December Events at the 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
A NOTE ON ICE SKATING
We will offer ice skating on the small pond at Lynden on Saturdays and Sundays when weather and ice conditions permit. Please visit us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/LyndenSculptureGarden) for ice skating updates, or call the front desk at 414-446-8794, to check in about the status of the ice.
EXHIBITIONS: GALLERY
FAYTHE LEVINE: TIME IS RUNNING OUT
Through March 14, 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.
WORKSHOPS & EVENTS
KNIT @ LYNDEN WITH ANNALESA ALBRIGHT
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 – 10:30 am-12 pm
Fee: FREE, but registration highly encouraged.
More information: https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/knit-at-lynden
Join Annalesa Albright 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. Annalesa will share some of her favorite patterns, and snacks will be served. Annalesa’s mother taught her to knit at a very young age, and she has been knitting ever since—though she describes her technical skills as at a “watch a how-to video every time” level. Consequently, she likes the idea of passing on the skill to the younger generation. Children with the concentration to learn to knit (or to keep themselves quietly occupied while others indulge) are welcome.
WEDNESDAY WORK DAYS
Wednesdays, December 3 and 10, 2025 – 10 am-12 pm
More information and to register: https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/wednesday-work-days
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; for the next few months, you will work alongside land staff to control woody invasive species in our natural areas, as well as help accomplish other projects around the grounds 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. After December 10, Wednesday Work Days will go on hiatus until the beginning of February.
Thursday, December 4, 2025 – 6-7:15 pm
Fee: $30/$25 members. Pre-registration required.
More information and to register: https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/newmoon-soundbath-astrotalk
Sound baths are an ancient form of healing and deep meditation; they include various ambient sounds and frequencies playing 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. In this space, you’ll make time to pause, take notice of all that you’re currently outgrowing, receiving, questioning, and longing to explore. Your sound facilitator for the evening will be Milwaukee’s own Sevan Arabajian-Ries, musician, ritualist, spiritual guide, and relational counselor.
WOODWORKING FOR THE HOLIDAYS: JAM SPREADERS
Friday, December 5, 2025 – 10 am-4:30 pm
Fee: $110/$95 members.
For information and to register: https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/holiday-jam-spreaders
Join instructor Jeremy Stepien for a hands-on workshop that brings nature indoors. Using well-made tools, we’ll carve a functional kitchen utensil that you can use every day. Whether you’re a beginner or have some experience in green woodworking, this workshop will guide you through the process. You’ll leave with a completed jam spreader or butter spreader, perfect for your own kitchen or as a thoughtful, handmade, holiday gift. Bring a friend and enjoy a day of carving, conversation, and creativity. Suitable for ages 16 and up.
MAKE A NATURAL WREATH WITH ALYX CHRISTENSEN AND ANNALESA ALBRIGHT
Saturday, December 13, 2025 – 1-3 pm
Fee: $50/$40 members|
For more information and to register: https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/natural-wreath-2025
Alyx Christensen and Annalesa Albright, Lynden’s gardeners, invite you to celebrate the changing seasons by making a natural wreath. All wreath materials—harvested from Lynden’s grounds—will be provided. Whether you are a seasoned crafter or a complete beginner, you will take home a stunning, natural adornment and the skills to make more.
Wreath-making is messy and we will be constructing our wreaths outside on the front patio, so dress accordingly. (In case of truly inclement weather we’ll move inside.) Warm beverages and treats will be served.
Sunday, December 14, 2025 – 12:30-2:30 pm
Fee: $15/$10 member per family (all materials included). All ages are welcome; children younger than 12 should attend with an adult.
More information and to register: https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/creative-time
From September through December, we will be offering 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 December, design a holiday card for a loved one using natural pigments and collage techniques. Experiment with colors extracted from plants and vegetables to create rich, earthy hues and layered textures and use collage techniques to personalize your design.
STORIES AS WE MOVE: A HOME INTERVIEW SERIES
Thursday, December 18, 2025– 2-3 pm ***VIRTUAL***
FREE.
More information: https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/stories-we-move-2025
Stories as We Move launched in 2020 as part of Lynden’s HOME virtual platform. The series pairs individuals who have faced forced displacement in its many forms in a conversational setting. Refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants interview those that have resettled to the United States, including friends and family that are based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as well as those that remain overseas. These interviews are reflections of relationships and conversations that we continue to have long after resettlement; they explore issues that our refugee friends and family members continue to face as they remain in their country of origin or interim country.
HOME BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP
Thursday, December 18, 2025 – 7-8 pm ***VIRTUAL***
FREE.
More information and to register: https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/home-book-discussion-group-2025
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 December we will finish Bolla by Kosovo-born Albanian Finnish novelist Pajtim Statovci. Bolla is a fictional story detailing the love affair between an Albanian writer and a Serbian medical student in the midst of war and displacement. Newcomers welcome!
DOG DAYS AT LYNDEN
Saturday, December 20, 2025 – 10 am-4 pm
FREE.
More information: https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/dog-days-2025
Bring your canine friends for a wintery walk. Dogs must be leashed and considerate of other visitors, canine and human.
FALL CLASSES FOR THE YOUNG, THE VERY YOUNG, AND FAMILIES
WEDNESDAYS IN THE GARDEN FOR PARENTS & VERY SMALL CHILDREN
December 3, 10, and 17, 2025 – 10-11 am
Fee: $16/$12 members for one adult and one child.
More information and to register: https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/WIG
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 December, the themes include Signs of Winter, Feathered Friends, and Gingerbread Fun.
CREATIVE TIME FOR FAMILIES: HANDMADE HOLIDAY CARDS
Sunday, December 14, 2025 – 12:30-2:30 pm
Fee: $15/$10 member per family (all materials included). All ages are welcome; children younger than 12 should attend with an adult.
More information and to register: https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/creative-time
From September through December, we will be offering 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 December, design a holiday card for a loved one using natural pigments and collage techniques. Experiment with colors extracted from plants and vegetables to create rich, earthy hues and layered textures and use collage techniques to personalize your design.
LET’S MAKE TOGETHER! FOR PARENTS & SMALL CHILDREN
Tuesday, December 16, 2025 – 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. Annalesa Albright 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 December, we will be decorating solstice candles.
Thursdays, January 15- February 26, 2026– 3:30-5:30 pm
Ages 7-11
Fee: $175/$133 members per 7-week session
More information and to register: https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/art-nature-lab-2026
Lynden’s Art + Nature Lab for ages 7-11 is a dynamic studio experience where creativity flourishes through choice, exploration, and personal expression. This student-driven program encourages participants to work as artists—selecting their own subjects, materials, and approaches while developing confidence in their creative process. With access to a wide variety of tools and media, participants experiment, problem-solve, and refine their ideas into works of art while sharing inspiration, taking creative risks, and growing together in a supportive art community.
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.
COMING UP IN JANUARY
The sculpture garden reopens on January 2, 2025.
January gets off to a fast start with a Lynden by Night moon walk on January 2. Annalesa Albright’s knitting group meets on January 6. She will be back on January 13 for Let’s Make Together for parents and young children. Wednesdays in the Garden resumes on January 14, and the seven-week winter session of Art + Nature Lab, our after-school program for ages 7-11, begins on January 15. Dog Day is January 17. Jeremy Stepien offers Whittlers, a wood carving workshop for teens, on January 18. We’re hoping to gather alumni of our many Whittlers camps as well as some new carvers. The HOME Book Discussion Group will meet virtually on January 22, and we’ll be starting a new book, so it’s an excellent time to join. You’ll have plenty of time to drop by and pick up your free copy. We will announce the 2026 Nohl Fellows at the beginning of the month, and Faythe Levine’s exhibition, Time Is Running Out, remains on view in the gallery (through March 14, 2026). We close out the month with our 14th annual Winter Carnival on January 31. Get ready for a day of outdoor art-making, scavenger hunts, tours and tree-walks, and whatever other winter activities–ice skating, painting the pond, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing–the weather permits. Orchestrated by artist Lillian Supanich, our highly participatory, artist-driven carnival offers something for everybody. Finally, a heads up to parents of camp-age children: we plan to open summer camp registration in late January. If you’d like to be added to the early alert list, please contact Jeremy Stepien at jstepien@lyndensculpturegarden.org.
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.
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