Events Calendar

Join artist Amy Mietzel for hands-on art activities inspired by picture books! We'll start by doing a read-aloud of the book - then create art using unique materials and fun supplies. Additional books that fit the theme will also be available for caregivers and youth to read together and check-out. For ages 2-5. Siblings & groups welcome. 

Sept: Toadstools -- Mushroom Lullaby by Kenneth Kraegel

Oct: Building and Construction -- Bigger, Bigger by Leslie Patricelli

Nov: Cats -- 10 Cats by Emily Gravett 

Dec: Hats -- Very Good Hats by Emma Straub

We’re here to mend anything you need for the colder months, including clothing, coats, and any other fabric-related repairs, except for zippers. Sewers from the Sewing Machine Project will be available to mend your things for free every Thursday of the month.

Come play in the children's area while local musician, Rin, plays a variety of songs on her fiddle and mandolin. This is informal music, meant to be enjoyed while playing, drawing, or reading in the children's area! ​For families/all ages.

In partnership with the City of Madison and Madison Public Library, the African Center for Community Development provides in-person assistance* to help offset housing costs by assisting residents with applications for services, jobs, and other financial benefits.

We provide help for people navigating application processes and filling out forms required for housing, immigration, food, health, and other community support services. For questions about the program, please call African Center at (608) 957-5623 or (608) 294-0066.

*Neither The African Center for Community Development nor Madison Public Library can provide legal assistance or advice.  We are not able to fill out applications on your behalf, or assess program eligibility. 

The Swimming Pool

Directed by François Ozon.  Performances by Charlotte Rampling, Ludivine Sagnier, Charles Dance, Marc Fayolle, Jean-Marie Lamour.  Focus Features, 2003.  Crime / Drama / Mystery.  102 min. Rated R.

A British mystery author visits her publisher's home in the South of France, where her interaction with his unusual daughter sets off some touchy dynamics.

Color Play: Making the world a little more rainbow

bernie & zuzu's residence term at Pinney Library Studio: February 2023 - October 2023

bernie & zuzu's in-Studio work time: Thursdays from 12-2 pm

bernie & zuzu's drop-in open Studio time: Thursdays from 2-4 pm at Pinney Library

bernie & zuzu wants you to come make the world a little more rainbow! Bernie invites the Madison community to explore color at weekly open studios and drop-in art making sessions that focus on color, shape, and mark-making in abstraction through the mediums of drawing, collage, block printing, stenciling, screen printing and painting. Throughout the residency, Bernie will invite the community to assist her with making the art studio into an installation and exhibition space that explodes with color: a rainbow room! Come play and be part of the fun!

bernie & zuzu is named for Bernie Witzack (she/her, a human) who is the creative force behind bernie & zuzu, and the extraordinary zuzu (a cat) who takes care of the business side of things. At bernie & zuzu, we create handmade, hand-painted, and screen-printed goods in small batches. We specialize in unique, one-of-a-kind art, home goods, accessories and prints with an emphasis on bright, bold color and playful shapes. bernie & zuzu is run out of a studio in the Madison Enterprise Center and we screen print at Polka Press, Madison’s local printmaking collective. We hope our artwork and goods inspire tiny moments of beauty, wonder and joy. 

Bernie studied Studio Art at Beloit College and has been making and exhibiting her art ever since. She earned an MFA in Fine Art & Design from the University of Michigan in 2013, focusing on improvisational drawing and painting. She then went on to study graphic design at Madison College, falling in love with screen printing along the way. She was working full time as a graphic designer and pursuing her art on the side when the pandemic hit in spring 2020. She left the design field in spring 2021 to focus on her art full time, launching bernie & zuzu in fall of 2021.

You can find bernie & zuzu’s goods at the Dane County Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings from April-October, at Little Luxuries, Hatch Art House, and Communication Madison. They also vend at local art markets such as The Eastside Winter Market, Femmestival, The Crafty Fair and the Madison Maker Markets. bernie & zuzu have an online shop at www.bernieandzuzu.com

Join the Alicia Ashman book club for lively, thoughtful discussions every first Thursday of the month (excluding December). Everyone is welcome and books are available at the Checkout Desk week of the event.

September 7th: The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell

Play Minecraft in both creative and survival worlds!

Artists and adult volunteers from the Pinney community are invited to assist the current Pinney Studio Artist-in-Residence, Bernie, with transforming her artistic vision into a community created 3-D art installation.

Project work will include climbing, bending, reaching, pulling, pushing, cutting, tying, cleaning, and more.  This installation experience is geared towards adults and teens 16+.

Sign up is NOT full and registration is required, not a Drop-In: Questions about assisting and sign ups can be directed to the Pinney Information Desk and/or staff person Jaime V.

Learn more about Bernie and her work at bernieandzuzu.com.

When emotions run high from overwhelming thoughts, triggering events, or just everyday life, a personal stance needs to be established. In this workshop you will identify and label mental and emotional roadblocks, and learn defensive approaches to overcoming challenges.

About the presenter

Nikyra McCann has been a mental health advocate for 9 years. She is now the owner of Still Standing Enterprise. Nikyra serves as the Board Vice President for NAMI Dane County. She serves as the Chair of the Advocacy Committee for NAMI Dane County. It is her passion to let her advocacy work pave the way so that others may not endure her previous hardships. Nikyra values respect and empathy towards others. 

All are welcome to join Maria and create a space for wishing within the Bubbler Room. Each week, Maria will be in the Bubbler Room on Thursday evenings, hosting sessions to create enchanting art together. We will explore the magic that exists in the natural world, our community, and in ourselves. We will focus on combining words and images using printmaking, collage, and sculpture. We’ll delve into questions such as:

What are we wishing for (something we’ve never had or something we’ve lost or…)? 
What does it take for our wishes to come true?
Who or what grants them?
What kind of collective magic can we summon?
What offerings do we leave in return as we make our wish?
What rituals do we create around making wishes? 

All ages and abilities are welcome! Drop in, no registration required. 

When we wish, we wish for something just out of our reach of what seems possible. What would it take to bring it to make them come true?
Read more about her residency here: https://www.madisonbubbler.org/residencies/central

Join Surekha Sirigiri at Meadowridge Library for Breath Meditation! There will be four sessions on consecutive Thursdays (Aug 17, 24, 31, and Sept 7).  Based on the Pyramid Spiritual Societies Movement (PSSM) founded by Brahmarshi Patriji in 1993, Breath Meditation in its simplest terms is understanding the power of your existence through the process of natural breathing that we are not conscious of in our day to day life. Meditation is silencing the incessant chatter of the restless mind for that...we...begin...with...the... BREATH!

All ages are welcome and no reservations are necessary.  Sessions begin at 5:30pm and will last roughly 45 min to an hour.  

Need help with basic computer or Internet skills? Looking for assistance downloading library eBooks and audiobooks? We offer free one-on-one sessions on Thursday evenings!

Reservations required. Register online, in person, or call Lakeview Library at 608-246-4547.

Gathers most Thursday evenings! Middle and high school students can meet other aspiring authors, bounce ideas off one another, share their stories, and feel the creativity flow! Writing club is led by local author Carole Madrzak.

Need help with basic computer or Internet skills? Looking for assistance downloading library eBooks and audiobooks? We offer free one-on-one sessions on Thursday evenings!

Reservations required. Register online, in person, or call Lakeview Library at 608-246-4547.

Join us for a book discussion of "The Almost Moon" by Alice Sebold. New members always welcome!

"For years Helen Knightly has given her life to others: to her haunted mother, to her enigmatic father, to her husband and now grown children. When she finally crosses a terrible boundary, her life comes rushing in at her in a way she never could have imagined. Unfolding over the next twenty-four hours, this searing, fast-paced novel explores the complex ties between mothers and daughters, wives and lovers, the meaning of devotion, and the line between love and hate. It is a challenging, moving, gripping story, written with the fluidity and strength of voice that only Alice Sebold can bring to the page." -- Amazon.com