From canvases featuring a cast of hybrid creatures, weeping figures and antlered beings to a theatrical performance cast representing tragic Greek and Roman mythological characters. An exhibition offering a behind-the-scenes look at the regional underground music scene, as well as civic, free speech and literary conversations and a special discussion panel focusing on “25 Years After 9/11,” there are events for everyone at UW-Stout Polytechnic this fall.
And in addition, upcoming annual signature events that highlight the innovation, leadership and impact central to UW-Stout Polytechnic are:
- Thursday, Oct. 14, 1 p.m.: Cabot Executive-in-Residence keynote address by Eric Erpenbach, senior software engineering manager for IBM Fusion.
- Wednesday, Dec. 9, 6 p.m.: Stout Game Expo, western Wisconsin’s largest game developer exhibition.
- Tuesday, Dec. 1, 6 p.m.: School of Art & Design Showcase, featuring the works of hundreds of SOAD students and highlighting graduating seniors.
Civic and community conversation events
UW-Stout Polytechnic’s Center for Applied Ethics and the Menard Center for the Study of Institutions and Innovations host several community events each semester.
The Constructive Dialogue Series will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays Sept. 17 and Sept. 24, in Harvey Hall room 143. In a time of polarization, many people feel stuck between speaking up and keeping the peace. This three-part series offers a different path — one that honors free expression while strengthening our ability to listen, understand and engage across differences. Registration is required. The series is hosted by Continuing Education & Conferences.
A faculty and staff panel on “25 Years After 9/11” will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 23, at the Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts. UW-Stout Polytechnic professors Lopa Basu and Tim Shiell, Col. Chris Engen, and UW-Eau Claire Professor Damir Kovacevic will discuss the many facets of this historical and terrible event in American history. The discussion will focus on 9/11 and its literary representation, the shifting landscape of civil liberties, the War on Terror, the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and Iran, new realities in the face of terrorism, U.S. standing in the world, and other topics.
In partnership with the Jack Miller Center, the Menard Center will host a one-day symposium for Wisconsin middle and high school social studies teachers on Saturday, Sept. 26. The Free Speech, Citizenship, and Civil Dialogue symposium will focus on the First Amendment, free expression rights, and the practice of civil dialogue, particularly in the classroom. Participants will receive a $200 stipend upon completion of the symposium. Registration is open to teachers.
During Free Speech Week, a public screening of “Mighty Ira: A Civil Liberties Story,” a documentary film that profiles Ira Glasser, the former executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, will be shown at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 22, in the MSC ballrooms. After the screening, documentary co-producer Nico Perrino, executive vice president of FIRE (Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression), will offer comments and respond to audience questions.
A Banned Books Week event, “The Right to Read in Prison,” will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 18, in the MSC ballrooms. Attorney Harvey Silverglate will serve as keynote speaker. After Silverglate’s presentation, a panel of faculty, including B.S. criminal justice and rehabilitation Associate Professor Richard Gee, who has taught at the Stanley Correctional Institution, will share their experiences.
Philosophers’ Cafés are informal, friendly conversations on contemporary issues and are open to all. Led by Universities of Wisconsin faculty, events are at 7 p.m., at Brewery Nønic in Menomonie:
- Wednesday, Oct. 14: Distinguishing Military from Law Enforcement: Considerations and Implications
- Wednesday, Nov. 11: Can We Promote Health Without Reinforcing Weight Stigma?
Approximately 60 students will participate in four free expression and civil discourse Discussion Dinners over the course of the year. Each dinner will center around a controversial ethical or political issue, with tables facilitated by faculty members Mitch Ogden, Cynthia Bland, Daniel Sinkovits, Lopa Basu, Tina Lee, Dana Linnell and Mary Paz Alvarez Valverde. The series is sponsored by the Menard Center for the Study of Institutions & Innovation, Center for Applied Ethics, Office of Student Opportunity & Excellence, Freedom of Expression Steering Committee, and the Provost's Office.
Art & Design Exhibitions
Furlong Gallery opens the 2026 fall exhibition schedule with two solo exhibitions.
“Emblem and Epigraph/Curses and Catchphrases: Fred Stonehouse, Paintings 2015-2025” is on exhibition through Saturday, Oct. 24. A reception and artist talk, "Belief in the Cure," will be held from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 8, with the reception at Furlong and the talk beginning at 6 p.m. at Harvey Hall Theatre.
Acclaimed Wisconsin painter Fred Stonehouse shows regularly in New York at Howard Scott Gallery and in Los Angeles with Koplin/DelRio. He has exhibited in Mexico, Amsterdam, Rome, and Berlin, and is currently an associate professor of painting and drawing at UW-Madison.
The paintings in this exhibition demonstrate recurring themes in Stonehouse’s practice: devils and saints, mythic hybrids, buffoons and imaginary beings paired with cryptic words and phrases, Stonehouse said. His work “exists somewhere between a joke and a prayer. The humor in my work is obvious I think and serves as a foil to some of the darker psychological themes,” he added.
“Low-Fidelity Design: Making Techniques from the Minnesota Underground Music Archives” will be on exhibition from Monday, Nov. 9, to Saturday, Dec. 12. A reception date is to be determined.
“Low-Fidelity Design” delves into the regional underground music scene to uncover how artists craft visual identities. Showcasing affordable methods like Risograph, screen printing, and DIY art from the Minnesota Underground Music archive, the exhibition explores the connection between sound and visual expression. Bringing this body of work to UW-Stout Polytechnic bridges community archive research with a polytechnic design context, highlighting accessible, resource-driven visual making and low-fidelity production methods for student designers.
Gallery 209 rotates exhibitions on a weekly basis. Located in the Applied Arts building on the second floor. This semester, Gallery 209 will feature five class exhibits, five thesis exhibits, a fashion group show and a solo show by studio art major Cora Kauffman.
A “Skizzenbuch Exhibition,” a German word that translates to sketchbook, will offer a glimpse of work in progress by School of Art & Design students. The exhibition will take place over homecoming weekend, Oct. 16-18, and will be curated and organized by students.
School of Art & Design students take over Q.arma with juried ‘Fieldwork’ exhibition
Continue ReadingThe Library Art Lab, on the first floor of the Robert S. Swanson Library & Learning Center, showcases student artists, faculty and campus collaborations. Exhibitions include applied research, capstones, clubs and classwork. There are two exhibitions each semester. The Art Lab currently features selected works from “Fieldwork,” an exhibition with artwork by more than 40 students and which took place in June at Q.arma Gallery in Minneapolis. In November, the Art Lab will display artwork from a Special Topics studio art course focusing on repetition. And an art education senior group exhibition will take place December through January.
University Theatre
University Theatre will present “Metamorphoses,” led by Director Audric Buhr, at Harvey Hall Theatre. Performance dates and times are Nov. 6, 7, 8, 12, 13, and 14 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 8 at 2 p.m. Tickets will be available at uwstout.universitytickets.com.
Adapted from Ovid’s classic poem, the play “Metamorphoses” by Mary Zimmerman is staged in a series of vignettes. It captures the stories of Greek and Roman mythological characters King Midas, Orpheus and Eurydice, Phaeton, Alcyone and Ceyx, Eros and Psyche, and others.
Musical performances
Stout Choirs will present “Festival of Light,” directed by Jerry Hui: Saturday, Dec. 5, 7 p.m., at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, 910 9th St. E., Menomonie. The concert will mark the festive occasions that celebrate light, including Diwali from India, Hanukkah from Israel, Lucia Day from Sweden, and Christmas.
Blue Devil Jazz Orchestra will present “Going Crackers,” directed by James Anderson: Sunday, Dec. 6, 2 p.m., in the MSC Great Hall. Celebrate the season with music featuring the “Nutcracker Suite” and holiday favorites by Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller and more.
Symphonic Band, directed by Erika Svanoe, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2 p.m., in the Memorial Student Center Great Hall. The concert will feature music surrounding the concept of time.
Tickets will be available at uwstout.universitytickets.com.
