Winter Arts Guide 2025

53212 Presents
5 Points Art Gallery
Acacia Theatre Company
The Alice Wilds
All In Productions
Alverno Art & Cultures Gallery
American Players Theatre (APT)
Aperi Animam
Arts @ Large
Bach Chamber Choir
- “A Ceremony of Carols,” Jan. 5 (Wauwatosa Avenue United Methodist Church)
Bay View Gallery Night
Bel Canto Chorus
Black Arts MKE
Black Holocaust Museum
Bombshell Theatre Co.
- Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Jan. 2-12 (Sunset Playhouse)
The dark themes of Stephen Sondheim’s 1979 musical had been brought to the stage many times before, inspired by 19th century English “penny dreadfuls” (pulp fiction) about a murderous barber. The Tony-winner was turned into a 2007 film by Tim Burton with (who else?) Johnny Depp in the lead role. (David Luhrssen)
Boerner Botanical Gardens
Boulevard Theatre
Bronzeville Arts Ensemble
Cabaret Milwaukee
Carroll Players
Carthage College Theatre
carthage.edu/arts/experience-the-arts/theatre-dance-performances/
- Life is a Dream, Feb. 21-23, Feb. 27-28, March 1
Catey Ott Dance Collective
Cedarburg Art Museum
- "A Vision for Cedarburg: The Legacy of E. Stephan Fischer," Jan. 18-April 27
Cedarburg Performing Arts Center
Chant Claire Chamber Choir
Charles Allis Art Museum
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“Talk Back Chapter Two: Collection Christina A. West and Meg Lionel Murphy,” through Feb. 16
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“Left with Your Memories,” through Feb. 23
Chazen Museum of Art (UW-Madison)
- “You Belong Here: Photography,” through March 7
- “Look What Harvey Did: Studio Glass,” through May 1
Choral Arts Society of Southeastern Wisconsin
Civic Music MKE
The Constructivists
Concord Chamber Orchestra
- “Keeping It in the Family,” Jan. 26 (Central United Methodist Church)
DanceCircus
Danceworks Performance MKE
- Rusalka, Feb. 14-23 (with Milwaukee Opera Theatre, Danceworks Studio Theatre)
Early Music Now
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“Modern Medieval Voices-The Living Word: Music of Hildegard,” Feb. 8 (Cavalry Presbyterian Church)
The medieval German mystic Hildegard of Bingen led a remarkable career for a woman of her epoch as abbess, philosopher, medical practitioner and, most enduringly, composer. She wrote music and words, and some of her work will be performed by Modern Medieval Voices, a trio of women founded by Jacqueline Horner-Kwiatek, formerly of the pace-setting Anonymous 4. (David Luhrssen)
Ex Fabula
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StroySlam Found Family, “StorySlam: Found Family,” Jan. 21 (Anodyne Walker’s Point)
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“AfterDark: For the Culture,” Feb. 13 (Radio Milwaukee)
Falls Patio Players
Festival City Symphony
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Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto/Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony, Jan. 25 (Bradley Symphony Center)
Ludwig van Beethoven completed his Symphony No. 8 in F Major in 1812, the end of a prolific period (eight symphonies in 12 years). It’s one of his most light-hearted efforts, a charming composition in four movements including many moments deemed as “musical jokes” by classical critics. (David Luhrssen)
Fine Arts Quartet
Florentine Opera
- Acis & Galatea, Feb. 14-16 (Marcus Performing Arts Center)
The tirelessly prolific George Handel wrote some 40 operas throughout his border-crossing, musically eclectic career. With a libretto by John Gay (The Beggars Opera), Acis and Galatea’s English-language, myth-based tale began as a one-act entertainment and evolved within the composer’s lifetime—and afterward (Mozart wrote an arrangement). (David Luhrssen)
Forte Theatre Company
Frankly Music
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“An Evening with Stas Venglevski and Frank Almond,” Jan. 27 (Wisconsin Lutheran College Schwan Hall)
On his 2015 CD, Milwaukee bayan accordionist Stas Venglevski stretched his digits around a repertoire of classical music, beginning with fleet-fingered renditions of Mozart and Bach. The evening’s collaboration with acclaimed violinist Frank Almond and cellist Roza Borisova will encompass tangos as well as classics. (David Luhrssen)
Fresco Opera Theatre, Madison
Gallery Night and Day
- Milwaukee’s original art hop happens quarterly with a focus on galleries in the Third Ward, East Town and Walker’s Point. (Morton Shlabotnik)
Germantown Performing Arts Center
Greendale Community Theatre
Grohmann Museum
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“On the Edge: The Labor and Environment of Dimensional Stone Quarries,” Jan. 17-April 27
“Through Michael Schultz’s work, we are treated to awe-inspiring views of the quarry industry, from breaking and drilling to the stone cutters at work in refinement and finishing. The superbly crafted images celebrate the light within while directing our attention to the labor and laborers of heavy industry,” says the museum’s director James Kieselburg. (David Luhrssen)
Grove Gallery
Haggerty Museum of Art
- “Parallel Play: The Art of Science & the Art of Art,” Jan. 17-May 24
Harley-Davidson Museum
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“Mama Tried: Bringing It Together,” through January 2025
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“Creating a Legend: Art & Engineering at Harley-Davidson,” through spring 2027
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“Ezy Ryders: History & Tradition, Heart & Soul,” through 2026
Photographer Cate Dingley’s book Ezy Ryders focuses on New York City’s Black riding culture today. Images and text from her book have been chosen for the new exhibition at the Harley-Davidson Museum. All of Dingley’s photographs are in black and white. “There’s a sense of timelessness to them, black and white can be a very expressive medium,” curator Ann Sinfield says. (David Luhrssen)
H. F. Johnson Gallery of Art
- “Visions Behind the Veil: Soviet Portraiture and Cultural Resilience,” Jan. 8-19
Hover Craft
Hyperlocal MKE
Inspiration Studios Art Gallery
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“Celestial Love: A Solo Exhibition,” opens Jan. 11
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Perfect Arrangement (Theatrical Tendencies), Feb. 14-16, 21-23
Irish Cultural and Heritage Center
James May Gallery
Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts
- Milwaukee Jazz Institute, Sunday afternoons
Jewish Museum Milwaukee
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“Against the Grain: The Remarkable Life of Artist Bernard Perlin,” through Jan. 26
Bernard Perlin “is not a household name. As an important and yet often overlooked artist of our time, he should be,” says curator Molly Dubin. Perlin executed social realist posters for the federal government during World War II and progressed to magical realism with an ability to “communicate emotion and engender empathy” that “pulls the viewer into the story he’s telling,” Dubin continues. “He had an extraordinary life and career as a gay Jewish artist, from the early years of Fire Island through World War II to New York City society life.” (David Luhrssen)
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“Choices of Consequence: Denmark and the Holocaust,” Feb. 14-May 25
John Michael Kohler Arts Center
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“Milestones in the Making,” through Feb. 2
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“Workplace,” through Jan. 19
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“Mad Dash: 50 Years of Arts/Industry,” through Feb. 2
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“Clocking In: 2024 Arts/Industry Residents,” through March 2
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“Willie Kohl: Home Assembly,” through April 27
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“Lunch Break: Arts/Industry In Between,” through May 4
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“Sam Barsky: It’s Not the Same Without You,” Feb. 1-July 20
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“Ashwini Bhat: Reverberating Self,” Feb. 15-Oct. 19
Kettle Moraine Symphony
Kim Storage Gallery
- “The Glass Trap,” Jan. 4-Feb. 15
Kith and Kin Theatre Collective
Kohler Memorial Theater
Ko-Thi Dance Company
Lake Arts Project
Latino Arts, Inc.
- “Cut & Paste: A Solo Exhibit by Ellia Ana Hill,” through Feb. 21
- 12th Annual Guitar Festival Concert, Feb. 8
Lily Pad Gallery West
Lutheran A Capella Choir of Milwaukee
Lynden Sculpture Garden
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“Call & Response: Asmaa Walton and the Black Art Library” through Feb. 28
Detroit native, Asmaa Walton came to Milwaukee to display a portion of her Black Art Library that includes over 900 books. “The Black Art Library is a collection of books and other art history ephemera on Black visual art,” she said. “It acts as an educational resource to share within the Black community and beyond. The library’s mission is to expand the knowledge of Black art from the past and the present through art books.” (Tom Jenz)
Madison Ballet
- Mozart + More, Feb. 14-23
Madison Museum of Contemporary Art
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“Line to Form: Richard Hunt’s Prints and Sculptures,” through Jan. 4
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“I did not tell you what I saw, but only what I dreamt: Shilpa Gupta,” through Jan. 12
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“Broken Spectre,” through Feb. 16
Madison Theatre Guild
Marcus Performing Arts Center
- Chicago (Broadway Series), Jan. 14-19
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration, Jan. 20
- “Cirque Kalabante: Afrique en Cirque,” Jan. 29
- Jazz at the Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Jan. 30
In the ‘80s, trumpeter Wynton Marsalis led a revolt against the saccharine fusion that jazz had fallen into. As director of the Jazz at the Lincoln Center Orchestra, Marsalis continues to maintain high standards and artistic credibility as he leads his 15-member big band in concerts around the world. (David Luhrssen)
- Emily Song and the Queen of the Night, Jan. 31-Feb. 16
- Eclipse: The Best of Pink Floyd, Jan. 31
- “Complexions Contemporary Ballet,” Feb. 5
- Acis & Galatea (Florentine Opera), Feb. 14-16
- Dirty Dancing in Concert, Feb. 16
- The Magic of Rob Lake, Feb. 21
- The Book of Mormon (Broadway Series), Feb. 25-March
MARN Art + Culture Hub
Marquette University Theatre
Master Singers of Milwaukee
Material Studios + Gallery
Memories Dinner Theatre
Menomonee Falls Symphony
Milwaukee Art Museum
- “Farm to Frame,” ongoing
- “Robert Longo: Acceleration of History,” through-Feb. 23
Even in the 20th century, Robert Longo’s artwork—often (but not limited to) large-scale charcoal drawings— was described as “apocalyptic Pop.” He fell under the broad heading of Pop Art, but with an unnerving edge. “Acceleration of History” collects Longo’s work from the past 10 years, including his uneasy reflections on climate change, mass migrations, the disruptions of war and disjunctions of politics. (David Luhrssen)
- “Light and Shadow: John Constable’s English Landscape Prints,” through March 16
- “True Story: Photography, Journalism, and Media,” through March 16
- “On Site: Derrick Adams Our Time Together,” through May 11
Milwaukee Chamber Theater
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A Doll’s House, Jan. 24-Feb. 9
Henrik Ibsen was unafraid to stir controversy. The Norwegian playwright’s A Doll’s House (1879) concerned a housewife in a society where opportunities for women were severely limited. It was received with a “storm of outrage” by the era’s critics for questioning social norms and has survived to become one of the most performed works in the theatrical canon. (David Luhrssen)
Milwaukee Comedy
Milwaukee Festival Brass
Milwaukee Film
Milwaukee Fringe Festival
Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design Gallery
- “Bridge Work: Ten Years of Making,” Jan. 13-March 8
Milwaukee Irish Arts
Milwaukee Jazz Institute
Milwaukee Jazz Orchestra
Milwaukee Makers Market
Milwaukee Musaik
Milwaukee Opera Theatre
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Rusalka (with Danceworks Performance MKE), Feb. 14-23
Two years ago, MOT and Danceworks debuted its imaginative version of Antonín Dvořák’s Rusalka, an opera about a water nymph who comes to bad ends at the hands of humankind. It was, as MOT’s Artistic Director Jill Anna Ponasik quipped, the smallest production of Rusalka in the smallest space ever attempted. The opera is beloved in the composer’s Czech homeland but seldom performed in the U.S. (David Luhrssen)
Milwaukee Repertory Theater
- Lumberjacks in Love, through Jan. 12 (Stackner Cabaret)
Conceived and written by the late Fred Alley (book, lyrics, story) and James Kaplan (music, story)—the guys that brought us Guys on Ice—it’s easy to understand why Lumberjacks in Love is so thoroughly entertaining. Only this time, they’ve traded ice fishing and the Packers for tree-cutting and mail-order brides. (Harry Cherkinian)
- The Craic, Jan. 17-March 16 (Stackner Cabaret)
- The Woman in Black, Jan. 21-March 23 (Stiemke Studio)
- Romeo and Juliet, Feb. 25-March 30 (Marcus Performing Arts Center/Wilson Theater at Vogel Hall)
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
- “McGegan Conducts Haydn,” Jan. 17-18
- Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet, Jan. 24-25
Love stories don’t always have happy endings. Shakespeare’s enduring account of socially doomed romance was set to music by Peter Tchaikovsky as a fantasy overture. A masterpiece of suspense and heart-tearing tragedy, Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet throbs with passion and a yearning that can never be fulfilled. Ken-David Masur will conduct the MSO with violinist Jinwoo Lee. (David Luhrssen)
- Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons,” Jan. 31-Feb. 2
- “American Voices,” Feb. 21-22
- “Ingrid Fliter Plays Mozart,” Feb. 28-March 1
Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra
- “Rhythmic Revolution,” Jan. 24
- “Soaring Passages,” Feb. 5
- “Classical Voyages,” Feb. 8
- “Romantic Rhapsodies,” Feb. 9
- “Winter Wonders,” Feb. 13
- “Frosty Adventures,” Feb. 20
- “Founders Concert,” Feb. 22
Milwaukee Youth Theatre
MKE Black Theatre Festival
MKE Studio Tour
Morning Star Productions
Museum of Wisconsin Art
- “Chris T. Cornelius: ukwé·tase (newcomer/stranger)” through January
The three-dimensional structure blends contemporary and traditional architectural aspects in unique and compelling ways, while exploring themes of familiarity and alienation within the environment it seeks to capture. The work represents humankind’s place in a world to which it is both resident and stranger, creating a sense of wonder and wariness of the world around us, the Milwaukee-born Indigenous artist says. (Michael Muckian)
- “Art Gebhardt: A Painter’s Painter,” through Feb. 23
- “Jennifer Angus: Into the Blue: An Immersive Installation,” through March 2
MOWA | DTN (Saint Kate–The Arts Hotel)
MOWA on the Lake (St. John's on the Lake)
Nō Studios
North Shore Academy of the Arts
Northern Sky Theater
Oconomowoc Arts Center
Oil Gallery Milwaukee
Optimist Theatre
Outskirts Theatre
- Cruel Intentions: The ‘90s Musical, Jan. 10-19 (Waukesha Civic Theatre)
Over Our Head Players
- “2025 Snowdance® 10 Minute Comedy Festival,” Feb. 7-7, Feb. 13-16, Feb. 10-13, Feb. 27-28
Paint Cedarburg: A Plein Air Painting Event
Peninsula Players
Philomusica Quartet
- European Sampler, Feb. 10 (Wisconsin Lutheran College Schwan Concert Hall)
PianoArts
Portrait Society Gallery
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“Magic Mud,” through Jan. 10
“Magic Mud” goes a long way to reconcile the fraught relationship between ceramics and fine art. The title alone tips curator and gallery owner Debra Brehmer’s hand just a little bit as it leans toward the charmed potential for silicated earth to transcend its humble material origins and objectified associations. (Shane McAdams)
Present Music
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Moby Dick; or, The Whale, Feb. 14 (Oriental Theatre)
“This Valentine’s Day, Present Music brings you a visually stunning new silent film by MacArthur-winning artist Wu Tsang, whose work has captivated audiences worldwide,” says PM Artistic Director Eric Segnitz. “This provocative adaptation of the Herman Melville classic features beautiful artistry and choreography while exploring hidden histories, marginalized narratives, and issues of social class and capitalism.” There will be live accompaniment with music by Caroline Shaw, Andrew Yee and Asma Maroof. (David Luhrssen)
Prometheus Trio
- Concert, Feb. 17 (Wisconsin Conservatory of Music Helen Bader Concert Hall)
Quasimondo Physical Theatre
Racine Art Museum
- “Craft in Color,” through Jan. 11
- “In Between: Contemporary Artists Working in Two and Three Dimensions featuring Dennis Lee Mitchell,” through Jan. 25
- “Low: Rene Amado,” through July 2025
Rene Amado showcases the cars, bicycles, and community of lowrider culture through photography and video. “Low” blends his photography with custom bicycles and other small vehicles from various builders/makers (including himself) and a video in which he expands on the story of lowrider culture through interviews and documentation. (Morton Shlabotnik)
- RAM Showcase: “Storytellers-Narrative Photography from Artists of Color,” through Feb. 22
Racine Symphony Orchestra
Racine Theatre Guild
- Over the River and through the Woods, Jan. 10-26
- Junie B’s Essential Survival Guide to School, Jan. 31-Feb. 2
- Michael Perry, Feb. 1
- Broadway at the Movies, Feb. 6
- Lenard Simpson Quartet, Feb. 8
- And in This Corner: Casius Clay, Feb. 21-March 2
Chicago playwright Idris Goodman’s And in This: Corner Casius Clay explores the early life of the boxer who—as Muhammad Ali—became one of the world’s most famous athletes and America’s most controversial sports celebrity. (David Luhrssen)
Real Tinsel Gallery
Sacra Nova Chorale
Saint Kate - The Arts Hotel
- “Lunchbox Drawings: Art by Parents for their Children’s Lunches,” through Jan. 12 (The Vitrine)
- “The Art of Family” Presented by Arts for All Wisconsin," through Jan. 12 (The Space)
- “Lucio Arellano: Oracion,” through Jan. 12 (The Closet)
- “Generations; Opaque Mirrors of Beauty,” through Jan. 12 (The Gallery)
Sculpture Milwaukee
- Sculpture Milwaukee has been programming the streets of Downtown since 2017, with certain works remaining and becoming permanent fixtures on our urban landscape. This year’s cohort of artists joins works still in place from “Actual Fractals Act I” and a few holdovers from its predecessor, “Nature Doesn’t Know About Us.” Each iteration of the program seeds Downtown streets with unexpected surprises and seems to get more ambitious with each trip around the sun. (Shane McAdams)
Seat of Our Pants Reader Theatre
Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts
- Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble, Feb. 1
- Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Feb. 22
The South African male chorale group came to international attention after adding their voices to Paul Simon’s pathfinding album Graceland (1986). Since then, they have won five Grammys for their contemporary adaptation of traditional Zulu harmonies. (David Luhrssen)
Skylight Music Theatre
- Juliet and Romeo, Jan. 17-Feb. 2
- Frankenstein: The Musical, Feb. 21-March 9
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) was one of the most prescient novels ever written. Her vision of the unanticipated outcomes of science and technology set the stage for science fiction and dystopian drama and has been translated often for stage and screen. With book and lyrics by Jeffrey Jackson and music by Mark Baron, Frankenstein: The Musical debuted off-Broadway in 2007, presenting Shelley’s story in an imaginatively non-linear staging. (David Luhrssen)
South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center
- Musical Theatre Cabaret, Jan. 11
- Luka in Artifice, Jan. 27 (Bucyrus Club)
Sunset Playhouse
- Sweeney Todd (Bombshell Theatre Co.), through Jan. 12
- The Odd Couple, Jan. 16-Feb. 2
Neil Simon’s 1965 Broadway hit about mismatched roommates was indelibly stamped onto pop culture through the 1968 film (with Walter Matthau and Jack Lemon) and the ‘70s sitcom (Tony Randal and Jack Klugman). The story is still a funny story and the theme about coexistence is as relevant as ever. (David Luhrssen)
- ‘90s Country Tribute, Jan. 20-21
- Tiny Beautiful Things, Jan. 23-26
- Sailing: Cool Grooves of the ‘70s and ‘80s, Feb. 13-16
Theatre Gigante
- Terminus, Feb. 27-March 9 (UWM Kenilworth Studio 508)
Co-artistic directors Mark Anderson and Isabelle Kralj describe Terminus as “A rip roaring crazy whirlwind of a ride told in verse—a dark tale written by one of Ireland’s contemporary darling playwrights,” Mark O’Rowe. (David Luhrssen)
Theatrical Tendencies
- Perfect Arrangement, Feb. 14-16, 21-23 (Inspiration Studios)
Third Avenue Playhouse, Sturgeon Bay
Thrasher Opera House, Green Lake
Three Point Project
- Milwaukee has an important new dance company founded last year by 27-year-old artistic director Ashley Tomaszewski whose previous years as a dancer and associate artistic director with Water Street Dance Milwaukee helped that group to greatness. (John Schneider)
Tooth-and-Nail Gallery
Tory Folliard Gallery
- “T.L. Solien: Vessels on Vessels/The Spacious Landscape,” Jan. 4-Feb. 1
- “Bill Reid: Know Way Out,” Jan. 4-Feb. 1
- Claire Kellesvig, Feb. 8-March 8
- Caitlin Lempia-Bradford, Feb. 8-March 8
UW-Parkside Theatre
UW-Milwaukee Peck School of the Arts
- Winderdance, Jan. 30-Feb. 2 (Theatre Building Mainstage Theatre)
- Vocal Arts Festival, Jan. 31-Feb. 1 (Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts Bader Hall)
- Fiber/Form 2025, Jan. 31-Feb. 14 (Kenilworth Square East 3rd Floor Gallery)
- High School Winterdances Matinee/Talkback, Jan. 31 (Theatre Building Mainstage Theatre)
- Chamber Music Milwaukee: Under-Represented Composers, Feb. 6 (Music Building Recital Hall)
UWM Union Art Gallery
uwm.edu/studentinvolvement/arts-and-entertainment/union-art-gallery
UW-Whitewater Crossman Gallery
UW-Whitewater Young Auditorium
Var Gallery & Studios
Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum
Village Playhouse, Wauwatosa
Voices Found
Walker's Point Center for the Arts
Warehouse Art Museum
Water Street Dance Milwaukee
Waukesha Civic Theatre
- Cruel Intentions: The ‘90s Musical (Outskirts Theatre Co.), Jan. 10-19
- 101 Dalmations Kids, Jan. 30-Feb. 1
- Akeelah and the Bee, Feb. 7-23
- “Music on Main,” Feb. 12
- Vanya and Sonia, Marsha and Spike, Feb. 28-March 9
West Allis Players
West Bend Theatre Company
West Performing Arts Center
Wild Space Dance Company
Windfall Theatre
Wisconsin Conservatory of Music
Wisconsin Craft
Wisconsin Lutheran College - Center for Arts and Performance
Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Art
- Winter Quilt Show Fiber Contest, Feb. 12-March 5
Wisconsin Philharmonic
Woodland Pattern Book Center
- Concert Formations Series for New & Improved Improvised Music, Jan. 16
- Annual Poetry Marathon, Jan. 26 (Saint Kate-The Arts Hotel)