HOME 2024 Community, Culture & Citizenship Celebration this Saturday at Lynden

In 2024, the HOME Refugee Steering Committee at the Lynden Sculpture Garden invites you to observe World Refugee Day in a series of outdoor events and programs that celebrate Milwaukee’s refugee communities through art, food, fashion, and performance.

On August 17, 2024, we join with the Community Center for Immigrants for a day of celebrating the citizenship and naturalization of new Americans from Milwaukee’s refugee and immigrant communities. The event takes place at the Lynden Sculpture Garden, 2145 W. Brown Deer Rd., Milwaukee, WI 53217, from 11 am to 4 pm and is free and open to the public. We will be running a free shuttle bus between the Park & Ride lot to the west of the Brown Deer Road exit of I-43 and Lynden between 11 am and 4 pm.

The centerpiece of the event is a naturalization ceremony for 55 new Americans. The ceremony will begin at 11:30 am.

Come to Lynden to welcome the new citizens, and bring along your dancing shoes to learn some new dances, dye a T-shirt to take home, or simply pack a picnic and a blanket to enjoy the outdoors with friends, family, and community.

More information here: https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/home-2024-community-culture-citizenship-celebration

For this HOME Celebration of Community, Culture, and Citizenship, emcee Paul Vang of the Hmong community presides over a day that includes a craft market featuring handicrafts and other goods from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East; performances by Dian Novita (Indonesian), Hmong dance troupe LIVIA, and Golden Melody Band U.S.A (Burmese); hands-on batik dyeing with artist-in-residence Arianne King Comer; and a tour of trees on the grounds by Lynden staff. Community Center for Immigrants will host a school supply giveaway and free lunch featuring food from refugee chefs/refugee-run businesses: Amir’s Roti (Rohingya), Blue Star Cafe (Somali), and Kha Sushi Land (Burmese). Asher Imtiaz/Indus Images will provide individual photo portraits to each of the new citizens.

We will be joined by refugee-serving organizations Independence First, Literacy Services of Wisconsin, and the United Nations Association of Greater Milwaukee. Aurora St Lukes Family Medicine Clinic will provide free health screenings, including blood pressure and blood sugar testing and accessible health education on topics such as diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, asthma, reproductive/sexual health, and mental health.

Program

Time	Event
11:00 am – 4:00 pm	HOME Craft Market
11:30 am	Naturalization Ceremony – with Star Spangled Banner performed by Saung Hnin
11:30 pm – 3:30 pm	T-shirt batik dyeing with Lynden’s artist-in-residence Arianne King Comer
12:00 pm	CCI Back-to-School Supplies Giveaway (while supplies last)
12:30 pm	Lunch featuring food from Amir’s Roti (Rohingya), Blue Star Cafe (Somali), and Kha Sushi Land (Burmese)—while supplies last
1:00 pm	Tree Walk with Lynden Land Staff
1:30 pm	Dian Novita (traditional Indonesian)
2:00 pm	LIVIA (modern Hmong)
2:30 pm	Golden Melody Music Band U.S.A. (Burmese music)
Program and timing are subject to change.

 
Craft market participants include: Arianne’s Artist Way (batik designs); face painting from Be the Change!, Lynden’s arts leadership group for refugee women and girls; Catherine Art Studio KJ (paintings); Frey Faris (Ethiopian textiles); Fairouz (jewelry and handmade bags curated by Suheir Rashid); hmodern made (handmade hair accessories, jewelry, and hand-decorated wearables by Ashley Xiong); Made By Maixia (journals, notebooks, stationery, zines, art prints, glasses, and coasters by Maixia Xiong); Maly Aroma Boutique (candles by Malyellen Vang); Mchete’s African Treasures (handmade jewelry, African clothes, artwork, beadwork, and African fabrics curated by Monica Ashery); Olive Essence Soap (natural soaps, scrubs, hair cream, and bath salts made by Gharam M. Amer); Puffy and Fluffy (crochet plushies and hijabs by Reem Barbarawi); Rahmanros (traditional and modern batik, hijab, clothes and accessories by Rosidah Abdul Shukor); Royal Beauty – (organic and homemade hair oil and facial products by Enas Alwedyan); and Rumaneh Nourish (natural skincare products and Palestinian inspired home goods by Bisan Musa).

HOME 2024 is sponsored in part by the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, Bureau of Refugee Programs; Community Center for Immigrants; Anthem Blue-Cross Blue-Shield; Hanan Refugees Relief Group; Engauge Workforce Solutions; Medical College of Wisconsin – Office of Global Health (Our City of Nations Conference);Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition; Wisconsin Muslim Civic Alliance; Institute of World Affairs – UWM Center for International Education; Wisconsin Conservation Voters; United Nations Association of Greater Milwaukee; and American Red Cross Wisconsin Region.

Special thanks to staff members and organizers from Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, Milwaukee Public Library, Milwaukee Consortium for Hmong Health, Inc., Jewish Social Services Madison, Hmong American Peace Academy, the International Newcomer Center of the Milwaukee Academy of Chinese Language, Clement J. Zablocki School, and South Division Newcomer Center for their support and involvement.

About HOME
HOME is the theme of our work with refugee community leaders, community members, Call & Response artists, and allies. The HOME Refugee Steering Committee is building a space of leading, coming together, and celebrating refugees. For all HOME 2024 programming, click here.

About Community Center for Immigrants
CCI’s mission is to facilitate integration and foster self-sufficiency in the immigrant community by providing English and Citizenship education programs and immigration legal services. Our goal is to develop the literacy and civic knowledge required to obtain U.S. citizenship and actively participate in American society.

About the Lynden Sculpture Garden
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. Annual memberships are 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.