Milwaukee has no shortage of cultural offerings during the spring season. Whether you’re looking for eye-opening exhibitions, riveting plays, lively concerts – or just don’t know where to start – this list of can’t-miss events is a great springboard into the arts.
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‘This Side of Stars’
Jan 23-May 16 | Haggerty Museum of Art
How do we respond to advancing technology? Artist Robert Rauschenberg captured the idealism of the moon landing with his Stoned Moon lithographs. Present-day artists Kite, Trevor Paglen and Milwaukee’s Jason S. Yi reckon with the gray ethics of innovation.
Emily Endo: ‘Estuary’
Feb. 7-Aug. 16 | John Michael Kohler Arts Center
Few works of art invite you to smell them. But scent is essential to Emily Endo’s sculptures of glass, metal and natural materials. Their fragile shapes hold evocative fragrances and recall ancient alchemy.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
Latino Arts Annual Guitar Festival
Feb. 7 | Latino Arts
This celebration of classical guitar, and its spirit of learning, strikes a chord with many. Workshops and master classes culminate with an evening concert performed by the Guitar Festival Orchestra, youth competition winners and acclaimed guitarist Xavier Jara.
Swing State
Feb. 11-March 8 | Next Act Theatre
Quiet life on the Wisconsin prairie is shaken up by a robbery. Written by Pulitzer Prize finalist Rebecca Gilman, the play examines national fracturing on a smaller – and locally familiar – scale.
‘Rituals, Spells & Charms’
March 20-21 | Jan Serr Studio
Present Music embraces street festival revelry and rhythms with this contemporary classical concert’s bewitching setlist, including a piece by jazz composer Vijay Iyer set to a film of Holi festivities in India.
Barefoot in the Park
March 22-April 12 | Renaissance Theaterworks
In this classic Neil Simon rom-com, newlyweds Paul and Corie hit a few bumps when a move to Manhattan heightens their differences. Suzan Fete directs in her final season leading Renaissance.
Beyond the Shimmer
April 10-11 | Jan Serr Studio
Wild Space is heading to outer space – metaphorically, at least. The dance company’s latest performance uses mirror balls, flashlights, fans and more to explore movement and distance in the vast unknown. Descriptive and narrative text throughout sets the scene.
‘Here’s Looking at You’
April 17-May 23 | Tory Folliard Gallery
These Midwest contemporary portraits are reflections in more than one way. Curated by Fred Stonehouse, this group show demonstrates the genre’s physicality and interiority.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
April 21 | Marcus Performing Arts Center
This elite dance company continues to carry the legacy of dancer/choreographer Alvin Ailey and his mission of cultivating African American expression in contemporary dance. Expect new and timeless pieces from their extensive repertoire.
‘ALICE (in Wonderland)’
May 1-10 | Marcus Performing Arts Center
Emphasis on the wonder in Septime Webre’s playful take on the Lewis Caroll fantasy. The Milwaukee Ballet’s all-out rendition features loads of colors, acrobatic feats, theatrical storytelling and even puppetry.
‘A Raisin in the Sun’
May 8-24 | Milwaukee Chamber Theatre
The Younger family in Chicago strives to realize big dreams in the face of poverty, racial discrimination and assimilation. This foundational play by Lorraine Hansberry premiered in 1959 and still resonates today. Dimonte Henning stars.
‘Tosca’
May 15-17 | Marcus Performing Arts Center
Murder, love and political intrigue mark the plot of this opera classic by the prevailing Italian composer Puccini, but it’s the score that shines. The Florentine Opera and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra will bring it to life.
Editor’s note: The story has been updated to reflect a casting change with A Raisin in the Sun.
