April Events at Lynden
The sun was out for a minute, illuminating the many small lakes scattered across the lawn in the wake of the rain and snow. Two deer just raced by, followed by another pair, their white tales more prominent. Alert, they stopped occasionally to survey the scene as they moved from west to east. They had no trouble finding their way around the giant puddles.
April is off to an uncertain start, but the rites of spring don’t appear to be susceptible to the unsettled weather. Birds are scouting for nests—the mourning doves have already moved into their customary position on the ledge outside the barn (“where they can people watch,” observes Barb Kellermann, who is responsible for the e-Bird reports we post to our Facebook page). Artist-in-residence Chuck Stebelton resumes his monthly birding excursions this month and invites birders both new and knowledgeable to join him for The Art of Birding. Come along and learn to bird by eye and ear while Chuck tells you about the life histories of wild birds.
Plenty to do for makers this month: you can Make an Alebrije with Ceci Tejeda (if you haven’t tried this traditional Mexican paper-based craft, now is the time); Dennis Carl conducts a Forager’s Pouch Leather Make-Along (check out the pictures!); and Jeremy Stepien hosts a Green Wood Gathering: A Sloyd-Inspired Carving Workshop as part of the festivities on International Sculpture Day (April 27). Also on International Sculpture Day: Robert Kaleta leads a tree walk focused on identifying perfect for green wood carving and Gary John Gresl revisits the scene of his artist residency to plant a new pop-up sculpture, Remains of the Big Boat House on Fischer Lake.
Calling all volunteers: the land team’s monthly Work Days are resuming for the season. This month you have a choice between pulling garlic mustard in the ravine or spring cleanup in the tinctorial garden. Or participate in both—we have stellar snacks!
Dog day is April 20, and Claudia Orjuela is leading a Lynden by Night walk, under the light of the worm moon, on April 26.
Tuesdays in the Garden meets weekly in April, and Claudia Orjuela also leads a Creative Time for Families session mid-month. Let’s hope the sun is shining on April 14, because we will be making sunprints. HOME Multilingual Story Time airs on April 17, and remains available on our Vimeo channel. Do you ever access our Story Times from Vimeo? We’d love to hear about your experience.
The HOME Book Discussion Group finishes Behrouz Boochani’s powerful and lyrical No Friend but the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison this month. In May we move on to Radiance of Tomorrow by Ismael Beah. Newcomers always welcome.
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 April, we host Jodi Throckmorton, chief curator at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center and a former Nohl Fellowship juror, and her curatorial colleague Laura Bickford, for studio visits.
Keep your eye on the web calendar—especially important at this time of year when we’re posting new things all the time–as we round out our spring schedule.
April events, arranged chronologically:
Tuesdays, April 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30, 2024- 10:30 am-11:30 am
TUESDAYS IN THE GARDEN FOR PARENTS & VERY SMALL CHILDREN
Join art educators Claudia Orjuela and Denice Niebuhr for hands-on art making and all-senses-engaged exploration of the outdoor world at Lynden. Tuesdays in the Garden, designed for children aged 1-3, provides a nurturing environment where children’s curiosity and wonder are extended through play and exploration, and children and their caregivers learn and discover side-by-side. We’ll consider different themes, each designed to connect Lynden’s environment with children’s interests. We will encourage experimentation and the manipulation of art and natural materials to tell stories, solve problems, and develop relationships. The themes for April include Fairy Gardens, Signs of Spring, Nature Meets Sculpture, Pebbles and Twigs and Flower Friends.
Saturday, April 6, 2024 – 10-11:30 am
VEGETABLE GARDENS FOR BEGINNERS WITH ALYX CHRISTENSEN
It’s time to start planning your vegetable garden for three seasons of harvesting. In this workshop, you will be introduced to techniques such as companion planting, intercropping, and vertical growing, as well as sustainable maintenance practices, starting seeds from scratch, and how to incorporate established plants from greenhouses. Using this information, you will design a master plan for a 4 x 4-foot garden bed that can be scaled up for larger spaces or shrink to the size of a planter. Bring your questions and ideas, garden planning materials will be provided.
Saturday, April 13, 2024 – 10 am-4 pm
QUETZALCOATL: MAKE AN ALEBRIJE WITH CECI TEJEDA
Making cartonería— papier mache sculptures—is a traditional Mexican paper-based craft. Among the varieties of cartonería are alebrijes, statues of colorful and mythical creatures. Cartonera Ceci Tejeda will immerse us in the Mesoamerican legend and traditions of the powerful Aztec deity Quetzalcoatl, who was transformed into a feathered serpent. You will create your own Quetzalcoat alebrije using traditional cartonería techniques. No experience necessary; suitable for adults and children 12 and up.
Sunday, April 14, 2024 – 10-11:30 am
THE ART OF BIRDING WITH CHUCK STEBELTON
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.
Sunday, April 14, 2024 – 12:30-2:30 pm
CREATIVE TIME FOR FAMILIES: SUNPRINTING
From February to April, Lynden offers free, monthly, drop-in workshops for families. Stop by for engaging, hands-on activities that bring art and nature to life. Whether you make a quick visit or stay the entire two hours, count on spending some quality creative time with family and friends. In April we will use the sun to make detailed prints—cyanotypes–from objects that cast a shadow. Cyanotype is a sun-printing process and one of the earliest photographic techniques. Stop by the studio to make your own cyanotype to take home.
Wednesday, April 17, 2024– 10:30-11 am
VIRTUAL
HOME: MULTILINGUAL STORY TIME
In April, Jeannette Arellano reads Maybe Something Beautiful: How Art Transformed a Neighborhood / Quizás Algo Hermoso. Cómo el Arte Transformó un Barrio, written by Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell and illustrated by Rafael López, in Spanish and English. The story is followed by an artmaking activity with Claudia Orjuela. Ages 4-8.
Thursday, Thursday, April 18, 2024 – 7-8 pm
VIRTUAL
HOME BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP
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 April we finish No Friend but the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison by Behrouz Boochani. Newcomers welcome!
Friday, April 19, 2024 – 10-11:30 am
SPRING EPHEMERALS WALK WITH JUSTINE MILLER
Join horticulturist Justine Miller on a plant walk through Lynden’s grounds with a primary focus on Wisconsin native spring ephemerals. These plants are the earliest flowers to bloom but keep their growing season brief, taking advantage of full sun before the canopy leafs out. Participants will learn about their ecology, cultivation, and how they can promote these beautiful species in their own yards.
Saturday, April 20, 2024 – 10 am-4 pm
DOG DAYS AT LYNDEN
Bring your canine friends for a spring walk. Dogs must be leashed and considerate of other visitors, canine and human.
Saturday, April 20, 2024, 1-4 pm
LABYRINTH SOCIETY OF LYNDEN SCULPTURE GARDEN
Actively Missing You Poetry Workshop with Jenna Knapp and KP Kaszubowski
Join artist-in-residence Jenna Knapp and poet KP Kaszubowski for an afternoon of walking and writing together during their third interactive poetry workshop at the garden. As Earth Day approaches, we will continue to honor and celebrate the life of the Norway maple that long provided shade and shelter at the top of the hill overlooking the labyrinth. April invites us to celebrate the earth and take notice of all the slow and beautiful moments in nature that are always waiting for us, despite our fast-paced lives. In this third iteration of Actively Missing You we will continue to explore themes of grief, change and loss–this time through the lens of our relationship to the places that make us and how their ever-changing landscape changes us. We will discuss the labyrinth’s history, silently walk its winding path, and use poetry prompts to generate more written material. There will be time to share and reflect together as a group, and you’ll have the option to contribute your writing to be engraved into the logs at a later date, allowing the Norway maple’s history to live on. Everyone is welcome to attend, regardless of writing experience. We will spend part of this workshop in the labyrinth and part inside the studio.
Sunday, April 21, 2024, 1-4 pm
FORAGER’S POUCH LEATHER MAKE-ALONG WITH DENNIS CARL
An accessory you’ll never want to be without, this small forager’s pouch folds into a leather strap that fits on your belt. The pouch is removable and large enough for flowers, mushrooms, stones, and berries –just to name a few! Craft your own forager’s pouch out of beautiful leather and weatherproof waxed canvas and prepare for your next adventure. Learn to create a mixed material item and practice the foundational leather techniques of cutting, punching, riveting, and sewing. This is a beginner level project with all materials provided; no experience required.
Tuesday, April 23, 2024 – 10 am-12 pm
NATURAL AREAS WORK DAY: GARLIC MUSTARD
Join the Lynden land team—Robert Kaleta, Esther Portnoy, and Alyx Christensen–for a volunteer work day on the grounds. The Lynden Sculpture Garden is transforming its natural habitats and formal landscapes into sustainable and diverse ecosystems that highlight the natural beauty inherent in them. The Lynden’s goal is to steward healthy habitats for an array of native plants and wildlife while adding a vibrant mosaic of color and texture to this sculptural landscape through every season. In April, we invite you to help us control invasive garlic mustard within the forested ravine. Learn about invasive species control and leave with a handful of garlic mustard and a recipe for Garlic Mustard Pesto as a thank you for your time. Bring your favorite gardening gloves and digging tools (if you have them)! Water, snacks, and additional tools will be provided.
Thursday, April 25, 2024 – 10 am-12 pm
GARDEN WORK DAY: TINCTORIAL GARDEN
Join the Lynden land team—Robert Kaleta, Esther Portnoy, and Alyx Christensen–for a volunteer work day on the grounds. The Lynden Sculpture Garden is transforming its natural habitats and formal landscapes into sustainable and diverse ecosystems that highlight the natural beauty inherent in them. The Lynden’s goal is to steward healthy habitats for an array of native plants and wildlife while adding a vibrant mosaic of color and texture to this sculptural landscape through every season. In April, we will assist artist-in-residence Kim Khaira with seeding and spring cleanup in her tinctorial garden (a garden of plants that can be used in natural dyeing). Work alongside Khaira and the land team to continue with the removal of any remaining invasive species, as well as spreading seed for new dye plants to grow. Khaira will introduce the native plants she has chosen for the garden, including the significance of the seeds chosen, and talk about their many uses beyond their role in natural dyes. Volunteers are encouraged to bring their favorite gardening gloves and digging tools (if you have them)! Water, snacks, and additional tools will be provided.
Friday, April 26, 2024 – 7:30-9 pm
LYNDEN BY NIGHT: A WALK WITH CLAUDIA ORJUELA
Come walk Lynden’s grounds with educator Claudia Orjuela, who will introduce you to the mysteries and unique features of outdoor life after dark. Discover the sights and sounds of the night in Lynden’s back acres and observe our monumental sculptures beneath the light of the worm moon. A bonfire and treats await at the end.
Saturday, April 27, 2024 – 11 am-4 pm
INTERNATIONAL SCULPTURE DAY: A GREEN WOOD GATHERING
We celebrate International Sculpture Day with a special focus on green wood carving. Green woodworking starts with “green” (still wet) wood. We’ll begin with a carving-specific tree walk with Robert Kaleta at 11 am. You’ll discover which trees are perfect for greenwood carving and gain insight into the unique forest management practices implemented at Lynden. At 12:30 pm, Jeremy Stepien will host a Sloyd-Inspired Carving Workshop. Sloyd, or slöjd, is a Scandinavian-based handcraft movement and educational system. Sloyd items are meant to be functional, designed for everyday use around the home: spoons, bowls, cups, buttons, coat hooks, furniture (you can see Stepien’s carved spoons in our current exhibition, The Time Has Come). Practicing sloyd encourages self-sufficiency and an intimate knowledge of the local natural resources. Whether you’re a beginner or experienced carver, all are welcome. Workshop capacity is limited, so please register in advance. Or just stop by to admire a new pop-up sculpture from Gary John Gresl, or to walk the grounds, visit your favorite sculpture, or become better acquainted with others. We’ll have some treats and beverages (temperature to be determined by weather) available.
Saturday, April 27, 2024 – 11 am-4 pm
GREEN WOOD GATHERING: A SLOYD-INSPIRED CARVING WORKSHOP WITH JEREMY STEPIEN
Sloyd, or slöjd, is a Scandinavian-based handcraft movement and educational system. It falls under the umbrella of green woodworking–woodwork that starts with “green” (still wet) wood. Sloyd items are meant to be functional, designed for everyday use around the home: spoons, bowls, cups, buttons, coat hooks, furniture. Practicing Sloyd encourages self-sufficiency and an intimate knowledge of the local natural resources. Our green woodworking experience starts at 11 am with a carving-specific tree walk. You’ll discover which trees are perfect for greenwood carving and gain insight into the unique forest management practices implemented at Lynden. We’ll take a lunch break and at 12:30 pm we’ll gather around a campfire for an afternoon of hands-on carving. Sip tea made from foraged plants as you try your hand at carving a jam spreader, wooden bead, or spatula. The workshop will move indoors if the weather is inclement. This workshop, suitable for ages 16 and up, covers carving fundamentals, including safe axe and knife techniques, responsible material gathering, finishing, and tool maintenance. Whether you’re a beginner or experienced carver, all are welcome. Bring your own carving tools, or we’ll provide sloyd knives for beginners. You can also purchase a Mora sloyd knife as part of the workshop package.
COMING UP IN MAY
More information: https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/2024-05
There is plenty to do outdoors in May. The Bonsai Exhibit opens just in time for World Bonsai Day (May 11), and the bonsai docents will be on hand to tell you everything about the collection and how to grow your own bonsai. The Milwaukee Bonsai Foundation’s artistic director, Suthin Sukosolvisit, will be in town May 18-19 to conduct a workshop for the bonsai volunteers who staff the pavilion at Lynden. You are welcome to observe. Chuck Stebelton leads a bird walk on May 12, dog day is May 18, and Claudia Orjuela hosts the final Lynden by Night of the season on May 24, beneath the light of the flower moon. We’ll be looking for garlic mustard and dame’s rocket during the natural areas work day (May 21) and we’ll be removing daylilies from the ravine on the garden work day (May 23). Tuesdays in the Garden meets weekly and the themes are A Nest for Explorers, Meet a Tree, Nature’s Kitchen, and Plant a Prairie Seed. We’re pulling from the archives for Home Story Time on May 15: Soñadores/Dreamers by Yuyi Morales, read in Spanish and English by Claudia Orjuela. The HOME Book Discussion Group begins a new book on May 16—Radiance of Tomorrow by Ismael Beah -you can pick up your free copy in advance.
The sun is back out, and the grass is turning greener before my eyes,
Polly
4/3/24
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.
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