Lynden Blog

We often see wild turkeys roaming the grounds at Lynden, usually in small groups of 3 or 4. Occasionally, I'll look up from my desk to see a turkey or two running full speed across the lawn (truly a sight to behold!) Earlier this week, however, Patrick came across a rafter* of 23 turkeys crossing the access road. He had the presence of mind to take a short video with his phone, and today we share it with you. Enjoy!

* the correct collective noun for a group of turkeys, according to http://palomaraudubon.org/collective.html.

We'd like to thank all the organizers, participants, and attendees of our Second Annual Winter Carnival for making it such a success. If you missed it, or simply would like to relive the magic, read on.

After a long stretch of mild weather, we began to wonder if our carnival might not end up lacking in wintry atmosphere. As luck would have it, a snowstorm hit the day before the carnival, and we arrived at the garden Friday morning to sufficient snow and a more-than-sufficient icy chill in the air.

Jeff Filipiak, Milwaukee's "Ambassador of Snow," began the day with a short talk encouraging attendees to appreciate all the gifts Wisconsin winters have to offer.

To see Jeff's photo album from the Winter Carnival, click here, and to read more about his project, check out MilwaukeeSnow.com.

The Carnival kicked into high gear:

Attendees made Valentines in the upstairs art studio,

took a docent-led tour of the sculpture garden,

and joined Sara Caron & Ashley Janke's day-long Capture the Flag Tournament.

Contestants assembling.

Meanwhile, guest artist Gitte Bog began her all day tailgate project. In the week leading up to the carnival, Bog asked Milwaukeeans to fill out two surveys. One asked several questions about Milwaukee, the other asked questions about food. Using the results from these surveys, Bog prepared two soups: Everybody's Favorite Vegetable Soup and Milwaukee Soup.

Carnival attendees stopped by her tailgate to sample the soups, and received a napkin containing a message from the Milwaukee survey. It was an opportunity to experience Milwaukee in new ways, plus the soup provided some warm nourishment for those braving the cold.

Gitte Bog is a Danish-born artist who is currently located in Mexico City. Learn more about her work here.

There were multiple ways to score points in the Capture the Flag tournament, and only one of them involved actually capturing flags. All attendees joined either Elisabeth Albeck's Blue Team or Cody Frei's Orange Team, and earned points for their team by participating in events. Points were earned for taking a Tree Walk with Linda Stehman...

for painting the pond,

and for participating in checkpoint projects. The first checkpoint project was Neil Gasparka's Tivoli Ice Slide, a track for racing icy objects.

The blue and orange teams raced each other for points.

The second check point was Richard Galling's plein air challenge. Participants had 15 minutes to complete a plein air painting. Gloves had to be kept on for maximum encumbrance.

To earn points in a warmer setting, participants dipped candles in the art studio.

Finally, after a long day of activities, people gathered in the foyer to regain feeling in their fingers and toes and to learn the results of the days tournament.

After some complicated tallying, Sara and Ashley announced the winners...

Elisabeth Albeck's Blue Team!

The Lynden Cup

After all the hot cider and cookies were gone, it was time to draw the curtain on a successful Second Annual Winter Carnival. We hope to see you next year for the third one!

To see pictures from the Journal Sentinel, click here.

If you missed it last week, Jim Stingl of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wrote a column about Near Here, a piece by 2010 Nohl Fellow Paul Druecke. The piece, a bronze plaque which at first glance appears to be a historic marker but upon further inspection reveals its poetic qualities, is currently sited on Prospect Avenue, by UWM's Peck School of the Arts Kenilworth building. To read the column, click here. To learn more about the Nohl fellowship program, click here.

Our Second Annual Winter Carnival is fast approaching, and we are excited to announce Gitte Bog as our Winter Carnival Guest Artist.

Gitte Bog is a Danish artist who lives and works in Mexico City. Her social art practice is site- and context-responsive and participatory in nature, and she thinks of it as a platform for dialogue. Bog is interested in the poetic possibilities in everyday materials, activities and places. Inspired by traditional work methods and everyday activities, hobbies and celebrations, she explores identity, memory, history, cultural differences (and similarities) and language. Singing, dancing, knitting, cooking, talking, walking and planting seeds have all found their way into her work, which takes different forms: live art, video, audio and installation. Bog finds some everyday activities simultaneously fascinating and frustrating; by resetting their rules or creating rituals of her own, she questions the authoritarian presence that often masks these benign activities. Fusion and chance are central elements in her work.

At Lynden, Bog will be creating a new food-based, site responsive project for the tailgating portion of Sara Caron and Ashley Janke's garden-wide Capture the Flag tournament.

Bog obtained her degrees in visual arts in London, where she lived for more than ten years. She has been awarded several residencies and commissions and her work is shown in galleries in Europe and the Americas. She is the co-founder of two organizations in Mexico City that offer local communities free art workshops and other cultural activities. More info: www.gb09.com/

And remember: our Second Annual Winter Carnival is Saturday, February 11, 10 am-4 pm. See you there!