Director's Note 1/1/19
It is 2019, the air is filled with diminutive snowflakes, and Lynden is open for another year. I can see Floyd, our semi-resident canine, following Kyle across the grounds, bushy tail swinging. Over in the residency studio, Sergio and Patrick are installing the kiln, and down in the shop Emma is repairing and repainting our many, many storm windows. Inside the house, I can hear, just below the hum of the geothermal heating system, the sound of processing and planning as we close the books on 2018 and prepare for 2019.
January is the time for two perennial favorites designed to counter the hibernating tendency: Light Up the Garden and Winter Carnival. The former is an excellent time to spend an afternoon and early evening at Lynden, first making a lantern and then taking it on a night walk with naturalist Naomi Cobb. We end with a bonfire and treats. The carnival this year has been organized by Lynden’s Joe Acri, who has invited artist Jordan Rosenow to create an 80-foot by 80-foot textile grid on the grounds that will be activated periodically by performances featuring students in Kim Miller’s class at MIAD. Rosenow, a Brooklyn-based visual and performance artist who focuses on the relationships of objects through simple gestures and whose choreography explores the overlap between dance and sculpture by performing stillness and repetitive movements, will be in residence at Lynden for two weeks. Lynden’s local artists-in-residence will be out in force: Jenna Knapp and the Self-Care Studio will be on hand to kick off Knapp’s new project, Labyrinth Society of Lynden Sculpture Garden; Gary Gresl will be erecting a pop-up sculpture under his favorite tree; and Kim Khaira will be staffing a henna booth with Laj Waghray. We’ll keep adding activities, so keep an eye on our calendar for updates.
January gets off to a fast start with Verbs as Images/Images as Verbs, a workshop with writer LeAnne Howe (and a collaboration with Woodland Pattern). Other workshops include enameling with Leslie Perrino, and—because it helps to think about spring and summer in January—a workshop with former land manager Claire Hitchcock Tilton on planning a vegetable garden for continuous harvest. The Self-Care Studio puts in an appearance mid-month to show you how to make self-love trading cards. The weekly art drop-ins resume next week, and there’s a special extended-hours drop-in on January 21, when many schools are closed. The January homeschool day explores collecting in its various forms, and the hardy infants and toddlers of Tuesdays in the Garden will be examining winter patterns. Dogs will be examining whatever they like on dog day. For a complete listing of upcoming events, check out our web calendar, or get your hands on our winter brochure, due back from the printer by the end of the week. If you stop in to pick up a brochure, be sure to wander inside to see our latest exhibition, Clement Meadmore: The Models. We hope to announce programming related to the exhibition sometime soon.
Ice skating remains an open question. We’ll keep you posted on Facebook as to conditions. When the ice is thick enough, we clear the Little Lake on the weekends; if you’re interested in skating during the week, we are more likely to hand you a shovel and invite you to clear your own space. Snowshoers and cross-country skiers are welcome whenever there is enough snow. If we get sufficient snow heading into a weekend, and time permits, we may also pack down a trail around Big Lake.
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all of you who contributed to our annual campaign, renewed a membership, or purchased memberships as gifts. Whether you value Lynden as a lively laboratory for artists, students, and educators, or as an oasis of tranquility, your support is what allows us to flourish.
