Author

Grant Phipps

A Madison transplant, Grant has been writing about contemporary and repertory cinema since contributing to No Ripcord and LakeFrontRow; and he served as Tone Madison‘s film section editor for a handful of years before officially assuming an arts editor role in 2026. More recently, Grant has been involved with programming at Mills Folly Microcinema and one-off screenings at the Bartell Theatre. From mid-2016 thru early-2020, he also showcased his affinity for art songs and avant-progressive music on WSUM 91.7 FM. 🌱

Grant's Latest Articles

The "tone madison" logo in all lowercase, centered in the concentric-circle font face designed by Shelby Floyd, on a metallic bronze-colored gradient background that gradually turns to the color black from top to bottom.
The meanings of Tone Madison
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Microtones
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April 3, 2026

Current and former editors reflect on the publication's life and legacy.

Still from the videopoem "Limerent Pittsburgh" shows a public transit view of a yellow arch of the Roberto Clemente Bridge with skyscrapers and signs of Pittsburgh in the distance, including the massive PPG building, which resembles a cathedral.
“Limerent Pittsburgh” intricately constructs a folkloric affection of place
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Film
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April 1, 2026

Artist Anne Ciecko's 2025 videopoem is a highlight among the 30 selections of this year's Midwest Video Poetry Fest at ALL on April 4.

Still frame taken from the experimental documentary "The Phalanx" shows a person looking out the window of a historical house in Ripon, Wisconsin. They wear a long-sleeve shirt, and their back is to the camera. The camera is positioned in the door frame of an adjacent room, as if peeking in on them.
Inspiriting radical communal aspirations: an interview with Ben Balcom on “The Phalanx”
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Wisconsin Film Festival
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March 25, 2026

The Milwaukee filmmaker's latest experimental short premieres locally at the Chazen Museum during the 2026 Wisconsin Film Festival on April 12.

The "tone madison" logo in all lowercase, centered in the concentric-circle font face designed by Shelby Floyd, on a peach-colored background.
Tone Madison is saying goodbye
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Microtones
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March 20, 2026

We are sad, but grateful too.

Angled photo at a medium shot of five people seated at a table in a theater lobby. Four people sit on the far side, while one person sits closest to the camera on the other side. They are all absorbed in the news-printed 2026 Wisconsin Film Festival guides on the table. The table contains numerous beverage glasses, a couple plates of food, and a small table lamp towards the center.
Continuity and expressive experimentation in the 2026 Wisconsin Film Festival
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Wisconsin Film Festival
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March 11, 2026

Eight writers share their initial insights on the eight-day extravaganza, April 9 through 16, across UW campus and Madison.

An old black-and-white photograph from the mid-late 1960s of a young man sitting at a desk in a room. He turns his gaze towards the camera and stares with a neutral expression. The photo is altered with black digital debris that litters the image and emulates mental noise.
Three video artists tap into personal histories in the 150 Artists x 150 Years exhibition
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Film
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February 16, 2026

Chele Isaac, Toby Kaufmann-Buhler, and Aaron Granat reveal the creative depths of their works, which are on display through February 28 at Central Library.

Medium close-up video still of two people sitting at a table in a conference room. They are turned towards one another and engaged in conversation. The person on the left wears a dark blue polo shirt and makes a gesture with his left hand while he speaks. The person on the right smiles slightly, wearing a black Lychgate band shirt and black Kangol cap. He listens with his eyes angled down.
Video: Sizing up local screening events and prominent performances of 2025
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Film
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February 11, 2026

A chat with Josiah Wampfler at OCA Media about our favorite movie-going experiences and acting roles of last year.

A simple image collage that is split in a vertical orientation. The left image shows a poster light box for Luc Besson's "Dracula" that features the AMC logo in white text on a red-bar background at the top. The surrounding wall is painted a golden-brown color. The right image shows the poster for Brett Ratner's "Melania" in a similar light box. The wall surrounding the poster is painted black.
Stop spotlighting new films by known abusers
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Microtones
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February 6, 2026

Madison boasts a dynamic movie culture, yet still needs programmers and community voices to facilitate change.

Simple rectangular image collage of four film stills. At the top left, teenager Willa (Chase Infiniti) practices shooting an assault rifle in an open field in "One Battle After Another." At the top right, thirtysomething parent J.B. Mooney (Josh O'Connor) scopes out the Framingham Art Museum before he plans a robbery in "The Mastermind." At the bottom left, teenager Kyle (Jackson Sluiter) skates through the suburbs of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. At the bottom right, frazzled mother Linda (Rose Byrne) stops for a moment at her motel after visiting the convenience store in "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You."
One movie meditation after another: toiling through 2025
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Film
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January 21, 2026

Nine writers processed these trying times through cinema, at the theaters and at home.

A still taken from Nicholas R. Wootton's experimental short "Liking This Angle" shows a woman holding up a plaster mold of a human arm on an angled wooden structure in an art studio. A second image of water streaking down a windshield is superimposed over it.
“Liking This Angle” finds artistic inspiration in degrees of the edit
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Film
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January 19, 2026

Nicholas R. Wootton's experimental short, featuring sculptor Christina A. West, premieres at Art Lit Lab as part of Project Projection on January 21.