September at Lynden

The return of cooler weather in late August carries an unmistakable end-of-summer message; that, combined with the removal of the tent for the Backyard Barbecue, and the packing away of the dazzling clothes worn so regally at Rosemary Ollison’s fashion show, makes the brain feel as if the rush of programming that is Lynden in the warmer months is over. This is a bit of an illusion. The leaves are still on the trees, the grass is green, the butterflies and bees continue to swoop and dive in the pollinator gardens, and the September calendar looks as packed as ever. Still, darkness is closing in earlier (our last late Wednesday is September 25, and there is no more beautiful time to see the light at Lynden than during fall evenings), and fall visitors are appearing on the grounds and in the ponds as they make their way south.

Our September calendar includes two large, summer-style events: Urban Forest Fest, a family free day, on September 21, and Doors Open on September 29. In between we are taking a quieter approach, with a series of artist-led activities that call attention to changes in the natural world and studio workshops that could help you get a start on your holiday gift-making. Artist-in-residence Jenna Knapp hosts a harvest moon sound bath and candlelight labyrinth walk; poet Chuck Stebelton, accompanied by artist Paul Druecke, leads a fall bird walk; and herbalist Kyle Denton returns for an autumn foraging herb walk. Workshops include Hohokam pottery with Katheryn Corbin, an aroma arts workshop with Mike Paré (you’ll be making incense), and two jewelry-making workshops with Leslie Perrino: you can make fused silver loop earrings in one and work with resin pendants in the other. The Women’s Speaker Series welcomes Lynn Cullen, author of The Sisters of Summit Avenue, on September 16. Rosemary Ollison’s exhibition, Prosperity in a Million Scraps, remains on view all autumn.

As a member of the American Alliance of Museums, Lynden is participating in Welcoming Week 2019, a program of Welcoming America that enlists organizations around the country to welcome new immigrants and refugees into their new communities, by launching a series of bimonthly Conversations on Displacement and the Arts. These conversations among artists, scholars, and community activists will continue the work begun with our first annual refugee celebration, HOME this past June, and will focus attention on these communities as we prepare for the second HOME celebration, scheduled for June 20, 2020. The first conversation takes place on September 14, and in the spirit of Welcoming Week, and Lynden’s commitment to inclusivity, all of these conversations are free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

Several fall activities start up again as school begins: our weekly art drop-in begins on September 18 for those aged 11 and up, and on the 19th for younger children (ages 6-11). For those in the pre-school years, we have Tuesdays in the Garden, a program for very small children and their caregivers. Claudia Orjuela is taking over from the departing Naomi Cobb this month, when participants will be discovering hidden places.

For those of you who live in River Hills, Lynden is the site of the 2019 River Hills World Migratory Bird Day-Arbor Day & Monarch City Day on September 14 from 10 am-12:30 pm. This is an excellent opportunity to meet your neighbors and activate your Lynden memberships.

Artists take note: the 2019 Nohl Fellowship application cycle opens on September 3. Complete information, including a schedule of application workshops, can be found at https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/nohl. There will also be a reception for the biennial Suitcase Exhibition at MIAD on September 5, and 2018 Nohl Fellow Chris Cornelius will deliver an Artists Now! Lecture at UWM on September 11.

September events, arranged chronologically:

Wednesdays, through September 25, 2019
LATE WEDNESDAYS

In the warmer months, Lynden stays up until 7:30 pm on Wednesday evenings, a perfect time to visit Bonsai Exhibit, share a picnic, or take a stroll. Our final late Wednesday of the season is September 25.

Tuesday, September 10, 2019 -10:30am -11:30 am
TUESDAYS IN THE GARDEN: AN OUTING FOR PARENTS & VERY SMALL CHILDREN
The 40 acres that house the Lynden collection of monumental outdoor sculpture are also home to many birds, insects, frogs, mammals and plants. Educator Claudia Orjuela offers a program for the very young that explores a different theme each month, taking into account the changing seasons, and provides an opportunity for those with very small children to engage in outdoor play and art making. The theme for September is hidden places.

Friday, September 13, 2019 – 5:45-8 pm
LABYRINTH SOCIETY OF LYNDEN SCULPTURE GARDEN: HARVEST MOON SOUND BATH +
CANDLE LABYRINTH WALK
The full moon is a time for releasing and cleansing. The light of the full moon illuminates any obstacles or interferences in our lives. Once we recognize our blocks, it becomes easier to let go of what didn’t serve us in the most recent lunar phase. It is an amazing time to reevaluate and recollect. Join artist-in-residence Jenna Knapp to celebrate the Harvest Full Moon with a healing sound bath followed by a candle-lit labyrinth walk. Sound baths are an ancient form of deep meditation; they include various ambient sounds playing in a space where you can hear and feel their vibrations. Your sound healer for the evening will be Milwaukee’s own Catherine Soteira (Cat Ries), initiated by Akhilanka of the Temple of Singing Bowls in Mysore, India. The sound bath last approximately 45-60 minutes. Please bring your own yoga mat, blanket, or towel to rest on for the duration, and dress appropriately for the weather. Candles will be provided for the labyrinth walk, but feel free to bring your own.

Saturday, September 14, 2019 – 10 am-4 pm
HOHOKAM POTTERY: A CERAMICS WORKSHOP WITH KATHERYN CORBIN
Hohokam pottery developed in the river valleys of the Sonoran desert about 1800 years ago. Using a buff colored clay and coil building techniques—as well as a wooden paddle and stone–Hohokam potters made plates, bowls, dishes, pitchers, ladles, and drinking vessels for daily use. Pieces were decorated with a fine, liquid red clay or slip, then piled in a shallow pit and covered with grasses and animal dung. Shards of broken pottery protected the pieces from the flames once the fuel was ignited. The smudges formed by the smoke on the surface of the pottery were known as “fire clouds.” In this workshop we will explore these traditional techniques, materials, and processes to create vessels that can then be smoke-fired at our Fall Sawdust Firing on October 12. Beginners welcome.

Saturday, September 14, 2019 – 1-3 pm
HOME: CONVERSATIONS ON DISPLACEMENT AND THE ARTS
As a member of the American Alliance of Museums, Lynden is participating in Welcoming Week (September 13-22, 2019), a program of Welcoming America that enlists organizations around the country to welcome new immigrants and refugees into their new communities, by launching a series of Conversations on Displacement and the Arts. These conversations among artists, scholars, and community activists will continue the work begun with our first annual refugee celebration, HOME this past June, and will focus attention on these communities as we prepare for the second HOME celebration, scheduled for June 20, 2020. As with similar conversations at Lynden, we will look at displacement broadly, as both an internal and an external phenomenon: from the experiences of refugees and immigrants coming to the United States to those of Indigenous, enslaved, and interned populations within this country. In the spirit of Welcoming Week, and Lynden’s commitment to inclusivity, all of these conversations are free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

Sunday, September 15, 2019 – 8:30-10 am
BIRDING WITH POET CHUCK STEBELTON AND FRIENDS
Poet/birder and artist-in-residence Chuck Stebelton continues his series of bird walks at Lynden this fall, and he’s bringing artist Paul Druecke along for this one. Please wear appropriate footwear and bring your binoculars if you have them; no previous birding experience required.

Sunday, September 15, 2019 – 10 am-3:30 pm
FUSED SILVER LOOP EARRINGS: A WORKSHOP WITH LESLIE PERRINO
Fusing is an ancient technique used to permanently connect precious metals, in this case, fine (pure) silver wire. Cleaner, faster, and less toxic than soldering, fusing involves the use of a hand torch. Leslie Perrino will show you how to fuse fine silver wire into loops that can then be made into earrings complete with earwires. Once you master the techniques, you will have time to make more earrings. No experience required, this workshop is suitable for complete beginners or those looking to expand their jewelry-making skills. All materials and tools supplied. You are welcome to bring beads to add to your earrings.

Sunday, September 15, 2019 – 1-4 pm
AROMA ARTS: AN INCENSE-MAKING WORKSHOP WITH MIKE PARÉ
Learn the basics of making your own natural incense. This workshop introduces a Japanese style of incense-making using traditional materials. Artist Mike Paré, founder of Zouz Incense, a natural incense company, draws from the history of incense to introduce students to a variety of aromatic herbs, spices, tree resins, and powders; discusses the philosophy of fragrance formation; and teaches participants to roll cones or joss sticks. Each participant will finish the workshop with 12-20 pieces of incense.

Monday, September 16, 2019 at 7 pm
WOMEN’S SPEAKER SERIES: LYNN CULLEN, AUTHOR OF THE SISTERS OF SUMMIT AVENUE
This event is co-presented by Milwaukee Reads and Boswell Book Company, with snacks from MKE Localicious. From Lynn Cullen, the bestselling author of Mrs. Poe and Twain’s End, comes a powerful novel set in the Midwest during the Great Depression, about two sisters bound together by love, duty, and pain. An emotional journey of redemption, inner strength, and the ties that bind families together, for better or worse, The Sisters of Summit Avenue is a heartfelt love letter to mothers, daughters, and sisters everywhere.

September 18, 25 – Wednesdays, 3-5:30 pm
WEEKLY ART DROP-IN FOR KIDS AGED 11 and Up
Drop into our studio for informal art exploration. Come for 30 minutes or stay for 2 1/2 hours; visit weekly or stop by when you need an after-school activity; bring a friend or sibling or try it on your own. Each week we’ll introduce different materials, processes and themes, and get you started on a project. We’ll focus on three-dimensional artmaking–though we will also do plenty of painting, drawing and collaging–and make use of Lynden’s special resources: the collection of monumental sculpture and 40 acres of park, lake and woodland.

September 19, 26. – Thursdays, 2:30-5 pm
WEEKLY ART DROP-IN FOR KIDS AGED 6-11
Drop into our studio for informal art exploration. Come for 30 minutes or stay for 2 1/2 hours; visit weekly or stop by when you need an after-school activity; bring a friend or sibling or try it on your own. Each week we’ll introduce different materials, processes and themes, and get you started on a project. We’ll focus on three-dimensional artmaking–though we will also do plenty of painting, drawing and collaging–and make use of Lynden’s special resources: the collection of monumental sculpture and 40 acres of park, lake and woodland.

Saturday, September 21, 2019 – 10 am-4 pm
URBAN FOREST FEST 2019
The Lynden Sculpture Garden is delighted to be partnering once again with Wisconsin Urban Wood to present Urban Forest Fest 2019, a Family Free Day. Urban Forest Fest brings together a range of individuals and organizations with an interest in sustainability–and particularly in the fate of the trees that surround us in our urban and suburban neighborhoods. Through exhibitions, demonstrations, presentations–and plenty of family-friendly hands-on activities and entertainment–we will tell the log-to-table story of urban wood and the many uses for these local trees after they are cut down. Help us spread the word about the role of locally produced wood in a sustainable forest cycle, climb a tree, or just stop by to enjoy the sculpture and the Milwaukee Mandolin Orchestra. Other activities include sawmill demonstrations, urban wood furniture makers, an info fair, hands-on art and nature activities, and an introduction to Lynden’s new birch grove. A free shuttle bus will be running between the Brown Deer Road Park & Ride and Lynden.

Sunday, September 22, 2019 – 1-3 pm
LYNDEN’S GARDEN SERIES: FALL HERB WALK WITH KYLE DENTON
As fall prepares us for winter, so does the medicine found in the natural world. Stroll Lynden’s grounds with herbalist Kyle Denton, foraging the healing plants found in the wilds of southeast Wisconsin. Inside, we’ll prepare these herbs, sample them, and discuss their energetic qualities. Drawing on folklore, ancient wisdom, plant identification, and science, Denton will expand your understanding of our relationship to the natural world.

Saturday, September 28, 2019 – 10 am-5 pm
DOG DAYS AT LYNDEN
Bring your canine friends for a summer stroll. Dogs must be leashed and considerate of other visitors, canine and human.

Saturday, September 28, 2019 – 10 am-4 pm
RESIN PENDANTS: A JEWELRY WORKSHOP WITH LESLIE PERRINO
Participants will produce a series of pendants by collaging materials and covering them in resin. First, you’ll make a mini-collage by choosing from a large selection of decorative papers, photos, and small objects–charms, beads, shells, etc.—and arranging them in a diminutive pendant tray. Then the tray will be filled with clear resin and will harden into a unique pendant. The possibilities are endless! Learn how to prep and reduce bubble formation to get lovely results and expect to bring home at least four pendants by the end of the day. Students are encouraged to bring their own materials and mementos, or collect items on Lynden’s grounds, if desired. No experience required, and all materials supplied. Bring a bag lunch and beverages, and dress for the weather if you would like to do some outdoor collecting.

Sunday, September 29, 2019 – 10 am-5 pm
DOORS OPEN MILWAUKEE
The Lynden Sculpture Garden joins Doors Open Milwaukee for a day of free tours and activities. Explore on your own with self-guided scavenger hunts, orienteering challenges, and plein air painting. Or, take one of many short tours during the day. Artists, docents, and staff will introduce you to their favorite sculptures, the back acres, the pollinator gardens, the bonsai exhibition, the conservation shop, and a variety of behind-the-scenes spots in the house and barn.

COMING UP IN OCTOBER

October looks like fall with the weekly art drop-ins in full swing, a dog day on October 19, and a drop-in family workshop on October 20. You can spot migrating birds with Chuck Stebelton on October 6; the very young can explore colorful autumn with Tuesdays in the Garden on October 8; and you can take a moon walk on October 11. You can join Katheryn Corbin for a sawdust firing (October 12); discover the medicinal uses of invasive plants with Angela Kingsawan (October 13); and create beaded gourds with Kate Shoemaker (October 19). Artist-in-residence Jenna Knapp begins a new, seasonal video project, Dress Rehearsal, on October 26 by inviting you to move with her in the labyrinth; and we team up with Woodland Pattern Book Center for a workshop–of special interest to educators–with Peter Markus, author of Inside My Pencil: Teaching Poetry in Detroit Public Schools. And a heads up to artists: your Nohl Fellowship application is due October 3.

The geese are back,

Polly
8/31/19

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.