When it comes to the arts, do you realize how lucky you are to live in Madison?

Is there another expression for “punches above its weight”? It’s often used to describe Madison’s arts and entertainment scene and comes to mind again as we publish our annual Fall Arts Preview. So much good stuff!

Associate editor Linda Falkenstein has once again curated our extensive preview, covering dance, classical music, cinema and more. It’s a “provocative” fall arts season, she writes, with artists and companies taking on immigration and the ethics of generative AI in their work.

Melissa Renee Perry previews the dance season, noting that three companies are celebrating significant anniversaries. Kanopy Dance is marking 50 years, Madison Ballet, 45, and UW-Madison’s Dance Department is celebrating its 100th year since becoming the first in the country to establish a dance major.

Chali Pittman tours "Pressing Issues," an exhibit at the Chazen. It’s a show of Depression-era prints; most are black and white and the product of the Works Progress Administration.

Sandy Tabachnick writes about the classical music season, Grant Phipps about Cinematheque (which is managing to run many of the films canceled this summer due to the chilled water main break on the UW-Madison campus), and Linda about theater. There is much more to the arts preview and you can find all the links here.

In other content: Chali reports on the opening of the new men’s shelter on Bartillon Drive. She talks with one of the men who landed a spot in the 250-bed facility that opened Sept. 1. Fears are the shelter does not have enough beds to meet demand — the temporary shelter at Zeier Road, which closed when Bartillon Drive opened, has housed more than 350 at peak times.

Chali also writes about the hiring of two new safety and security specialists for the Madison schools and on how Dane County’s non-emergency police calls are now being handled by an AI bot.