November at Lynden

We will be closed on Thanksgiving, as we are on all Thursdays. With Thanksgiving approaching, it is impossible to look away from the disruption of SNAP benefits for so many Americans. Lynden has launched a small artist relief fund for former Nohl Fellows (of whom there are about 130, some of whom we know receive food assistance). If you are a former Nohl Fellow reading this, and your SNAP benefits have been delayed, decreased, or otherwise disrupted, please email pmorris@lyndensculpturegarden.org, letting us know how much you stand to lose in November.

The sun is back out, and there are still enough leaves on the trees to create movement all across the grounds on this windy day. Yellow leaves drift slowly downward just outside my window, but a few feet away, they zig and zag at high speed, first this way, then that. There are plenty of bare branches to be seen; the elm by Big Lake, with its twisted skeleton, dropped its leaves in time for Halloween this year.

A group of middle schoolers bearing buckets just walked by, heading to one of the prairie restoration areas to harvest seeds (some of which they’ll use in making paper when they return indoors). We offer these Seeds of Sustainability field trips in the fall in conjunction with a forestry grant we received from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The small children and parents in Wednesdays in the Garden are taking advantage of the sun outside, and I can see another group making their slow progress around the grounds.

Inside, Zack Pieper’s Ghost Garden—an installation of hundreds of drawings made on post-its—fills our front windows, casting a yellow glow over the front desk (the Knit@Lynden group was just beyond its reach in the sunroom yesterday). Any minute now, Kellen Abston will transform from the person who greets you when you enter to Klassik, his artist self, to prepare for his performance of THE ARK in our gallery tonight. (Space is limited, so be sure to register online.) There will be a reception starting at 5:30 pm, followed by the first iteration of an audio-visual performance Klassik has been developing during a Lynden artist residency to frame and present new work exploring the concept of Black Pastoral Sonic Landscape Painting. No sooner does that come to an end than we begin installing our next exhibition, Faythe Levine: Time Is Running Out, an exploration-through-objects of the lives of Charlotte Partridge (1882-1975) and Miriam Frink (1892-1977), two women who shaped Milwaukee’s cultural landscape in the twentieth century. Join us for an opening reception on November 15 featuring a conversation between Levine and Seth Ter Haar. For the past several years, Levine and Ter Haar have been pursuing their own lines of research on Partridge and Frink, partners, educators, and co-founders of the Layton School of Art. They come together to explore how curatorial practice, archival research, and community work coalesce to unearth and re-present overlooked histories.

Lynden Teacher-in-Residence Ali Berry guest hosts Creative Time for Families this month. She’ll show you how to make quitapesares (traditional Guatemalan worry dolls) on November 16. Let’s Make Together, Annalesa Albright’s monthly, project-based workshop for 3-5-year-olds and their adults, is off to a good start; on November 18, we’ll be making magical wands.

On November 8, Esther Portnoy leads Lynden by Night under the beaver (super)moon. Sound baths move definitively indoors this month, with Sevan Arabajian-Ries leading a new moon sound bath and astro talk on November 19. On November 22, you can make autumn centerpieces with Annalesa Albright (space is limited—register now); participate in our hands-on Ecology and Management of Invasive Species workshop; or join Jeremy Stepien’s Greenwood Gathering for carvers of all levels. Our annual post-Thanksgiving dog day is on November 29. And speaking of schedule changes, we’ve moved the HOME Book Discussion Group to November 13 this month. We continue with Bolla by Kosovo-born Albanian Finnish novelist Pajtim Statovci.

We’re all about fall land tasks during our Wednesday Work Days and our monthly Garden Work Day (November 13). We’ve been planting trees, so there’s much watering to do.

This continues to be a busy time of year for the Nohl Fellowship program. Tomorrow night (November 6), we host a screening for 2024 Nohl Fellow Justin Goodrum at the UWM Cinema, and on November 12, 2025, Nohl Fellow Michelle Grabner speaks about her film work on the UWM Artists Now series. The 2026 Nohl jurors—Anthony Graham, Mia Lopez, and Eileen Jeng Lynch—arrive on November 20 and will talk about their curatorial interests at the Haggerty Museum of Art that night. All of these events are free, and all are welcome.

Two things are around the corner: we will be opening registration for our winter classes shortly, and we hope to launch our Annual Campaign in the coming weeks. We are considering the top 10 reasons to support Lynden, and we’d like your help. If you have a reason for supporting the sculpture garden that you’d like to share, send it our way!

Keep your eye on the web calendar and the bulletin board as we add fall and winter events.

November 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.

Sunday, November 2, 2025, 2-6 pm

ZACK PIEPER: GHOST GARDEN OPENING AND OUT THERE MUSIC PERFORMANCES

https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/zack-pieper-opening

Lynden celebrates spooky season with Zack Pieper’s site-specific GHOST GARDEN, an installation made specifically for the windows of our main entrance. Join us for A Harvest of the Ghosts and, at sundown, a Ghost Illumination. The Out There series enlivens the proceedings with three spooky outdoor performances: Julian Lynch (Madison), Barbouille Hymn (Peter Barrickman, Xavier Leplae, Didier Leplae, Andrew Kaiser – Milwaukee), and “A Crushed Rose” (Alisa Rodriguez – Milwaukee). Enjoy hot cider, s’mores, and bonfires as the sun goes down and the GHOST GARDEN comes alive. Dress for the weather (feel free to give your Halloween costume one more outing) and consider carpooling—parking is limited and it’s better for the planet. GHOST GARDEN remains on view through November 22, 2025.

Tuesday, November 4, 2025 – 10:30 am-12 pm

KNIT @ LYNDEN WITH ANNALESA ALBRIGHT

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.

November 5, 12, 19, and 26, 2025 – 10-11 am

WEDNESDAYS IN THE GARDEN FOR PARENTS & VERY SMALL CHILDREN

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. Wednesdays in the Garden meets weekly in October, and the themes include Labyrinth Explorations, Colorful Autumn, and Halloween.

Wednesdays, November 5, 12, 19, and 26, 2025 – 10 am-12 pm

WEDNESDAY WORK DAYS

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.

Wednesday, November 5, 2025 – 6:30-7:30 pm (reception begins at 5:30 pm)

KELLEN “KLASSIK” ABSTON: THE ARK PERFORMANCE

https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/kellen-abston-ark-performance

Artist-in-residence Kellen “KLASSIK” Abston mounts the first iteration of THE ARK: an audio-visual performance he is developing to frame and present new work exploring the concept of Black Pastoral Sonic Landscape Painting. The unique and distinctive performance is the culmination of his Lynden residency and the “KLASSROOM” sessions he offered to the public. This semi-immersive experience will transport guests into a visual pastoral landscape through mapped projections washed across the Lynden gallery, sourced from and inspired by media collected during the KLASSROOM workshops. Bringing nature inside the gallery walls, Lynden’s fauna and foliage will serve as a visual backdrop to KLASSIK’S dynamic practice of live musical performance.

Saturday, November 8, 2025, at 5 pm

LYNDEN BY NIGHT: A WALK WITH ESTHER PORTNOY

https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/lynden-night-nov-2025

Come walk Lynden’s grounds with Esther Portnoy of the land team. She 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 Beaver Moon. A bonfire and treats await at the end.

Thursday, November 13, 2025 – 10 am-12 pm

GARDEN WORK DAY: FORMAL GARDEN

https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/2025-garden-work-days

Join us for our monthly formal gardens work day. Join us for one last garden work day as we say goodnight to the gardens until spring, mulching them with leaves, and enjoying the musty scents of autumn.

Thursday, November 13, 2025 – 7-8 pm ***VIRTUAL***

HOME BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP

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 November, we continue with 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!

Saturday, November 15, 2025, 2-5 pm (Gallery Talk Begins at 3 pm)

OPENING RECEPTION: FAYTHE LEVINE – TIME IS RUNNING OUT

https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/faythe-levine-reception

Join artist Faythe Levine for a gallery talk introducing her exhibition, Time Is Running Out, followed by a conversation with artist and curator Seth Ter Haar. For the past several years, Levine and Ter Haar have been pursuing their own lines of research on Charlotte Partridge and Miriam Frink, partners, educators, and co-founders of the Layton School of Art. As artists and curators, Levine and Ter Haar approach the act of remembering as a form of queer world-building; they also extend their historical research beyond the page and into the gallery and the studio. Their conversation will move between the exhibition, shared research subjects, methodology, and the broader implications of their work. Together, they will explore how curatorial practice, archival research, and community work coalesce to unearth and re-present overlooked histories.

Sunday, November 16, 2025 – 12:30-2:30 pm

CREATIVE TIME FOR FAMILIES: QUITAPESARES

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 November, we’ll make Quitapesares (Worry Dolls), small, handcrafted figures originating in Guatemala and other parts of Central America. These tiny dolls are believed to carry worries away when placed under a pillow before bedtime. We’ll explore their cultural significance and create our own unique worry dolls, using fabric, thread, and more.

Tuesday, November 18, 2025 – 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. 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 November, we will be making magical wands.

Wednesday, November 19, 2025 – 6-7:15 pm

NEW MOON SOUND BATH & ASTRO TALK

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.

Saturday, November 22, 2025 – 10 am-12 pm

MAKE A FALL CENTERPIECE WITH ANNALESA ALBRIGHT

https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/fall-centerpiece

Join Annalesa Albright to create a long-lasting candle centerpiece for your table (or perhaps a gift for a host). We will use plants we’ve grown throughout the season (think dried florals and fragrant herbs) to surround a beeswax candle. The herbs will dry out nicely, allowing this piece to be used for the winter months to come. We will be working in a heated studio with open barn doors, so dress appropriately. Warm beverages and treats will be served. Ages 14+ (with attending adult), all materials provided.

Saturday, November 22, 2025 – 10 am-12 pm

THE ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT OF INVASIVE SPECIES

https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/ecology-and-management-invasives

Join Lynden’s land management team for a workshop that dives into the ecology and management of invasive species. Lynden staff use a variety of tools to manage invasive species, including prescribed fire, prescribed browsing by goats, selective herbicide application, hand pulling, and more. The Lynden Invasive Species Management workshops are designed for everyone: from those with no knowledge of invasive species, to the backyard native plant enthusiast, to the professional managing many acres. Each workshop will be specific to the plants that are best controlled at that time of year. Participants will explore the identification and ecology of different invasive species, and the ways they can be managed. After a short presentation on identification and management methods, participants will have an opportunity for hands-on experience with some of the tools we work with here at Lynden.

Saturday, November 22, 2025 – 11 am-4 pm

GREENWOOD GATHERING: CARVERS’ MEET-UP WITH JEREMY STEPIEN

https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/carvers-2025

Join us for the fall 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. In November, as the holiday season approaches, we’ll carve wooden book page holders.

Saturday, November 29, 2025 – 10 am-4 pm

DOG DAYS AT LYNDEN

https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/dog-days-2025

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

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.

Thursday, November 6, 2025, at 7 pm

UWM UNION CINEMA: NOHL FELLOWSHIP SCREENING

JUSTIN GOODRUM

UWM Union Cinema, 2200 E Kenwood Blvd, Milwaukee, WI 53211

FREE

https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/uwm-union-cinema-nohl-fellowship-screening-justin-goodrum

In conjunction with his 2024 Nohl Fellowship, Justin Goodrum will screen early works, MHMBC, The Stigma of the Durag, AL Farming, and Bookend (a proof of concept for Christopher), exploring the intersections of creativity, community, and self-discovery. This curated screening invites you to experience his evolution as a filmmaker and learn more about his upcoming debut feature, Christoper, a powerful story about art, mental health, and the courage to keep going.

Wednesday, November 12, 2025, at 7:30 pm ***VIRTUAL***

UWM DEPARTMENT OF ART & DESIGN: ARTISTS NOW! GUEST LECTURE SERIES

MICHELLE GRABNER

https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/artistnow-michelle-grabner

Throughout the fall and spring semesters, the Artists Now! Guest Lecture Series welcomes a diverse group of nationally and internationally recognized artists working across traditional, hybrid, and emergent disciplines. Michelle Grabner is an artist, writer, and curator. She is the Crown Family Professor of Art at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she has taught since 1996. Her work is in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, Walker Art Center, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, MUDAM – Musée d’Art Moderne Luxembourg, and the Milwaukee Art Museum, among others. Grabner, along with artist Brad Killam, runs the artist-run project spaces The Suburban (Milwaukee, est. 1999), and The Poor Farm (Little Wolf, WI, est. 2008). Grabner is a recipient of a 2025 Mary L. Nohl Fund Fellowship for Individual Artists.

Thursday, November 20, 2025

TALKS BY 2026 NOHL JURORS

Reception begins at 6 pm; talk begins at 6:30 pm.

Haggerty Museum of Art, 1234 W Tory Hill St, Milwaukee, WI 53233 (on the Marquette University campus)

https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/talks-2026-nohl-jurors

The three jurors who will be selecting the recipients of the 2026 Greater Milwaukee Foundation’s Mary L. Nohl Fund for Individual Artists Fellowships will give a public talk about their institutions and curatorial interests at the Haggerty Museum of Art at Marquette University. Come meet Anthony Graham, Senior Curator, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley, California; Mia Lopez, Curator of Latinx Art, McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, Texas; and Eileen Jeng Lynch, Director of Curatorial Programs, The Bronx Museum of Art, New York. The talk begins at 6:30 pm and is preceded by an informal reception.

The sculpture garden will be closed from December 24, 2025, through January 1, 2026, reopening on January 2.

Faythe Levine’s exhibition, Time Is Running Out, remains on view in the gallery through March 14, 2026. Annalesa Albright’s knitting group meets on December 2, Sevan Arabajian-Ries leads a full moon sound bath and astro talk on December 4, and Annalesa will be back with Alyx Christensen to make natural wreaths on December 13. Jeremy Stepien offers a woodworking workshop on December 5: we’ll be making jam spreaders (a perfect holiday gift). The HOME Book Discussion Group meets virtually on December 18 to continue reading Bolla by Pajtim Statovci; earlier that day, we release the latest episode of Stories as We Move, a refugee-to-refugee interview series. The Wednesday Work Days continue weekly through December 10, then go on hiatus until February. Wednesdays in the Garden meets weekly through December 17, and the topics for December are Signs of Winter, Feathered Friends, and Gingerbread Fun. Creative Time for Families takes over the studio on December 14 to make holiday cards, and Let’s Make Together, our new program for 3-5-year-olds and their adults, meets on December 16 to adorn solstice candles. Dog day is December 20.

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.