Richard Shilling and Julia Brooklyn
Free.
Lynden rolls out its first Family Free Day of the year. Our 10th annual Winter Carnival features artist projects, games, drop-in studio activities, and surprises orchestrated by Michael Lagerman. Watch for several activities and interventions from our artists-in-residence: a large-scale land art project from guests Richard Shilling and Julia Brooklyn; a pop-up sculpture entitled A Ballad for Disappearing Beasts from Gary John Gresl; a collective reading of Carl Sandbury’s Rootabaga Stories directed by Chuck Stebelton; and two activities from Jenna Knapp (Labyrinth Seeding and the letter writing project, Dear Self, With Love). Our sponsoring arborists, Davey Tree Expert, will be climbing the taller trees in the morning, and several chefs from the refugee community will provide snacks throughout the day (donations welcome). Land manager Kyle Welna promises to build a Quinzhee (snow permitting), and skates, snowshoes, and cross-country skis are welcome if the conditions are suitable. Our highly participatory, artist-driven carnival offers something for everybody.
Check back: we're still updating the schedule!
Schedule
10 AM-4 PM: JOSEPH MOUGEL: LYNDEN UPSIDE DOWN
Joseph Mougel, Head of Photography and Imaging at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, brings his mobile camera obscura to Lynden for the carnival. An early projection technology, dating back to the 19th century, camera obscura means "dark room." Light passing through a pinhole in a wall creates an inverted image of the scene outside. Join Mougel on the grounds to explore this optical phenomenon and make your own images.
10 AM-4 PM: KYLE SEIS: I DON’T KNOW WHERE THE DUSTWIND GOES
Kyle Seis is an artist and photographer, and he programs CHAMBER, an artist-run space in Milwaukee. "I Don't Know Where the Dust Goes" is a snippet of a snippet. His temporary installation will present an old image in a new way.
10 AM-4 PM: GARY JOHN GRESL: A BALLAD FOR DISAPPEARING BEASTS
Artist-in-residence Gary John Gresl creates his final pop-up sculpture at Lynden, a complement to his durational temporary installation, The Body Farm.
10 AM-4 PM: RICHARD SHILLING: LAND ART FILMS
Need to warm up? The land art films Richard Shilling curated for the 2020 Land Art Festival in Llano, Texas, will be playing on a loop in the house. The selection of films includes: Horizon Line Chamber by Chris Drury; Sacred Cycles by Richard Shilling; Direct Transmission by Michael Grab/Gravity Glue; and Land Art: Art on the Border by Artur Dowgird.
10 AM-12:30 PM: WATERSHED
As the snow and ice melts, we will embark on an all-ages painting project that explores wet media and the uncontrollable, ever-changing nature of water. Using ice, snow, and water colored with pigment, we’ll take the spontaneous imagery created as water changes from one state to another as the starting point for our paintings.
10 AM-12 PM: CHUCK STEBELTON: COLLECTIVE READING OF ROOTABAGA STORIES
Artist-in-Residence Chuck Stebelton hosts a group reading of Carl Sandburg's "Rootabaga Stories." Lend your reading voice, or take a break from the Winter Carnival to warm up and listen for a while.
10 AM-11:30 AM: NATURALIST TABLE
Examples of Lynden's wildlife will be on display, as well as a challenge to find evidence of their existence on our grounds. Super nature detectives win prizes. Snowflake catchers and hand lens also available if there is snow.
10:30 AM-2:30 PM: RICHARD SHILLING & JULIA BROOKLYN: MAKE LAND ART
Winter Carnival artists-in-residence Richard Shilling and Julia Brooklyn present a series of temporary land art sculptures amidst Lynden’s permanent collection. The artists are joining us from the United Kingdom where they work, host workshops, and run the program Land Art for Kids. Both of the artists are dedicated to playful experimentation and collaboration with the landscape. Throughout their 2 week residency, Shilling and Brooklyn are spending time getting to know the indecisive Wisconsin winter weather patterns and are using found and natural raw materials at Lynden to create ephemeral works across the grounds. During the carnival they will be working on a large-scale, participatory build—so come and join them!
10:30 AM-12 PM: TREE CLIMBING DEMO WITH DAVEY TREE
Winter Carnival sponsors Davey Tree will give a demonstration of the techniques their arborists use to climb tall trees in the winter.
11 AM-3 PM: HOME: TASTE THE WORLD
Kim Khaira, artist-in-residence and liaison to the HOME steering committee, has organized three teams of refugee chefs to share their snacks with you on this wintery day. All snacks are free, but donations welcome!
Khin Blay and May June Paw grew up in the same refugee camp in Thailand but did not meet until 2016, the year that Khin Blay and May June's brother married. Since then, Khin Blay, an expert chef in their traditional cuisine, has taught May June the many ways of cooking Karen and Burmese food. The sisters-in-law come together to serve one savory and one sweet snack: Buu Thee Kyaw, a gourd-onion tempura dipped in a tangy sauce, and sticky rice with coconut. May June moved to the States in 2012 and is studying Education at UWM with the love and support of family members and friends. Khin Blay is currently a stay-at-home mother living with her husband and daughter in Milwaukee.
Sumeya Osman is a Somali refugee who lived in Uganda as an urban refugee for six years. She is offering a Somali twist on a snack presented in many cultures and traditions: stuffed pocket pastries. Known as samosas or sambusas, these are Sumeya's specialty creations. She will bring to us a surprise vegetarian sambusa; its delicious contents only known when she purchases the freshest ingredients from local markets. As a community advocate and interpreter, her experience and skills range from working as a community health worker, to supporting initiatives at the local level with Public Allies, and advocating for refugee rights. Sumeya is an active member of the HOME steering committee, and is busily engaged with the planning of this annual, community-directed refugee event at Lynden. She is the event's co-MC, alongside Rohingya refugee Hasina Begum.
Tahani Fadel is from Daraa, Syria and has been living in Milwaukee since the fall of 2016. She is married with eight kids, and is known in her community as an active, supportive member and wonderful chef for family and community events (she shared her delicious grape leaves with us at HOME 2019). With cooking as her passion, she has given much of her time and effort to showing support and engaging with people through homemade goods. She is currently catering in the Milwaukee area and has been involved in Tables Across Borders, a series coordinated by Kai Mishlove and community collaborators. Working with Sheila Badwan, the head coordinator of Hanan Refugee Relief's Milwaukee Chapter, Tahani is making snacks unique to her country of origin.
11 AM-12 PM & 2:30-3:30 PM: JENNA KNAPP: DEAR SELF, WITH LOVE LETTER-WRITING WORKSHOP
Dear Self, With Love is an informal letter writing workshop hosted by artist-in-residence Jenna Knapp. Guests attend the pop-up workshop to write a letter to their future self. Sign, seal, write your return address, and deposit it into a handmade mailbox and have it sent back to you at the beginning of 2021.
11 AM-12 PM & 1 PM-2 PM: PEGI CHRISTIANSEN: IS THIS FAIR?
Pegi Christiansen was an artist in residence at Lynden in 2014 and 2015. Her 5-minute performance, "Is this Fair?,” takes a look at the electoral college and makes the case for the National Popular Vote bill. Lynden is one of many stops on Christiansen’s nonpartisan voting project tour of Wisconsin that began in September 2019 and will continue through August 2020. During the Democratic National Convention next summer, Christiansen plans to perform a revised national version of “Is this Fair?” many times every day.
For more information on the National Popular Vote bill: https://www.nationalpopularvote.com
11:30 AM-1:30 PM: ADAM BEADEL: GRAVITY COMPUTER: BETA TESTING
Artist, poet, and computer scientist Adam Beadel unveils his flagship machine to the public for live beta-testing. Be a part of computational history by running one of the first programs on Mr. Beadel’s handcrafted computer. Your feedback is of great help to the creation of future programs.
12 PM & 2 PM: KIM MILLER & STUDENTS: REHEARSAL - CAPTURING THE MOON IN SOFT FOCUS
Employing performative techniques from the Theatre of the Oppressed, artist Kim Miller and her students from Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design will perform two iterations of "Capturing the Moon in Soft Focus," a 20-minute performance. The performance takes inspiration from the Carnival's coincidence with the Lunar New Year and will explore reactions to the moon's visuality.
1 PM-4 PM: DIP CANDLE MAKING
Warm up in the art studio and make candles the old-fashioned way, by dipping a string in wax. This activity is designed as a drop-in and is open to all ages (young children may need parental assistance).
1-3 PM: JEFF ZIMPEL: CAPTURING BRUSHSTROKES
Jeff Zimpel is a Milwaukee artist and educator who is currently pursuing his MFA in Community Art and Social Engagement at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. As part of his developing practice and inquiry into the structure of painting, Zimpel has been collecting brushstrokes suspended in resin for further examination and display. You are invited to participate in this ongoing project by leaving your own mark on a piece of resin, thus contributing to this growing archive.
1-3 PM: VAUGHAN LARSEN: CONSTRUCTING A PHOTOSHOOT
Vaughan Larsen, a 2019 Mary Nohl Emerging Artist Fellow, received their BFA with an emphasis in Photography and Imaging from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in May 2019. Their practice currently explores issues of identity and relationships using staged portraits depicting people close to them. Through these images, Larsen is reflecting on connections with loved ones, focusing on moments of a heightened bond. Larsen invites Winter Carnival participants to participate in an ongoing portrait series and to watch as Larsen orchestrates a “staged” portrait.
1-3 PM: TRACKS IN THE SNOW
Can you recognize what animal made which tracks outside in the snow? A print-making project will help you recognize Lynden's native creatures and use their tracks as inspiration.
1-2 PM: LABYRINTH SOCIETY OF LYNDEN SCULPTURE GARDEN: SEED SOWING
Join artist-in-residence and Labyrinth Society of Lynden Sculpture Garden founder Jenna Knapp, along with land managers Kyle Welna and Roberta Kaleta Jr., to walk the site of the labyrinth, plant Wisconsin native seeds, and learn more about the prairie.
2:30 PM: TOUR THE NATURAL PLANT COMMUNITIES
Join Robert and Kyle, the Lynden land management team for a walking tour of the natural plant communities in the sculpture garden. They will identify trees, share their knowledge about how the unique biosphere at Lynden has evolved, and explain their efforts to keep a local and sustainable land management practice.
Fee: $65/ $55 members per session (all materials for making 12-20 incense pieces included)
