Dane101 - Visual

Madison Prepares for a "Hot Mess"

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:00:22 +0200

Madison, get ready for this summer's hot ticket. Emily Mills and friends have put together what we think is a first: a Midwestern drag king show in Madison. With a line-up to make your knees weak, you won't want to miss Hot Mess, your chance to see the finest drag kings from Madison, Milwaukee and Chicago all in one steamy evening.

Emily was kind enough to give us some back-story about Hot Mess, from the basics of drag, to why we'll want to eat up Miss Tamale, to what's behind the name "Hot Mess."

Number-Five is alive (and in Madison)!

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 18:00:58 +0200

Not everyone appreciates graffiti and for good reason. In Madison it is rare to find the colorful murals one might find in larger metropolitan areas, our graffiti tends to be limited to ugly tags. Additionally, Madison's street stencil artists also seem to be a dying breed in comparison to a couple years ago when hardly a week would pass between new stencil art popping up on buildings or other landmarks. I don't condone the defacement of public or private property, but I do appreciate it when someone who chooses to do so at the least makes an attempt at making the defacement interesting or at least creates something that makes me stop and go "hmmmm...that's neat."

Johnny Five, currently plastered on the side of the old Casa Bianca building on North Bassett, is one of those acts of defacement that brings a smile to my face. Johnny, for those of you who somehow don't know, is the robot star from the classic 80's comedy Short Circuit. I remember watching the film as a young tyke, completely convinced that he was a real robot. So now, every day as I walk home from work, I see Johnny Five and it brings a nostalgic smile to my face.

MMOCA and the Art of Interior Design

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 18:00:08 +0200

The Design MMoCA 2008 exhibit continues today and Sunday with lectures and gallery talks. The exhibit features 15 living spaces, each created by a local designer and each directly inspired by a work of art from the museum’s permanent collection. The 15 spaces are all vastly different. Some designers chose to literally interpret the painting, and some chose to use it as a jumping-off point. The more successful and interesting designs managed to keep a firm grasp on the featured piece, but reinterpreted it with a smart and imaginative point of view.

Tania S. May’s interpretation of James Rosenquist’s 1978 lithograph Terrarium is more literal, the living space mirroring the clear turquoise and red of the piece. The spherical light fixture in the center reflects and distorts images, much like the glass bottles in the artwork. The sense of humor in this design was clearly evident. On a first pass by, I wondered why there was a round fishbowl full of bed-frame wheels on the dark-wood dresser. On a second look, I realized that there is a mattress and wheeled bed frame featured in the lithograph. May cleverly mixes literal reflections and abstract allusions, keeping intact the coherence of a comfortable living space.

Cha Cha Salon to open second shop amidst Apes and Anxiety

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 21:00:22 +0200

Something odd happened while the 40th Anniversary edition of Planet of the Apes was showing at the Wisconsin Film Festival on April 6, the news broke that the film's star, Charlton Heston, had passed away at the age of 84. This evening Madison once again taps one of Heston's most well known films as Cha Cha Hair Salon opens the doors to a second space on Willy Street. To celebrate the opening the Salon will be teaming up with Anxiety Gallery to present a night of art featuring unique local and national artists. The Cha Cha Planet of the Apes 40th Anniversary Art Show and Party starts at 7 p.m. Below I have written up some brief profiles of a handful of the artists put together based solely on what I could find on MySpace profiles and personal blogs or websites.

Notes On A Screen: Madison Area Film, TV, and Gaming News 2008: Week 12

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 23:08:34 +0100

Earlier this week the website for The Radar Group revealed that a sequel to Madison-based Human Head's first person shooter, Prey, was in the works. Then, almost as quickly as it appeared, the website went offline. We had screen capped the page (left) in anticipation of our weekly "Notes on a Screen" round up, but it doesn't really matter because yesterday it was officially announced that Prey 2 is indeed in development and Human Head is indeed overseeing that development. So much for being all savvy and then sitting on the news. Our big yellow highlighted screen cap just doesn't seem as exciting as it did on Monday. sniff.

The announcement explains why Human Head has been actively hunting for level scripters and the like over the past month (dare I say "Human Head Hunting"? No.) This is good news for Human Head as they suffered a massive fire early last year. We are happy to see they are up and running at full capacity.

"Immersed" at the Commonwealth

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 17:00:05 +0100

Kim Keyes and Marina Kelly put together a stupendous one-day show called "Immersed" Friday night January 25 at the nonpareil Commonwealth Gallery. Being lukewarm on Ansel Adams-sorts-of-endeavors I was very happily surprised to enter into a multi-sensory experience at the Baldwin Street gallery, that combined numerous mediums, pushing typical limits of local art show paradigms. These two artists have high standards for their photo and video work, and they appeared to put equal attention into the presentation of the material,transforming the gallery into another world for the evening. Words can’t really do it justice because this was truly an experiential show.

Madison Arts Commission announces BLINK!

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 23:39:33 +0100

Below is a press release from the Madison Arts Commission concerning a temporary winter public art program called BLINK!

Quote:

BLINK on ice . . . Let it snow! Let it freeze! Just don't BLINK or you'll miss some fabulous temporary public art projects taking place in Madison this winter. The Madison Arts Commission is proud to announce funding for five new public art projects, some that will begin as early as this week on the winter solstice and some that will remain up until, the snow melts (otherwise known as the summer solstice).

Projects include:

Reviewing the Neighbors: Flat Atom "Transmit..."

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 16:35:06 +0100

Flat Atom, for those of you who don't know, are a local high-energy rock/metal band who play one damn good show and try to get a message out while doing so. Their latest offering to their purchasing public is a DVD called "Transmit," available beginning at their DVD release party this Saturday, November 17th, at the Annex (starting at 9 p.m.). Along with Flat Atom, Harsh Reality, Bible of the Devil, The Skintones, and Slough Feg will also be playing. Expect a visual/live video mix by Chicago's VJG and Madison's theAssassin.

I was lucky enough to get my hands on an early copy of the DVD (*cough* fell off the truck *cough*), and I'm here to give you the low down (people still say "low down" right?). First, let's begin with what you'll see when you get this shiny plastic case in your hands.

No Tricks Needed For Gallery Night's Treats

Sun, 07 Oct 2007 23:27:21 +0200

Monroe Street had a festive Halloween vibe Friday evening – not because of the temperature, which pushed 80 degrees, but because of the number of groups of gallery-goers, chatting animatedly and walking door-to-door for visual and edible treats. The venues involved in October 5th’s Gallery Night, organized by the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, featured work by local artists and often served refreshments. Local artist Jen Clausen and I made the rounds by bike, stopping first at Monroe Street Framing.

theCDP takes a look at the 2007 Fall television season

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 21:00:37 +0200

theCDP.net is the best locally written website for any Lost fanatic. Every Friday theCDP founder Ryan Zeinert takes an irreverent look at that week's episode - often catching things the casual viewer may miss. Recently Zeinert ran a "hit or miss" article for the Fall 2007 television season. We asked if he would take a couple hours and write a shorter version for Dane101 and he was kind enough to oblige. It is also worth noting that Zeinert's team was the highest scoring during our recent All Star Wars pub quiz.

With the new television season just days away from a full-blown kickoff, here’s your quick reference guide to the hits, misses and fence-leaners of Fall 2007.

Monday’s Best Bet – Heroes – Premieres 9/24 at 8pm on NBC.

Will Heroes fizzle out in their sophomore season, or will they cement their place in TV history? Based on early projections and previews, they seem to be getting the job done. Honestly though, I'd watch two hours of men pooping into plastic bags if it were hosted by Hayden Panettiere.

Final destination for Madison bus shelters? Works of art (an interview with Melanie Kehoss)

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 01:37:10 +0200

Before Madison Metro demolishes and replaces them at the end of this month, the seven bus stops around the Capitol Square are getting a "creative farewell" from artists.

The idea for the public art project ("Destination") comes from Mequon-native Melanie Kehoss, 27, who just finished her Master of Fine Arts at UW-Madison. She arranged a grant from the Madison Arts Commission through their BLINK Temporary Public Art Program and got the green light from Madison Metro in late May.

On Sunday, July 1, seven artists – Kehoss, Nina Bedarsky, Sean Bodley, Craig Grabhorn, Nick Hartley, Darryl Jensen and John Riepenhoff – assembled on the Square to make art on each individually-assigned bus shelter. The art ranges from quiet and sly to loud and sloppily exuberant.

We do it for beer, why not art?

Thu, 31 May 2007 16:08:53 +0200

Most cities in the country with a vibrant art scene have some sort of monthly arts night out. Whether it be called Gallery Night, Art Walk, Arts in Motion, or what not, they each serve a purpose of uniting the city's art scene. This Friday Madison will finally join those cities with a monthly Arts Crawl.

Rockin' the Posters: I'm Just Sayin is All presents Chris Garneau

Fri, 25 May 2007 03:39:21 +0200

One of the most common scenes when walking around Madison, be it State Street or Willy, is the vast forest of rock poster art that can often be found hanging in store fronts and on kiosks. The posters often seem to utilize nearly as much labor in production as one would expect from a band performance. Often limited edition, these works of art are also very often short-lived in the life span of kiosk advertising - competition or unappreciative advertisers quickly cover them up or the city workers tasked with making sure the kiosks don't burst with paper slash them down with razors. This week we begin a new feature on Dane101 where we attempt to preserve some of this art on the internet.

Madison to experience a slice of Tokyo in Spring

Wed, 23 May 2007 23:05:57 +0200

Japanese street fashion hits the High Noon Saloon Sunday night alongside magic, acrobats, b-boys and b-girls, Jamaican-funk, and spoken word. Dubbed, Tokyo in Spring, this cornucopia of entertainment is the brainchild of clothing designer Charity Robinson and freelance make-up artist and hair stylist Alice Ezrow. The duo decided to combine their talents to help raise money for two local organizations, Elements of Change and The Exchange Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse.

Ezrow, a stylist at Cha Cha Hair Salon, spoke with Dane101 Wednesday morning as she prepared to roll up her sleeves and work on painting stages and putting the final touches together for the event.

Hip Hop As A Movement Week 2007: Video from "Breakin' the Law 4"

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 21:58:11 +0200

Below is a series of videos from Saturday's fourth "Breakin' the Law" at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dane101 coverage of Breakin' the Law here. Video captured by wuillians and posted on YouTube.

1. Rhythm Attack vs Warriors
2. I-90 vs Anonymous
3. Rhythm Attack 1 vs Lunchbox Jam