May Events at Lynden Sculpture Garden

The Lynden Sculpture Garden is located at 2145 West Brown Deer Road. Admission is free. All events listed below are free unless otherwise indicated. Memberships, which offer significant discounts on workshops and other events, are available.

HOURS

In May, the Lynden Sculpture Garden is open daily from 10 am-5 pm (closed Thursdays). Free admission is made possible in part through the generosity of the Mangiamele Arts Foundation. For complete information on events, visitor guidelines, and everything that goes on at Lynden, visit www.lyndensculpturegarden.org.

Lynden is open on Memorial Day.

EXHIBITIONS: GALLERY

FAYTHE LEVINE: TIME IS RUNNING OUT

Through May 8, 2026

More information: https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/exhibitions/faythe-levine

In Time is Running Out, artist, curator, and researcher Faythe Levine illuminates the collective lives of Charlotte Partridge (1882-1975) and Miriam Frink (1892-1977), two women who shaped Milwaukee’s cultural landscape in the twentieth century. For over fifty years, their intertwined devotion to each other and to Wisconsin—as co-founders of the Layton School of Art, participants in the Federal Art Project, and as members of numerous civic clubs and organizations—had a profound impact on greater Milwaukee. Their groundbreaking contributions and extensive networks continue to resonate today. Through an act of excavation and reimagination, Levine restores Partridge and Frink to a more prominent place in our narrative of Milwaukee’s past. Using archival materials, objects, and storytelling, Levine engages with lesser-known parts of their history. She explores their legacy through four themes: domesticity, creativity, partnership, and community, and four tropes: The Studio, The Sketchbook, The Metal Object, and The Protégé, each an entry point into an intimate, lifelong collaboration.

mycollective: SLOW GROWING IN THE TIME OF TREES

May 23-June 7, 2026

Artist reception: June 6, 2026 (with unveiling of Matthew Vivirito’s MATERIALIZE project)

More information: https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/exhibitions/mycollective

Slow Growing in the Time of Trees presents speculative objects produced over the course of two growing seasons by mycollective, a mycology-focused artist collective that brings together four creative practitioners and mushroom enthusiasts: Jim Charles, Lane Hall, Yevgeniya Kaganovich, and Lisa Moline. Together, they examine the durational nature of trees, mushrooms and humans, the symbiosis between trees and their human and non-human partners, and interactions between natural and reclaimed materials over time. Experimenting with both naturally occurring and cultivated living mushroom cultures, mycollective generates work with visible fungal fruits and invisible mycelial networks intertwined with trees. mycollective will be joined by guest Kate Beutner.

EXHIBITIONS: OUTDOORS

THE BONSAI EXHIBIT AT LYNDEN

The exhibition will open to the public on Saturday, May 9, 2026 (World Bonsai Day) and will remain open Wednesdays, Saturdays & Sundays from 10 am to 4 pm, or by appointment.

More information: http://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/Bonsai

Located beside Big Lake, the Bonsai Exhibit at Lynden—a collaboration with the Milwaukee Bonsai Society and the Milwaukee Bonsai Foundation–includes a display area for bonsai, waterside teaching patio, and pollinator garden.

WORKSHOPS & EVENTS

KNIT @ LYNDEN WITH SARA CARON

Tuesday, May 5, 2026 – 10:30 am-12 pm

Fee: FREE, but registration highly encouraged.

More information: https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/knit-at-lynden

Join Sara Caron for a morning of multigenerational knitting and good company. Bring your latest project or yarn from your stash to cast on something fresh. We can inspire each other and share our stories while we knit in the beautiful gallery at Lynden. This is not an instructional workshop, but all skill levels are welcome, from washcloth-makers to cabled-sweater-proficients. Children with the concentration to learn to knit (or to keep themselves quietly occupied while others indulge) are welcome.

WEDNESDAY WORK DAYS

Wednesdays, May 6, 13, 20, and 27, 2026 – 10 am-12 pm

More information and to register:

https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/wednesday-work-days-2026

Wednesday Work Days are a weekly volunteer opportunity to work with Lynden’s land team on the grounds. Whether you are looking for a few hours of volunteer work or want a weekly activity that keeps you outside, you are welcome to join us on Wednesday mornings from 10 am to 12 noon. Projects vary from season to season as you work alongside land staff to enhance biodiversity and take care of the native flora and fauna. No experience is necessary, though you are encouraged to bring your favorite gardening gloves and digging tools if you have them. Water, snacks, and additional tools will be provided.

WORLD BONSAI DAY

Saturday, May 9, 2026 – 10 am-4 pm

FREE

More information:

https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/world-bonsai-day-2026

World Bonsai Day was created in 2010 to honor the memory of bonsai master Saburo Kato. It is a day for sharing the peaceful, living art of bonsai and advancing international friendship and goodwill throughout the world. We celebrate World Bonsai Day by re-opening the Bonsai Exhibit at Lynden. Following the opening, the Bonsai Pavilion, which houses the collection of the Milwaukee Bonsai Foundation, will be open to the public Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 10 am-4 pm, and by appointment, from May to October.

MUSHROOM LOG WORKSHOP

Saturday, May 9, 2026 – 1-4 pm

Fee: $60/$51 members

More information and to register: https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/MushroomLog

Spend a morning at the Lynden Sculpture Garden working with the land team to inoculate sustainably harvested logs with oyster mushrooms. Learn about the process from tree to mushroom and leave with your very own log to take home. In the first hour, we will go out into the field to learn about the poplars harvested for this workshop and their role in Lynden’s ecosystem. After our walk, we will return to the studio for some inoculation.

THE ART OF BIRDING WITH CHUCK STEBELTON

Sunday, May 10, 2026 – 10-11:30 am

Fee: $10/$5 members.

More information and to register:

https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/birding-2026

Join poet and Wisconsin Master Naturalist volunteer Chuck Stebelton on the second Sunday of each month to bird by eye and ear with a focus on the life histories of wild birds. We’ll watch for seasonal migrants and resident bird species and seek out the best bird habitats to identify as many species as we can. Please dress for the weather and plan to walk in varied terrain. Bring your binoculars and field guides if you have them; no previous birding experience required.

DOG DAYS AT LYNDEN

Saturday, May 16, 2026 – 10 am-4 pm

FREE.

More information: https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/dog-days-2026

Bring your canine friends for a spring walk. Dogs must be leashed and considerate of other visitors, canine and human.

GREENWOOD GATHERING: CARVERS’ MEET-UP WITH JEREMY STEPIEN

Saturday, May 16, 2026 – 11 am-4 pm

Fee: $15/$10 members. You are welcome to attend for the entire day, or for a portion, but registration is required.

For information and to register:

https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/GWG-OpenCarve

Join us for another spring session of Lynden’s Greenwood Gathering, an open-ended carving event where both new and returning participants can bring their current or finished carving projects to share with fellow woodcarvers. Gather around the campfire to carve, exchange ideas, share techniques, and draw inspiration from each other’s work. The gatherings will include occasional themed demonstrations and relevant garden tours.

GARDEN WORK DAY

Thursday, May 21, 2025 – 10 am-12 pm

More information and to register: https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/2026-garden-work-days

Join us for a few hours of planting and weeding as we tackle the birch berms near the entrance to the sculpture garden. These berms are undergoing a multi-stage planting project aimed at expanding plant diversity and improving water retention. As we create a richer and ecologically functional plant community, we will prolong the life of the birch trees and increase habitat for birds and invertebrates. Volunteers are encouraged to bring their favorite gardening gloves and digging tools (if you have them)! Water, snacks, and additional tools will be provided.

HOME BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP

Thursday, May 21, 2026 – 7-8 pm ***VIRTUAL***

FREE.

More information and to register:

https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/home-book-discussion-group-2026

The Lynden/HOME Refugee Steering Committee book discussion group, moderated by Lynden’s Kim Khaira, is for those interested in firsthand accounts of displacement. We consider works of non-fiction and fiction, including autobiographical and semi-autobiographical works, by writers who have faced or are facing forced displacement as refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants. In May, we read the second section of Black Butterflies, by Priscilla Morris, a debut novel about Zora, an artist who experiences love and loss as she navigates the devastating landscape during the Siege of Sarajevo. Newcomers welcome.

SOUND BATH & LABYRINTH WALK

Thursday, May 28, 2026 – 6-7:30 pm

Fee: $30/$25 members. Pre-registration required.

More information and to register: https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/SoundBath

This summer is our eighth season of Sound Bath & Labyrinth Walks at Lynden. An outgrowth of artist-in-residence Jenna Knapp’s project Labyrinth Society of Lynden Sculpture Garden, the sound baths developed in collaboration with Sevan Arabajian. Now that Jenna has moved on to other projects, Sevan will host the 2026 sound baths on her own (with you).

Sound baths are an ancient form of healing and deep meditation; they include various ambient sounds and frequencies played in a space where you can hear and experience their vibrations moving through you. Everyone’s experience will be different; unique as you are, and according to what is needed most at the time. The outdoor sound bath lasts approximately 45-60 minutes, including guiding you to relax into the experience before hand and out of it afterward. Sevan will offer some words about the current astrological influences and prompts for walking the labyrinth after the sound bath. You are invited to bring your own candle for the labyrinth walk (something in a glass votive to block the wind).

SPRING CLASSES FOR THE YOUNG, THE VERY YOUNG, AND FAMILIES

WEDNESDAYS IN THE GARDEN FOR PARENTS & VERY SMALL CHILDREN

May 6, 13, 20, and 27, 2026 – 10-11 am

Fee: $20/$16 members for one adult and one child. Add an additional child for $8.

More information and to register: https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/WIG-2026

Wednesdays in the Garden offers a nurturing and joyful space for our youngest learners to explore, play, and grow. Together with their caregivers, children will discover the wonders of the natural world and Lynden’s unique sculpture collection through hands-on experiences that spark curiosity, wonder, and creativity. Early childhood educators Claudia Orjuela and Denice Niebuhr will guide families through sensory-rich activities, outdoor adventures, and open-ended artmaking. Each week highlights a new theme, connecting children’s natural interests with the world around them. In May, the themes include Flower Friends, Bilingual in Nature: Arte, naturaleza y Español!, Plant a Prairie Seed, and Gardening.

LET’S MAKE TOGETHER! FOR PARENTS & SMALL CHILDREN

Tuesday, May 12, 2026 – 10-11 am

Fee: $20/$16 members for one adult and one child, all materials included.

For more information and to register:

https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/lets-make-together

Let’s Make Together! is designed for children aged 3 -5 and their adults. Katie Hobday brings together her nature, craft, and parenting skills for a series of hands-on, age-appropriate making workshops. Art-making can be messy, and the group will spend time outdoors whenever possible, so please dress appropriately. In May, we will be making moving sculptures.

SUMMER CAMPS AT THE INTERSECTION OF ART AND NATURE—REGISTRATION OPEN

Lynden’s art and nature camps for children aged 4 to 15 years integrate our collection of monumental outdoor sculpture and temporary installations with the natural ecology of our hidden landscapes and unique habitats. Led by artists, naturalists, and art educators, the camps explore the intersection of art and nature through collaborative inquiry and hands-on artmaking, using all of Lynden’s 40 acres to create a joyful, all-senses-engaged outdoor experience.

NOHL FELLOWSHIP EVENTS

Supporting artists is at the core of Lynden’s mission. One of the ways that we support artists is by administering a range of grant programs for artists: the Greater Milwaukee Foundation’s Mary L. Nohl Fund Fellowships for Individual Artists, the Suitcase Export Fund, and the Ruth Arts Mary L Nohl Alumni Awards. In May, the third cohort of Ruth Arts Mary L. Nohl Alumni Awardees, a program open to past Nohl Fellows, continue with their first round of collective studio visits while the second cohort continues to plan their mutual aid projects. The 2025 Nohl Fellows are working toward the opening of their exhibition at the Haggerty Museum of Art on June 2, and the 2026 Nohl Fellows prepare for a new round of studio visits.

COMING UP IN JUNE

June is a very busy month at Lynden (and further afield). We begin by opening the 2025 Nohl Fellowship Exhibition at the Haggerty Museum of Art on June 4 (the artist reception is June 13). Back at Lynden, Knit@Lynden is June 2. There will be four weekly sessions of Wednesdays in the Garden beginning June 3; Let’s Make Together! meets on June 9; and summer camps begin June 29. On June 6, you can start the day with an Invasive Species Management Workshop, stay for a Botanical Gelli Print Workshop, and finish with an artist reception—we will be honoring mycollective, the artists in Slow Growing in the Time of Trees, and Matthew Vivirito, who will be unveiling the next installment in MATERIALIZE, our series of temporary outdoor sculptures. The Art of Birding takes off on June 14; there is a sound bath and labyrinth walk on June 18; and dog day rolls around on June 27. Our Wednesday Work Days recur weekly; our monthly Garden Work Day is June 18 (we’ll be pruning spent lilac buds); and Alyx Christensen offers a workshop on compost tea on June 27. We have several big events in quick succession toward the end of the month as the HOME program celebrates World Refugee Day at Lynden (June 20) and at Milwaukee City Hall (June 22—there will be an accompanying exhibition of work by K-12 refugee artists). The week of June 22-26 we launch the Innovative Educators Institute Summer Lab and welcome Reggie Wilson for his Reclamation residency. We open a new exhibition, Homecoming, on June 20 and fete artist Warren King at a reception on June 24. We finish with the Milwaukee Bonsai Society’s 55th Annual Exhibition, June 27-28.

ABOUT THE LYNDEN

The Lynden operates as a laboratory at the intersection of art, nature, and culture. Since opening to the public in 2010, we have worked with artists, educators, students, and our community to create, support, and share experiences that integrate our collection of more than 50 monumental sculptures and temporary installations, Lynden’s community of artists, and the natural ecology of our 40-acre site. The sculpture garden is open to art and nature lovers of all ages daily, 10 am-5 pm; closed Thursdays. Admission is free. Learn more about visitor guidelines here: https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/visit.

Annual memberships are also available.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.