Director's Note 12/1/17
December is all about dusk. This is the time of year when—in the twilight hour—I feel the gravitational pull of the earth, and my place in the solar system, most profoundly. It is not just the early darkness, though that guarantees a splendid parade of sunsets, a remix of colors, clouds, and patterns, toward the end of each work day. It’s the angle of the sun, the way it aligns these spectacles with the view through my southwest-facing windows, and the closeness of the sky that transform the intellectual concepts of rotation and revolution into physical sensations. I dip and swing each day as we make our way through the universe.
This, too, is the time of year when we ask for your support. We try to keep our pleas to a minimum, but it's important for us to take stock at the end of the year and to share our ideas about what makes Lynden worthy of your continued commitment. We hope that you consider renewing your membership, or purchasing memberships as gifts for friends and family members. Sarah Luther's Lynden notecards, Sara Caron's Lynden T-shirts (in eight sizes!) and Big Lake enamel pins, as well as the catalogues that illuminate various aspects of the Lynden enterprise, make great gifts, too. Proceeds from the sale of T-shirts, notecards, and catalogues support Lynden's education, conservation and publication programs. We hope, too, that you put Lynden on your gift list this year, and make a tax-deductible donation that will help this laboratory at the intersection of art and nature thrive in 2018. We will be sending out a few e-reminders in the coming weeks; donate now and delete them with confidence.
We begin December with a Long Nights Moon Walk this Sunday. If you arrive before total darkness, you can spot bird nests--some resembling Seussian hairstyles, others compact spheres wedged between forking branches--high up in the leafless trees. We will take advantage of the early darkness to start at 4:30 pm and will end up around a fire in plenty of time for you to get home for dinner. Holiday gift-making also continues, and there are spaces left for Maggie Sasso’s rope coil vessel workshop on the 9th. (Check out the description below: coil weaving has functional and sculptural applications, and Sasso will send you home with a vessel that will make an excellent gift.) We have another all-ages activity on Dec. 10, a drop-in family workshop for making holiday cards. The very young meet for winter fun at our Tuesdays in the Garden session on Dec. 5, and Mb winds down in the middle of the month. Mid-month is quite busy, with a dog day on the 16th and a Women’s Speaker Series event with Jennifer Chiaverini on the 18th. Chiaverini will be introducing her latest piece of historical fiction, Enchantress of Numbers. Joseph Mougel returns for Still River, the second half of his site-specific performance project on Dec. 21, completing the hole digging begun on the summer solstice.
Bird counters are still welcome to join Project FeederWatch. Though we don’t appear to be in ice-skating season yet, keep an eye on our Facebook page—we’ll post when there’s enough ice to skate. Finally, take advantage of a spare moment to drop in and see our current exhibition of small works by artists who have sculptures in our permanent sculpture collection. If the weather remains warm, you will be able to wander outside to visit the companion works.
Calling all artists: the 2017 cycle of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation’s Mary L. Nohl Fund for Individual Artists Suitcase Export Fund opened today. Applications can be found here: https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/content/mary-l-nohl-suitcase-expor...
Lynden will close for the holiday at the end of the day on December 22, reopening the morning of January 2. This is not to say that we won’t be here working, though perhaps on somewhat erratic schedules. Members are welcome to give a call or send an email to see about making a holiday visit (another great reason to become a member).
