Lynden’s Winter Carnival a cavalcade of fun

For the third year, Lynden Sculpture Garden will host the Winter Carnival, a celebration of art and the snowy outdoors for art aficionados and nature lovers alike.

One of the organizing forces for this Saturday’s carnival is American Fantasy Classics. The group, formed by Alec Regan, Brittany Ellenz, Oliver Sweet, and Liza Pflughoft, started working together out of similar interests and a desire to make projects “organically,” Ellenz recalls. Sweet and Pflughoft have relocated to Texas, but Regan says the collective is not over – it’s just become more nomadic.

The aims of the group include fabrication of objects, and also ideas. They work collaboratively with other artists, and are bringing in Amanda Browder, a Brooklyn-based contemporary artist of the Bad At Sports podcast, to the Lynden to create a version of her installation, Chromatic Hi-Five. The piece is a combination of fiber art and sculpture, made of vibrant fabrics sewn together and wrapped around a truck, transforming a hulk of metal into a soft, surprising vision of color and texture.

To create the installation, the Lynden has been requesting fabric donations, and on Friday, Feb. 8, volunteers can help out with the making of the work from 12 to 5 p.m. Pieces of fabric will be cut and sewn into the starburst forms that will shape the exterior of the truck into a sculptural installation.

The American Fantasy Classics-sponsored installation isn’t the only thing going up this weekend. Collaboration is the order of the day as Ashley Janke of nAbr gallery creates an outdoor venue where work by Minneapolis-based artist Andy Sturdevant will be on view. The exhibition, Gathered From Various Other Reliable Sources, takes as a starting point The Settlement Cook Book, a book of recipes brought by American immigrants, published at the dawn of the 20th century. The recipes form the visual part of the installation, augmented by additional pieces submitted by visitors and viewers. These open the intersections of history, memory, and cultural references of the past and present.  The day’s events will also include soup by Sturdevant and bread made by Janke from a cherished family recipe passed on to her by her grandmother.

Indoors, works by Artist-in-Residence Yevgeniya Kaganovich remain on view, as does Surfacing: Jessica Meuninch-Ganger & Nathaniel Stern. Aside from the displays of art and installations, there are many activities throughout the day. American Fantasy Classic has developed a series of “parachute games,” featuring handmade parachutes. Studio art activities, a scavenger hunt, plus music and food will be ongoing. Scheduled events include a tree walk on the grounds and a docent-led tour of the sculpture garden.

The 3rd Annual Winter Carnival will be held on Saturday, February 9 from 10am-4pm at the Lynden Sculpture Garden, 2145 W. Brown Deer Road. The carnival is free to members or with admission to the sculpture garden. Family passes are $15 in advance through the Lynden Scupture Garden website or $20 at the door.