Domes Annual Spring Show Debuts April 8

The Domes. Photo by Dave Reid.

The annual spring show at the Mitchell Park Domes opens this weekend.

This year’s show is titled “Metamorphosis: The Lives of Frogs and Butterflies” and, along with the vibrant colors of springtime flowers, it will portray the lifecycle of frogs and butterflies.

Eric Levin, the visitor experience coordinator for the Domes, said the spring show will include models and set pieces made by Parks Artist Melania Lancy showing these creatures as tadpoles in the pond or eggs on a giant leaf or a chrysalis containing a butterfly.

And all of this will be set against an “explosion of color” created by spring flowers like Easter Lilies, Pansies, Snapdragons and Daffodils, Levin said. The palette of these spring colors creates a “dramatic change” in the show dome. The scene created with the spring show offers “a nice escape from life’s stresses,” he said, adding that it is “a very calming and colorful way to spend several hours.”

The show was produced in collaboration between Milwaukee County Parks Horticulturalists and the park’s artist. Shows are planned and prepared well in advance and then typically staged in about 10 days. “So a lot of work pressed into just about a week and a half,” Levin said.

If the show inspires any new interest in frogs, visitors can head over to the Tropical Dome where there are live Poison Dart Frogs. Despite their name, these frogs are perfectly harmless, Levin said, because they are not in the tropical forests of South America where their natural diet would provide the toxic properties necessary for their poison.

The spring show is part of the five unique, seasonal shows put on in the Show Dome throughout the year.  The spring show begins April 8 and runs through May 29. Tickets are $8 for county residents and $6 for county children and seniors.

Art in the Green

Later this month Art in the Green will also return to the Domes from April 29-30.

“This two-day, indoor event showcases the work of 34 local and regional artists, who will have work for sale in the Greenhouse #7,” Milwaukee County Parks said in a statement. “Live music and food in the Domes round out this celebration of creativity.”

Update: The story has been updated to reflect that the Parks Artist is Melania Lancy, not Burt Gross.