Willy's blog

2010 Nohl Fellow Brent Coughenour has been busy screening work and premiering a live performance this spring. On April 15 he offered a live performance of The Physical Impossibility of Life in the Mind of Someone Dead--a work that makes up part of his Nohl exhibition--at the Experiments in Cinema Festival in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Four days later, on April 19, he screened The Prognosticator (Or, We Are All Pythagoreans Now) at the UWM Union Theatre in Milwaukee as part of What's On is Off, a program of found footage films with filmmakers Jesse Mclean and Kent Lambert. The film will screen again on June 4 at 5 pm at the Chicago Underground Film Festival. Details here: http://cuff.org/2011-fest/full-schedule/

Inside/Outside artists Shana McCaw + Brent Budsberg are en route to Wendover, Utah to begin a residency with The Center for Land Use Interpretation. The distance from Milwaukee to Wendover is 1558 miles, so, appropriately, they've named their blog documenting the journey 1558 Miles to Wendover.

Brent and Shana will be back at Lynden on June 29 for their Inside/Outside Closing Event. You can join the artists for a picnic at 6:30 pm (bring your own picnic). At 7:30 pm, McCaw + Budsberg will release a small publication and screen a video of their February performance at Lynden. The evening will conclude with the artists re-igniting their outdoor sculpture, Coal-and-ice.

Now that the weather has improved (sort of), the sculptures that were brought inside for the winter are going back out into the garden. Last week, Sergio and Patrick moved Samuel Buri's Des Vaches: Mo, Ni, Que, aka the cow sculptures, back to their home on the far side of the pond.

This is a call to artists! Our friends at Milwaukeeriverkeeper recently announced their Second Annual Arts and the Rivers Contest. They're looking for "visual works that convey the beauty and importance of our waterways in an artistically meaningful way." The contest is open to both amateurs and professionals, working in any visual medium. The top 30 finalists will have their work displayed at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design. In addition, the top 4 will receive a cash prize. For more info, click here.

Big news at Lynden today: our outdoor bathrooms have reopened for the season. We'll also have our outdoor water fountain running in a week or two, when all danger of frost has passed.

We're open today until 5 pm. This Sunday, which is Mother's Day, we're open from noon until 5 pm, so bring a great mother you know for an afternoon of art and nature!

This morning, artists Kevin Schlei and Lynn Tomaszewski lead a birdwatching expedition at Lynden. Participants spotted 21(!) different species of birds. Highlights included Double-crested Cormorants, Belted Kingfisher, Spotted Sandpiper, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Yellow-throated Warblers, and Eastern Bluebird.

Inside/Outside: Kevin Schlei + Lynn Tomaszewski is currently on view in the gallery and on the grounds.

Lynden's been popping up in the media lately:

Listen to Lynden's executive director Polly Morris on WUWM's Lake Effect program here.

Plus, there are some nice shots of the Lynden Sculpture Garden in yesterday's Fox 6 piece on the City of Milwaukee Arts Board's effort to bring Milwaukee's public art to Wikipedia. Click here to watch.

Several sculptures that have been in storage or in repair during the winter have been returned to their rightful place in the garden. Come in today to see Heinz Mack's Knife Tree (1966) and Three Graces (1965), Lyman Kipp's Lodgepole (1968), and Bernard Heiliger's Unfolding (1968).

The snow has melted, the ponds are once again water rather than ice, and winter is turning to spring (although not quite as quickly as we might like). For a look back at our winter events, check out this article from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and this piece from the Shepherd Express.

Looking forward to spring, there are a number of exciting things happening at Lynden. On April 17th, we host our Kites over Lynden kite-making workshop, which also offers participants a chance to meet our Summer Art Camps staff. (The entire schedule of Summer Art Camps can be viewed online, here.) Later that afternoon we will be holding the opening reception for Inside/Outside: Kevin Schlei + Lynn Tomaszewski. Click here for more info on their multi-media installation.

Our extended summer hours begin May 18th, at which point we'll be open from 12 pm-5 pm every Sunday, and 10 am until dusk every Wednesday. Bring a picnic, and enjoy it amidst sculpture and nature! Or, better yet, come picnic with artists Shana McCaw and Brent Budsberg on June 29th, for the closing event of their Inside/Outside exhibition.

We'll keep you posted about more great events on our Facebook page, our twitter, and right here on our blog. We hope to see you soon!

This Sunday, March 27th, Jeremy Stepien hosts our Reusable Tote Bags workshop. Drop by Lynden between noon and 3:30 pm to make a reusable, environmentally-friendly alternative to your classic plastic bag. You'll also have an opportunity to meet our staff and learn more about our Summer Art Camps. See you there!