Director's Note 7/1/13
Summer is when we get to stretch out a bit at the garden and do some things that don’t make sense in the colder months. On July 13 outdoor dance returns to Lynden with a performance of Nora Chipaumire’s Miriam. All through the winter months we work with Alverno Presents to plan future performances, often working a year or two in advance. Last summer Chipaumire made a visit to Lynden to choose a site for her powerful work, and then went off on an extensive tour of what was conceived as an indoor, theatrical piece.
And yet there is a certain poetry in Miriam’s arrival at Lynden at this moment, and particularly its location on the grounds. After walking among the trees and sculptures for well over an hour last June, we ended up in the dump, the hidden place where we abandon--sometimes temporarily and sometimes permanently--everything from bricks to old fencing to boats that have lost the knack of floating. The place spoke to Chipaumire, and to Miriam Makeba’s life in the South African townships. We did not know that a year later our minds would be fixed on South Africa, on President Obama’s visit and the hospital bed of Nelson Mandela. It promises to be a special evening, and we urge you to buy your tickets early (seating is capped) and to arrive by 7 pm in order to make your way en masse to the performance site at the appointed time.
If you choose to picnic or wander early on July 13, you’ll be able to view Emilie Clark’s exhibition, Sweet Corruptions, in the house and on the grounds, and you can sneak a peek at the next nAbr gallery installation, Plein Air, Plain Air. Ashley Janke continues her residency by organizing an exhibition of John Riepenhoff’s paintings in her diminutive, open-ceilinged space. The official opening is on July 14. Janke is also planning a picnic and poetry event at the end of the month, and we are offering a discount on admission to those who pedal to Lynden.
As things come in, others disappear. We are hosting an event on July 6 to bid farewell to Linda Wervey Vitamvas’s Indigenous Transience, one of the earliest temporary works installed at Lynden, as we unveil her new installation, Feast. The artist will be distributing the small clay bowls that lined her I-beam, dispersing the work finally and completely. We will be filling in the ghost of an incision that was Shana McCaw and Brent Budsberg’s Coal-and-Ice, and Roy Staab’s Chiral Formation is also scheduled to depart, though there is a temporary work on the south lawn that Staab made with the students of the UWM Art Education Institute this past week that may still be visible. A temporary exhibition of works made by the Institute participants is on view in the porch through July 7.
A little housekeeping: a reminder that we are closed July 4 (we’d be closed anyway—it’s a Thursday) as well as July 28. All sessions of Tuesdays in the Garden are full for July and August. We will be announcing fall dates soon (email us if you’d like to be alerted) and in the interim you can try dropping by the morning of a session to see if there’s been a cancellation (kids get sick, they succumb to drowsiness and sleep at the wrong time);if not you and your small child can still enjoy a pleasant morning in the garden. There’s plenty of room for yoga and t’ai chi, and a few spots left in our later summer camps. And it’s time to get your registration in for Sally Duback’s dimensional papermaking workshop in August.
We now begin the countdown to our second annual Backyard Barbecue, scheduled for August 22. Keep in mind that this is a locavore feast, and we need to make arrangements with farmers and pig-raisers well in advance. Lend us a hand and let us know you’re coming.
We continue to add activities throughout the summer, so keep an eye on our web calendar and our Facebook page. Of course, you don’t need a special event to visit Lynden; we’re open six days a week for quiet contemplation, leisurely strolls, and delightful picnics.
