any weekend, theatergoers have their pick of two or more shows. The Bartell's resident companies have varied, occasionally collaborative missions, and two have new plays opening the weekend of Sept. 5: "Doubt," presented by Strollers Theatre; and the musical "The Full Monty," presented by Mercury Players Theatre.

Encore! Studio for the Performing Arts, Madison Creative Arts Program (MadCAP), Madison Theatre Guild and Stage Q also use the Bartell's two theaters, the Drury and the Evjue. A cool note: if the play is slow, you can bring a plastic cup of wine or a bottle of beer (for sale in the lobby) into the second act.

2. The Chazen Museum 

800 University Ave. 

The Chazen, formerly known as the Elvehjem, is located near the artistic center of UW-Madison's campus and features one of the most diverse collections in the state. Director Russell Panczenko oversees an 18,000-piece permanent collection and hosts 10 exhibitions a year. The Terese and Alvin S. Lane collection features some striking modernist sculpture on view until Sept. 28. An exhibition of Robert Schultz drawings, mostly nudes, opens on Sept. 20 and will run through Nov. 16.

3. The Wisconsin Union Theater

800 Langdon St. 

This Art Deco theater next to Lake Mendota brings in some of the biggest names each year in jazz, dance, world music and theater, and is unique in that it involves a team of students in the programming. I'm particularly looking forward to Ani DiFranco on Oct. 5 and Duncan Sheik, composer of the Broadway musical "Spring Awakening," coming in early March.

4. Mills Concert Hall

455 N. Park St. 

Vilas Hall

821 University Ave. 

Mills is in Humanities, also the home of the UW-Madison School of Music, and Vilas is where the theater folk reside. In addition to classical music recitals and opera in Mills, the university's several choirs give a series of performances there at the end of each semester. Vilas Hall houses the Mitchell Theatre as well as the smaller, black-box Hemsley Theatre, where students get discount tickets. Don't miss "The War of the Worlds," opening Sept. 26 and running through Oct. 11 in the Mitchell.

5. Margaret H'Doubler Performance Space

Lathrop Hall, 1050 University Ave. 

Lathrop Hall is the home of the UW-Madison dance program, and a wide variety of recitals and performances. Go to see work by guest artists, resident dance companies (like Jin-Wen Yu Dance, led by a dance professor) and the faculty concert in November. Coming up at H'Doubler: a performance by Li Chiao-Ping Dance called "Points of Departure," scheduled for Sept. 25-27 and described as "an imaginative program of contemporary dance and physical theater."

6. Project Lodge 

817 E. Johnson St.

Project Lodge is a collaborative art gallery and music venue that regularly hosts performances and gallery openings. The venue describes itself as "a do-it-yourself space everyone has to contribute to making the space a great place to see, hear and do amazing art." An upcoming show, "Pony Up: Horse-Related Work by Brittany Powell" has an opening reception at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 29, and runs until Sept. 11. Check out www.theprojectlodge.com.

7. Local churches, many locations 

Often the best place to find classical music -- be it quartets, choral performances or full-length plays -- are local churches. A few examples: Luther Memorial Church hosts the Winter Choral Concerts each December, St. Andrews Episcopal Church on Regent Street hosted a preview of the Madison Early Music Festival, and the Ancora String Quartet is performing three recitals (the first is Sept. 13) at the First Unitarian Society of Madison, the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed building at 900 University Bay Drive.

Lindsay Christians  —  8/28/2008 12:24 pm