Events Calendar

FREE

Lynden welcomes winter with a day of outdoor artmaking, scavenger hunts, plant-walks, and whatever other winter activities--ice skating, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing--the weather permits. Orchestrated by Emmanuel Guerra, our highly participatory, artist-driven carnival offers something for everybody. The Winter Carnival is sponsored by Davey Tree Expert, who will be onsite 10 am-3 pm with a tree identification and trivia table. 

Schedule 

10 am – 4 pm: Field & Street with Paul Druecke, Sarah Luther, Chuck Stebelton & Emily Belknap
Artists Paul Druecke (Nohl 2010), Sarah Luther (Nohl 2011), Chuck Stebelton, and Emily Belknap (Nohl 2014) collaborate on Field & Street, a treasure hunt, guided tour, and interactive upcycling experience designed for Lynden’s Winter Carnival. The site-specific project is an uncompromising exploration of culture’s material footprint and its relationship to the landscape. At 2:30 pm, the artists invite you to collect the “litter tableaux” they have placed across the grounds and bring them together to create a group work before disposing of all materials. 

10 am – 4 pm: Winter Snowflake Painting Workshop with Kimberly Burnett, Amal Azzam, and Abigail Engstrand
Create winter snowflakes using watercolor, crayon, and salt. Kimberly Burnett, Amal Azzam, and Abigail Engstrand will show you how to work the magic and make crystal-like shapes appear before your eyes. This activity is designed as a drop-in and is open to all ages (young children may need parental assistance).  

10 am – 4 pm: Reindeer Scavenger Hunt with Claudia Orjuela
Claudia Orjuela directs a scavenger hunt for wooden reindeer located across the grounds. Grab a clipboard to draw your discoveries or post a photo.

10 am – 4 pm: Book Signing: “A Logger’s Tale” with Gary John Gresl and Janet M. Roberts
Gary John Gresl and Janet M. Roberts will be on hand to sign “A Logger’s Tale: An Origin Story.” A short story for all ages with plentiful illustrations by Roberts, “A Logger’s Tale” offers a fresh look at the legendary Hodag. Also on display: Gresl’s prior publications and Roberts’s original drawings. 

10 am – 4 pm: The Milwaukee Disaster Preparedness Taskforce
The Milwaukee Disaster Preparedness Taskforce will be onsite to ensure attendees are equipped to face the potentially life-threatening dangers associated with wintertime family fun.  

10 am – 11:45 am: African Fabric Collaged Bookmarks with Rhonda Gatlin-Hayes
Join the fun as artist Rhonda Gatlin-Hayes shows you how to assemble a bookmark using the technique of collage. Utilizing authentic African fabrics, beads, buttons, and string, you will create your own one-of-a-kind bookmark. Rhonda Gatlin-Hayes is a self-taught artist inspired by her mother who was an avid self-taught seamstress, quilter, and crafter. Her mixed-media masks cultivate and reflect aspects of the African Diaspora, carrying the message that everyone has worth and that no one should be taken at face value, but that everyone should be looked at more closely, for what lies beneath. This activity is designed as a drop-in and is open to all ages (young children may need parental assistance).  

10 am – 3 pm: Tree Identification and Trivia Table
Davey The Tree Expert, sponsors of the Winter Carnival, help you up your tree knowledge at their all-ages identification and trivia table.  

10:30 am – 12:30 pm: Printing with Light, Cyanotypes! with Helena Jefferson
Cyanotypes are simple prints made using light. Historically, they have been used to document plants, blueprints, and portraits. Printmaker Helena Jefferson shows you how, with the help of the sun, you can make your own cyanotype to take home. This activity is designed as a drop-in and is open to all ages (young children may need parental assistance).  

11 am – 11:45 am: Cultural Plant Walk with Angela Kingsawan
Native herbalist and artist-in-residence Angela Kingsawan of Yenepa Herbals leads a fun and informative winter walk. Learn about the plants that hold significance as food, medicine, and tradition within the exchange and migration of refugee, immigrant, and Indigenous communities.  

11 am – 1 pm: The Skaters: A Collaborative Poem with Chuck Stebelton
Join artist-in-residence Chuck Stebelton on Waterfall Hill to listen to the August 1964 debut reading of John Ashbery's poem “The Skaters.” You are invited to contribute to a collaborative poem that will be printed by Ben Tinterstices Editions for free distribution (and you’ll get a copy!). 

11 am – 3 pm: Afghan Food
Afghan women's advocate, refugee leader, and chef Maryam Durani and her crew offer Afghan and Iranian specialties served with rice including chicken yogurt curry and ghormeh sabzi (herb stew with meat), along with vegan versions of ghormeh sabzi and sambosas. Don't forget to bring cash for donations!  

12 pm – 12:45 pm: Food as Medicine: Apple Water with Angela Kingsawan
Learn how to make apple water with artist-in-residence Angela Kingsawan. Kingsawan’s medieval recipe, which honors her Prussian ancestors, consists of apples, herbs, lemon peel, and optional rock sugar. Take a taste and learn about the medicinal benefits of apple water.  

12 pm – 1:45 pm: Snow People Paper Dolls with Kierston Ghaznavi
Work alongside multimedia artist and digital illustrator Kierston Ghaznavi as she shares her unique paper doll-making techniques. You will make your own paper doll starting with a blank template and using markers, pens, colored paper, glitter, and a variety of other supplies --and your imagination. Kierston Ghaznavi’s vibrantly colored articulated paper and large-scale wooden dolls depict the beauty and unique personalities of Black women today as well as Black pop culture, Afro-centric themes, natural hair, affirmations of self-love and plus size body appreciation. This activity is designed as a drop-in and is open to all ages (young children may need parental assistance).  

1 pm – 3 pm: Bird Ornaments with Jessica Schubkegel
Show our feathered neighbors some love this season with the help of Jessica Schubkegel, an MSW student and sculptor who enjoys many mediums, especially those which can be tasted and shared. Create your own unique edible ornament using found objects, seeds, and other bird-friendly treats. This activity is designed as a drop-in and is open to all ages (young children may need parental assistance).  

1 pm – 3 pm: Color Theory Snow Cones with Mikal Floyd Pruitt and Island Ice
2023 Nohl Fellow and Milwaukee artist Mikal Floyd Pruitt brings Color Theory Snow Cones to Lynden with the assistance of Island Ice Shaved Ice Cups. This interactive installation invites you to try your hand at trivia questions to win the chance to do some long-distance flavor squirting at your snow cone. Make sure to brush up on your history of Lynden (hint hint).  

2 pm – 3:45 pm: Dip Candle Making with Jeremy Stepien
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).