The multi-faceted arts venue opened recently on Winnebago Street.
The crowd at a recent poetry reading at Arts + Literature Laboratory. Photo courtesy Jolynne Roorda.
Madison resident Jolynne Roorda opened Arts + Literature Laboratory in November, and is gradually working to turn the space into a non-profit venue hosting an array of art shows, live music, literary events, and arts-related resources. The space, located on the east side at 2021 Winnebago St., will have a grand-opening party on January 23.
I’ve been to Arts + Literature Laboratory to check out an experimental music show and the photography exhibition Captured, which looks inside the Dane County Juvenile Detention Center. Over the past few weeks the venue has also hosted a panel discussion and a poetry reading tying in with Captured, plus writers’ workshops and other readings.
Upcoming events include a January 24 show headlined by experimental electronic duo Azha, who I covered in a recent piece, and a January 27 workshop about submitting writing to journals.
Roorda joined me this week to talk about her plans for the space, her efforts to amass a library of small-press publications, filling Madison’s all-ages void, and the challenges of running the space in a collaborative fashion. Listen here.
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