Step into the Arts + Literature Laboratory on Livingston Street one day and you might find a jazz concert; the next, a poetry reading; and the next, an experimental film screening.
Despite the organization casting a wide net since its start in November 2015, “there are still a ton of people who don’t know what we do,” says co-founder Rita Mae Reese. Reese, co-founder Jolynne Roorda, and a group of dedicated local artists started the organization to create an artist-driven space for all ages and skill levels. They wanted a place for cross-disciplinary collaborations so that inspiration could occur. “We have the word laboratory in our title,” Roorda says, “because we want it to be a laboratory of ideas and exploration.”
In addition to music, film and visual art, the space is home to some theater productions. Falconbridge Players and Fermat’s Last Theater Company will return to ALL for several performances (see theater season preview on p. 30).
There is plenty to explore at ALL. “We want to respond to what our community is asking for,” Roorda says. “What is this community passionate about and how can we reflect that?”
ALL hosts a lot of music: classical, jazz and experimental. Oakwood Chamber Players kicks off their 40th season at ALL on Sept. 15. Madison bassist Nick Moran will hold a jazz concert on Sept. 29, followed by the Jon Irabagon Quartet on Oct. 18. Irabagon plays saxophone and has played along with Wynton Marsalis, Lou Reed, Billy Joel, Herbie Hancock and Conor Oberst.
It also co-sponsors the Strollin’ Middleton Jazz Festival, Sept. 6-7, in downtown Middleton and the Stone Horse Green. This year performers include Jazz Flux, Feestet, Dave Stoler, carisa, Emy Castro and the Richard Hildner Armacanqui Quintet, Chris Mosley Quartet, Tim Whalen Quartet, and Juan Pastor’s Chinchano.
“We want to bring the arts and make them accessible to all,” Reese says. One way to do that is by cross-pollinating the arts, as some musicians also use visuals in their music making: “We want the arts to bleed into each other, to have the universe of art expand.” That sentiment carries over to ALL’s Auricle New Music Series, which showcases experimental and original music. The first concert in the series on Oct. 29 features FRIEND, a collaborative project by Andrew Fitzpatrick and Jon Mueller. Fitzpatrick has played with Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon.
On Nov. 1, Circuit des Yeux will take the stage. The Chicago-based singer is known for her four-octave vocal range. She also plays a 12-string guitar. The series continues with Dani Dobkin (synthesizers) and Matt Sargent (guitar) on Nov. 9.
“We could not have lasted this long without the tremendous support of the community,” says Reese. “We’re so grateful. The work we do is made possible through this city.”
Also coming up at ALL
Watershed Reading Series
This annual year-long event kicks off Sept. 21 featuring former Wisconsin poet laureate Kimberly Blaeser, along with Sadia Hassan, a former Jay C. and Ruth Halls fellow at the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing, and Hussain Ahmad, a Nigerian poet currently in a doctoral creative writing program at the University of Cincinnati. The series is Madison’s longest running monthly curated reading series, bringing together established poets and up-and-coming writers. Audiences, often poets themselves, can have in-depth conversations at the event around literature and other issues. Watch for upcoming Watershed readings monthly.
The PhotoMidwest Festival
A good portion of this photography festival will take place at ALL Sept. 17-Nov. 9. (See Graham Brown’s article on PhotoMidwest on p. 32.)
The Midwest Video Poetry Fest
This hybrid event, with screenings on Oct. 5 and Oct. 12, returns for its fifth iteration, one of only four video poetry festivals in the United States. The art form, combining poetry with contemporary video making, has been taking off globally and has been well received in Madison. There will be approximately 34 entries this year for screening, with a live performance also planned.
Mills Folly Microcinema
What, exactly, is microcinema? “Broadly speaking, microcinemas are alternative spaces for experimental film and video art screenings, as distinct from theatrical venues for commercial cinema screenings,” says Jim Kreul, who runs the program (and is also an Isthmus contributor). Furthermore microcinemas are “organized with an old-fashioned ‘Hey, let’s put on a show’ spirit.” The series begins on Oct. 9 with a “Project Projection” screening, which showcases local work, focusing on experimental film, short documentaries, animation and music videos. On Oct. 24, a guest curator, Emily Eddy from Nightingale Projects in Chicago, will present an evening of “spooky” experimental films for the Halloween season.
Native Art Market
This multifaceted event featuring Midwestern Indigenous artists returns for its second year on Nov. 16. There will be more artists, performers, workshops and demos than there were last year, with participants curated by Dakota Mace and Paige Skenandore.
Issis Macias, Jessica Gutierrez, Matthew Braunginn
After PhotoMidwest comes down, solo shows by Issis Macias and Jessica Gutierrez, plus projects by Matthew Braunginn, will hang in the gallery from Nov. 19-Dec. 21. Macias, creator of abstract art, is a self-taught artist born and raised in Los Angeles who now calls Madison home. Gutierrez, a local somatic-oriented therapist, focuses on amplifying the sacred through art. Braunginn, an abstract expressionist painter, uses art to examine a new diagnosis of being on the Autism spectrum.
