Director's Note 2/1/17

February 1, 2017

Winter Carnival has come and gone, preceding the snow by a few days. It was probably our warmest winter carnival ever, but the overcast sky and stiff breeze brought many participants indoors—after painting the pond or attempting Miguel Ramirez’s fiendish Hole #2—to make gliders, thaumatropes, candles, pressure prints, and secret gardens. A group of forty colorfully costumed and prop-laden MIAD students, led by their professor, Kim Miller, and accompanied by a silver-clad marching band (MIAD faculty members Will Pergl and Peter Barrickman) lured visitors out for two parades across the grounds, and artist-in-residence Sara Caron, when not dispensing hot cider with ginger and her inimitable trail mix, shepherded a group through the opening prompts of her new map, designed to recreate the experience of attending the Women’s March while crossing Lynden’s grounds (“Head west until you see a landmark. Walk in a wide loop around it…”).

I think all that intent, cold-inspired art-making bodes well for our February Fiber Fest. We are gathering up all of our fibers offerings--or at least a good handful of them--and weaving them into a month’s worth of workshops and events. We'll cover surface design and fabrication, the sculptural and the functional, the beginner-friendly and the challenging (sometimes all in the same workshop). While most workshops are for adults, many will be of interest to teens. A few require some level of skill, but most are open to interested beginners. Whether you take one workshop or several, sign up to acquire a new skill or to make yourself a pair of slippers, February Fiber Fest is an excellent opportunity to come out of hibernation and enjoy all that Lynden has to offer in winter.

The February Fiber Fest Finale is another celebratory communal event: a free family day (all this alliteration!) that invites people of all ages to come to Lynden and knit. We hope to produce enough colorful footage during the knitathon to clothe some of Lynden’s trees. Yarn, needles, and instruction will be provided, but feel free to bring your own, and if you have a small stock of yarn or some spare needles you would like to contribute, you are welcome to drop them off in advance. Expect some treats from Knitting Knook, our free family day sponsor, including special discount coupons, patterns, and door prizes. Knitting circles, solo knitters, and neophytes all welcome. Hot cider and cookies will be provided.

And because we are never quite done with anything, and we didn’t want to miss the opportunity to share fiber worlds with our friends at Jewish Museum Milwaukee, we are offering a special tour of their upcoming exhibition, Fabric of Survival: The Art of Esther Nisenthal Krinitz, on March 2. We will remain for a panel discussion that focuses on the way fabric artists and everyday crafters have innovated to create expressions of resilience in fabric when confronted with traumatic experiences.

The weekly art drop-ins are in full swing, and we have another extended art drop-in on February 20 for those off school that day. It will be a LOVE-ly day for Tuesdays in the Garden on February 14, and dogs have their day on February 18. Draw Print Fold Paint, featuring work by Pat Hidson and Tori Tasch, remains on view through February 19. For those of you who are eagerly awaiting the next installment of the Women’s Speaker Series (Christina Baker Kline on March 5, Kate Southwood—again!—on May 22), we urge you to head over to the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center on Sunday, February 19 (after seeing Pat and Tori’s show) at 2 pm to hear Elinor Lipman, author of On Turpentine Lane, in conversation with WUWM’s Bonnie North. Special thanks to Boswell Book Company for bringing so many fine authors to the neighborhood.

And if you missed your chance at mini-golf at the carnival, we are keeping Hole #2 on the grounds a bit longer—come sign out a club at the front desk.


©2024 Lynden Sculpture Garden