Director's Note 8/1/12
August has brought a return of green (amazing how fast the grass can go from utterly parched to reasonably hopeful), just in time for the plein-air painters who are joining Eric Aho for his workshop, Direct Response: An Outdoor Painting Workshop this weekend. If this rare opportunity slipped past you, and you are interested in joining the group, please give us a call right away!
August is also the month for our final summer art camps, the opening of a new exhibition (a new iteration of the Inside/Outside series featuring artists Will Pergl and Shona Macdonald), an open-air screening of Andy Warhol’s Kiss, a pulp intensive with Sally Duback and another dog day. Yoga in the Garden will be offered each Sunday this month.
In between dismantling Gos Sa Mer, our previous show, and scraping wallpaper off the walls, Sergio, Patrick and our intern, Miguel, have been repairing the float for Marta Pan’s Floating Sculpture. We’re still hoping to put it in the water for a little while this summer. Bob and Weston have been keeping the trees hydrated and helping Roy Staab with his new work, Chiral Formation, now on view in the Little Lake (watch for Kat Murrell’s video interview with Roy on ThirdCoast Digest). They spent last weekend removing a large spruce tree that went down in the storm, landing in the middle of a Clement Meadmore sculpture (no damage—you can see the picture on Flickr or Facebook). Jeremy, Jenna and Christine have been leading their chargers through a wonderful variety of projects in the summer camps, and Sally Duback’s group finished up their week with a puppet show.
We also launched our mobile web site, which will load automatically on your iPhone, iPad or other electronic device when you go to our web address. Check it out: it contains all the info you need to plan a visit, a quick summary of upcoming events, and a convenient way to reference the sculpture collection as you stroll the grounds. Let us know what you think!
But a most of our attention and energy is focused on our very first fundraiser, Harry and Peg Bradley’s Backyard Barbecue. We would like to give Braise an accurate headcount for the August 16 event as soon as possible, so if you haven't sent in your reply please do so soon. They will be putting together some wonderful food, there will be magic from Ben Seidman, plenty of activities from our education staff, music, and a silent auction. Did I mention a Sassy Cow ice cream bar? We’re running a shuttle bus from the Park & Ride next to the Brown Deer exit of I-43, so you don’t need to worry about parking.
It should be a fun and relaxed evening for people of all ages, and it benefits Lynden’s education programs. As money for field trips, the arts, and physical education drops out of school budgets, consider helping us share Lynden’s unique combination of art and nature with kids all over southeastern Wisconsin by supporting bus transportation, underwriting the cost of tours and hands-on art experiences, and providing scholarships for classes and camps. Gather up your friends and relatives and join us on August 16th!
Speaking of education, our studio classes resume in September, and we’ll be adding a weekly watercolor class for adults to the roster. Watch for a Natural Dyes Workshop with Christine Kozik: she’ll be looking at the natural science and chemistry of the process as participants gather materials at Lynden and make their own dyes. Thea Kovac will be back with a workshop in October, and Kelly Lahl returns in November with another Silk Scarf Painting Workshop.
