May Events at Lynden
Lynden is open on Memorial Day.
The wind deities were very active as we transitioned from April to May. Twigs, branches, limbs, and entire trees were coming down everywhere. Even Saturday, when I walked out to the Bonsai Pavilion to see how the World Bonsai Day celebrations were going, I would have had to have held onto my hat if I had been wearing one. The bonsai were standing firm, despite the strong breeze, and Michelle Zimmer, curator of the Milwaukee Bonsai Foundation collection, was set up on the patio, pruning a tree. World Bonsai Day is when we reopen the Bonsai Pavilion. You can visit on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, between 10 am and 4 pm, and talk to Michelle or the many bonsai volunteers who keep the pavilion open and maintain the trees. If you should want to start your own bonsai, we will be offering a Bonsai for Beginners workshop on June 6.
This is the time of year when trees flower, and splashes of white and pink hover above the lawn—itself a mix of triumphantly green grass and bright yellow dandelions–so on the way back to my office, I visited the lilacs that border the formal garden. This is a ritual for me at this time of year, and I bury my nose in the blooms every day that I can. We’ve done some replanting to replace older lilac trees as they have died, but none of the new trees have a scent half so transporting as the handful of older trees that remain.
These days, when I walk outside, I think about where Reggie Wilson will be siting The Reclamation, his latest performance project at Lynden, this summer. We have a long history—here, here, and here— of working with Wilson and his company, Reggie Wilson/Fist & Heel Performance Group, to re-imagine the works he makes for more traditional performance spaces. Wilson will be in residence at Lynden from June 22-July 11, and we are looking for community members of all ages, with or without dance experience, to participate in the residency and perform in The Reclamation. If you are interested, please email me at pmorris@lyndensculpturegarden.org (and thank you to those who have already responded).
We had a good crowd for Kites Over Lynden at the end of April, with about 200 people making (and flying) kites and origami cranes, visiting Sarah Davitt’s Moving City (now Milwaukee Vision Zero’s traveling sculpture), and planting trees. We also launched MATERIALIZE, a new series of temporary installations on the grounds, with a pop-up sculpture from Gary John Gresl, Second Elegy for Ray Bradbury & “The Scythe” (Interregnum). Sculptures will remain in place for varying periods of time, depending on the conditions and the durability of the work. If you come out in a week or two, you may still see Elegy, and you may also see Matthew Vivirito installing Framework, a sculpture that first appeared at the Farm/Art DTour in Sauk County in 2024.
A new exhibition, mycollective: Slow Growing in the Time of Trees, opens in the gallery on May 23. It 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 (a long-time artist-in-residence at Lynden), and Lisa Moline. The artist reception will be on June 6, when we will also officially unveil Vivirito’s sculpture.
For the full list of remaining May activities, from sound baths to Greenwood Gatherings, please keep scrolling.
May events, arranged chronologically
Although a great many of Lynden’s events are free, we still appreciate (and sometimes require) advance registration. We often cancel events that don’t meet minimum enrollment.
Wednesdays, May 6, 13, 20, and 27, 2026 – 10 am-12 pm
WEDNESDAY WORK DAYS
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. You will work alongside land staff to control invasive species in our natural areas, as well as to help accomplish other projects around the grounds to enhance biodiversity and care for native flora and fauna. No experience necessary. Water, snacks, and tools will be provided—bring your favorite gardening gloves and digging tools if you have them.
Wednesdays, May 6, 13, 20, and 27, 2026 – 10-11 am
WEDNESDAYS IN THE GARDEN FOR PARENTS & VERY SMALL CHILDREN
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. In May, the themes include Flower Friends, Bilingual in Nature: Arte, naturaleza y Español, Plant a Prairie Seed, and Gardening at Lynden.
Sunday, May 10, 2026 – 10-11:30 am
THE ART OF BIRDING WITH CHUCK STEBELTON
Fee: $10/$5 members.
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.
Tuesday, May 12, 2026 – 10-11 am
LET’S MAKE TOGETHER! FOR PARENTS & SMALL CHILDREN
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 build simple sculptures designed to move with air, balance, or gentle motion.
Saturday, May 16, 2026 – 10 am-4 pm
DOG DAYS AT LYNDEN
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.
Saturday, May 16, 2026 – 11 am-4 pm
GREENWOOD GATHERING: CARVERS’ MEET-UP WITH JEREMY STEPIEN
https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/GWG-OpenCarve
Join us for the 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. May will be an open carving session.
Thursday, May 21, 2026 – 10 am-12 pm
GARDEN WORK DAY
https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/2026-garden-work-days
Join us for a day of planting and weeding on the birch berms near our entrance. Berms are used to create visual barriers, direct movement, regulate water runoff, and create plant habitats in otherwise barren areas, such as a parking lot. The birch berms at Lynden are undergoing a multi-stage planting project aimed at expanding plant diversity and improving water retention. This will be beneficial for the water-loving birch trees, typically found in low-lying wet ground. 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***
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 continue with Black Butterflies, by Priscilla Morris, a debut novel inspired by Morris’s part-Bosnian heritage, including childhood summers spent in Sarajevo. Black Butterflies is about Zora, an artist who experiences love and loss as she navigates the devastating landscape during the Siege of Sarajevo. Newcomers welcome!
Thursday, May 28, 2026 – 6-7:30 pm
SOUND BATH & LABYRINTH WALK
https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/SoundBath
In May, we embark on 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. The outdoor sound bath lasts approximately 45-60 minutes. After the sound bath, Sevan will offer some words about the current astrological influences and prompts for walking the labyrinth. Bring your own votive!
NOHL FELLOWSHIP EVENTS
Supporting artists is at the core of Lynden’s mission. One of the ways we do this is by administering 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 2025 Nohl Fellows are finishing up work and installing their exhibition at the Haggerty Museum of Art. The exhibition opens June 4, with a reception on June 13.
COMING UP IN JUNE
Plenty going on in June: summer camps swing into session, the Innovative Educators Institute brings two or three dozen K-12 teachers to Lynden for a week (June 22-26), and the UWM Writing Project begins a four-week residency. Things are very active on the exhibition front. On June 6, there’s a joint reception for Slow Growing in the Time of Trees, an exhibition that presents speculative objects produced during Yevgeniya Kaganovich’s artist residency, and the unveiling of Matthew Vivirito’s Framework, a temporary sculpture on the grounds (last seen on the Farm/Art Dtour in 2024). The opening reception for the 2025 Nohl Fellowship Exhibition at the Haggerty Museum of Art is on June 13 (the show opens June 4 and remains on view through August 1), and then we return to Lynden for a reception for Warren King: Homecoming on June 24 (the exhibition goes on view June 20). We close out the month with the Milwaukee Bonsai Society’s 55th annual exhibition (June 27-28)—you can prepare by signing up for the Bonsai for Beginners workshop on June 6. June marks the beginning of our summer HOME World Refugee Day Celebrations: we celebrate World Refugee Day, at Lynden on June 20, the United Nations-appointed day for the event, and move the celebration to Milwaukee City Hall, along with an exhibition of work by K-12 newcomers, on June 22. Call & Response 2026 gets underway when Reggie Wilson arrives in late June for a residency that culminates, on July 11, in a performance of The Reclamation featuring Reggie Wilson/Fist and Heel Performance Group and a large, intergenerational cast of community members. Get in touch if you think you’d like to participate in this performance project—no dance experience required. Daily life goes on against this backdrop of big events. Pull out your yarn and needles for Knit@Lynden (June 2), sling your binoculars over your shoulder for Chuck Stebelton’s Art of Birding (June 14), roll out your blanket for the sound bath on June 18, and invite your dog to join you at dog day (June 27). On June 6, you can learn about invasive species management, and on June 27, you can learn to make and use compost tea. Wednesdays in the Garden meets weekly in June, and Let’s Make Together, will convene on June 9. For those who have time to volunteer at Lynden: our weekly Wednesday Work Days continue, and during our monthly Garden Work Day on June 18 we’ll be deadheading the lilacs.
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.
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