Madison’s cultural milieu spans the spectrum, from world-class music venues to resident theater groups and visual art centers, bringing a dash of big-city urban panache to “Mad Town.”
“We’re a small city, but we have a lot of big city to offer,” says Anne Katz, executive director of Arts Wisconsin.
Leading the pack with regard to major institutions is the Overture Center for the Arts (608.258.4177; www.overturecenter.com), a $205 million cultural arts facility.
“We don’t have a local arts council in Madison,” Katz says. “But the Overture Center for the Arts offers tours, as well as opportunities to meet the artists.”
The complex contains the Overture Hall, a 2,251-seat performance hall; The Playhouse, a 350-seat theater that houses the Madison Repertory Theatre; MMoCA (the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art); three art galleries; and the Capitol Theatre, a 1,000-seat Moorish-styled facility named for the city’s 1928 movie house that once hosted the likes of Mae West and Al Jolson. It is now home to the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. Other resident companies of the Overture Center include the Madison Ballet, Madison Opera and Madison Symphony Orchestra. Every second weekend of July, MMoCA hosts one of biggest annual art fairs in the country: Art Fair on the Square.
“I live a mile from downtown. I can bike to the Overture Center and hear Itzhak Perlman play for $50 and have a great dinner and go home,” Katz says.
The Overture Center complex’s MMoCA (www.mmoca.org) boasts a 7,100-square-foot rooftop sculpture garden that accommodates up to 300 people, and its lecture hall seats 230. The Overture Main Hall Lobby can host 500 guests for a sit-down dinner and 1,000 for a reception, while the Promenade Lobby can hold up to 250 for receptions. The Playhouse and Capitol Theatre are also open to groups.
The Chazen Museum of Art (608.263.2246; www.chazen.wisc.edu), located on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, offers group tours.
Also on campus, the Wisconsin Union (www.union.wisc.edu) is considered the social, cultural and recreational center of campus. Comprising two buildings—Memorial Union on the shores of Lake Mendota and Union South near Camp Randall—the Student Union is a hub of arts and art exhibits, including a number of galleries and the Wisconsin Union Theater. The main auditorium seats 1,300 guests and offers a large stage that can accommodate seminars, films and lectures. The Memorial Union Terrace on Lake Mendota features a concert series overlooking the lake and can also be used by groups.
A centerpiece of Madison’s vibrant performing arts scene, The Bartell (608.204.0280; www.madstage.com/bartell) is home to six community theaters. Facilities open to groups include the Drury Theatre, with seating for nearly 200 people, and the Evjue Theatre, with 96 seats.
Robert Redford’s Sundance Cinema Madison (608.316.6900; www.sundancecinemas.com) also allows for facility rental in its six theaters. The complex has a cafe, two bars and a gallery.
The Madison Area Open Art Studios (www.maoas.com), an annual event celebrating the area’s diversity of visual arts, is one of the main arts events in the city. Many local artists open their studios to the public for the weekend, and visitors can meet with the artists and learn more about their technique and craft.
Some of Madison’s main art galleries include the Grace Chosy Gallery (608.255.1211; www.gracechosygallery.com), Absolutely Art (608.249.9100; www.absolutelyartllc.com) and the Artisan Gallery, Paoli (608.845.6600; www.artisangal.com).
Attendees can also check out downtown Madison’s Museum Mile, which offers six different museums and galleries, including Madison Art Center, Wisconsin Historical Museum, Wisconsin Veterans Museum and University of Wisconsin Geology Museum.
