Events Calendar

Fee: $10/$5 members. Space is limited; advance registration required. Click here to register. Please note: online registration closes for each session the Friday before. You can register by phone at 414-446-8794 or in person day-of.

Join birder Chuck Stebelton the second Sunday (usually) of each month for a small-group, socially distanced bird walk on the grounds. Keeping to the perimeter of the garden, we’ll watch for seasonal migrants and resident bird species and seek out the best bird habitats to identify as many species as we can. Please dress for the weather and plan to walk in varied terrain. Bring your binoculars if you have them; no previous birding experience required. In the fall and winter months, the walk begins at 10 am. During the rest of the year the walk begins at 8:30 am.

About the Artist

Chuck Stebelton is author of An Apostle Island (Oxeye Press, forthcoming) and two previous full-length collections of poetry. As a birder and Wisconsin Master Naturalist volunteer he has offered interpretive hikes for conservancy groups and arts organizations including Friends of Cedarburg Bog, Milwaukee Audubon Society, Woodland Pattern Book Center, Friends of Lorine Niedecker, and the Lynden Sculpture Garden. He edits Partly Press for Lynden Sculpture Garden and is currently a participant in Lynden's residency program.

Fall 2023 Session: (14 weeks) Wednesdays, September 13-December 20, 2023 (no class 11/22) | 3-5 pm | $308/$224 members per 14-week session
Winter + Spring 2024 Session: (16 weeks) Wednesdays, January 10-May 1, 2024 (no class 3/27) | 3:30-5:30 pm | $352/$256 members per 16-week session

Art club is a community of young artists who are independent in their art practice but value a place to exchange ideas and support and learn from one another. Students will design a long-term independent art project at the beginning of the session and meet for in-progress reviews, take part in creative art challenges, have conversations about contemporary artists, and discuss their work with Lynden educators and their peers. Students will present their work at our final art club meeting.

To view our Safety Guidelines for Parent-and-Child, Youth Workshops, click here.

Registration: Group size is limited; advance registration required. Late registrations accepted. Register online now.

FREE

The HOME Refugee Steering Committee at the Lynden Sculpture Garden invites you to observe World Refugee Day in a series of outdoor events and programs that celebrate Milwaukee’s refugee communities through art, food, fashion, and performance.

HOME 2023 events come to a close with the September Craft Market.

Drop by between 11 am and 4 pm to browse our outdoor market featuring crafts and other goods from Africa, Asia, and Indigenous makers. Claudia Orjuela is joined by Ceci Tejeda for our first HOME Multilingual Story Time of the season. They will be reading a book suitable for 4-to-8-year-olds in Spanish and English, followed by some hands-on artmaking. For those wanting to tour the grounds, the Lynden land team will introduce you to Lynden’s trees in a walk scheduled from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm. HOME sponsor Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield will be on hand to provide community resources, PHE unwinding materials, and health and wellness educational information.

Bring a picnic and a blanket to enjoy the outdoors with friends, family, and community. Be sure to have cash with you to purchase food and refreshments prepared by community chefs from the Afghan community.

Schedule

Menu coming soon!

Participants

Ana Cummie: Asian beauty accessories, brooches, scarves, dresses, and products

AraKids Fashion Boutique: African attire for children made from Ankara fabric in various modern styles designed by Rukayat Goodluck

Crafty Mom: Winter hats knitted by Artemisa Zavala

Ethiopian Crafts and Jewelry: Scarfs, earrings, and artworks curated by Frey Faris

Fairouz LLC: Gifts, accessories, and antiques from across the world from Syrian vendor Suheir Rashid.

Hmodern Made: Ashley Xiong’s Hmong handmade hair accessories, apparel, and other wearables.

Ladi Nayaase: Organic, natural, and sustainable self care brand whose mission is to bring holistic wellness to communities of color, with sustainability at the core of its business practices. Products include body scrubs, shampoo and conditioning bars, candles, natural deodorant, body oil, facial oil, facial masks, soaps, and make up remover.

Mai Glow: Handcrafted jewelry, instruments, bags and more hand selected and crafted from Nigeria.

Mchete's African Treasures: Authentic, handmade African and Tanzanian clothing, fabric, and accessories, and other African treasures.

Mh Trendz: Traditional and contemporary henna (mhendi) designs by Muneeba Irslan

Myanmar Art: Watercolor paintings of Myanmar landscapes and portraits and other artworks by Myanmar artists organized by Aung Myo Tin.

Olive Essence Soap, sold by Palestinian Syrian Seedra Amer.

Puffy and Fluffy: Accessories including keychains and scarves by Palestinian Nedal Barbarawi

Rosidah Abdul Shukor: Burmese desserts including sago and sticky rice, prepared by Ros

Rumaneh Nourish: Natural and organic skincare products inspired by owner Bisan Musa's Palestinian heritage.

Skylight: Traditional Rohingya and Burmese desserts by Hasina Ahmed.

Wisconsin Ukrainians: Ukrainian souvenirs and crafts.

About HOME
HOME is the theme of our work with refugee community leaders, community members, Call & Response artists, and allies. The HOME Refugee Steering Committee is building a space of leading, coming together, and celebrating refugees.

World Refugee Day 2023 celebrations extend into three additional HOME “days” featuring music, dance, food, fashion (both ethnic and traditional), and two markets offering handicrafts and homemade goods. For all HOME 2023 programming, click here.

HOME 2023 is sponsored in part by the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, Refugee Programs; Anthem Blue-Cross Blue-Shield; and Hanan Refugee Relief Group.

Additional partners include Milwaukee Public Library, UWM Libraries, Tables Across Borders, Wisconsin for Ukraine, Community Center for Immigrants, and more.

2023 Summer Session (June 6-August 29): Tuesdays, 10:30 am-11:30 am
2023 Fall Session (September 5-December 19:) Select Tuesdays, 10:30 am-11:30 am

Tuesdays in the Garden, designed for children aged 1-3, provides a nurturing environment where children’s curiosity and wonder are extended through play and exploration, and children and their caregivers learn and discover side-by-side. Join art educators Claudia Orjuela and Denice Niebuhr for hands-on art making and all-senses-engaged exploration of the outdoor world at Lynden. We’ll consider different themes, each designed to connect Lynden’s environment with children’s interests. We will encourage experimentation and the manipulation of art and natural materials to tell stories, solve problems, and develop relationships.

Fee: $16/$12 members for one adult and one child.
Registration: Group size is limited; advance registration is required. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration does not guarantee admission. Once we receive your completed registration form, we will follow up via e-mail with an invoice for payment – or a notification that you've been added to the waitlist – and a confirmation after payment is received. Register online now.

To view a list of the session themes, click here.

Fall 2023 Session: (14 weeks) Wednesdays, September 13-December 20, 2023 (no class 11/22) | 3-5 pm | $308/$224 members per 14-week session
Winter + Spring 2024 Session: (16 weeks) Wednesdays, January 10-May 1, 2024 (no class 3/27) | 3:30-5:30 pm | $352/$256 members per 16-week session

Art club is a community of young artists who are independent in their art practice but value a place to exchange ideas and support and learn from one another. Students will design a long-term independent art project at the beginning of the session and meet for in-progress reviews, take part in creative art challenges, have conversations about contemporary artists, and discuss their work with Lynden educators and their peers. Students will present their work at our final art club meeting.

To view our Safety Guidelines for Parent-and-Child, Youth Workshops, click here.

Registration: Group size is limited; advance registration required. Late registrations accepted. Register online now.

FREE

The Lynden Sculpture Garden joins Doors Open Milwaukee for a day of free tours and activities. Visit the Milwaukee Bonsai Foundation’s Bonsai Exhibit and the pollinator gardens, take a sculpture mini-tour, encounter Gary John Gresl's
latest pop-up sculpture, check out a self-guided activity, or explore on your own.

Please note, there are no paths at Lynden. The ground is uneven and wheelchair users have to be comfortable navigating on short grass.

2023 Summer Session (June 6-August 29): Tuesdays, 10:30 am-11:30 am
2023 Fall Session (September 5-December 19:) Select Tuesdays, 10:30 am-11:30 am

Tuesdays in the Garden, designed for children aged 1-3, provides a nurturing environment where children’s curiosity and wonder are extended through play and exploration, and children and their caregivers learn and discover side-by-side. Join art educators Claudia Orjuela and Denice Niebuhr for hands-on art making and all-senses-engaged exploration of the outdoor world at Lynden. We’ll consider different themes, each designed to connect Lynden’s environment with children’s interests. We will encourage experimentation and the manipulation of art and natural materials to tell stories, solve problems, and develop relationships.

Fee: $16/$12 members for one adult and one child.
Registration: Group size is limited; advance registration is required. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration does not guarantee admission. Once we receive your completed registration form, we will follow up via e-mail with an invoice for payment – or a notification that you've been added to the waitlist – and a confirmation after payment is received. Register online now.

To view a list of the session themes, click here.

Fee: Free.
Registration: Advance registration required. Click here to register online. Work days are weather dependent.

Join the Lynden land team—Kyle Welna, Alyx Christensen, and Annalesa Albright--for a volunteer work day on the grounds. The Lynden Sculpture Garden is transforming its natural habitats and formal landscapes into sustainable and diverse ecosystems that highlight the natural beauty inherent in them. The Lynden's goal is to steward healthy habitats for an array of native plants and wildlife while adding a vibrant mosaic of color and texture to this sculptural landscape through every season.

With over 40 acres and more than half a dozen specialized garden spaces, the Lynden provides many volunteer and learning opportunities, from removing invasive species to planting new trees and plugs, weeding, pruning, collecting, and spreading seeds. If you or someone you know has a few hours or are looking for regular, ongoing volunteer work that keeps you outside, you are welcome to join us. With a small land staff, volunteer help is essential to the evolution and restoration of the Lynden grounds.

Volunteers are encouraged to bring their favorite gardening gloves and digging tools (if you have them)! Water, snacks, and additional tools will be provided.

Schedule

April 27, 10 am-12 pm
In April, help us control invasive garlic mustard within the forested ravine. Learn about invasive species control and leave with a handful of garlic mustard and a recipe for Garlic Mustard Pesto as a thank you for your time.

May 25, 10 am-12 pm
In May, we are back in the ravine to control garlic mustard and the now-blooming dame’s rocket. As we move through the season, we will be tracking different species of plants as they pop up around the grounds. Catching these plants at the correct time will help prevent them from seeding and spreading next year. While we may not want dame’s rocket in our landscapes, the leaves are edible; some compare them to a "sweeter arugula" (also known as rocket) or spinach.

June 29, 10 am-12 pm
In June, we're on the lookout for white sweet clover in Lynden's prairies and savannas. This clover tends to outgrow ecologically significant species, shading out the sun-loving plants we are working to cultivate in these microhabitats. While sweet clover is not so desirable in the landscape, it can be cooked and eaten as a vegetable or dried and used for vanilla flavoring in sweets and tea.

July 27, 10 am-12 pm
In July, we're still on the lookout for white sweet clover in Lynden's prairies and savannas. This clover tends to outgrow ecologically significant species, shading out the sun-loving plants we are working to cultivate in these microhabitats. While sweet clover is not so desirable in the landscape, it can be cooked and eaten as a vegetable or dried and used for vanilla flavoring in sweets and tea. We will also be watching for wild oregano, particularly in and around the labyrinth. Help us remove this vigorously spreading but pleasantly pungent plant to make way for native Wisconsin prairie. While we prefer to not keep this oregano in our natural areas, it can be a good companion in the form of fresh tea or when dried and used as a spice. Wild oregano is also thought to have some properties that are beneficial to human health.

August 31, 10 am-12 pm
In 2019, artist Jenna Knapp and the Lynden land team created a five-circuit walking labyrinth, 69 feet in diameter. Thoughtfully “nestled away from Lynden’s formal lawn, this labyrinth is carved into the tall grasses of the native prairie and evolves with the seasons, peaking in the early fall when the field is bright with goldenrod." In
August, we will spend some reflective time in Lynden’s labyrinth while also encouraging the native prairie plants to fill out by removing competitors like wild oregano, Queen Anne’s lace, Shasta/oxeye daisies, turf grass, and smooth bromegrass.

September 28, 10 am-12 pm
Lynden’s back areas are not open to the public, but they are home to heritage oaks and other unique tree species, ephemeral and native herbaceous species, and many land restoration projects. In September, we will take you behind the scenes to clear paths to ensure that staff can continue to traverse these landscapes, tending to projects and plant life.

October 28, 10 am-12 pm
October is for seed collecting and dispersing in our prairie areas. We use many tools to revitalize these areas and encourage high plant diversity--controlled burns, the ever-popular goat visits—and seed collection is one more step we take to encourage these plants to spread and outgrow unfavorable plant species, leading to a high-quality, rich prairie ecosystem. Come learn about our restoration projects and take a few seeds home for your backyard garden.

November 16, 10 am-12 pm
Winter is a critical time for managing buckthorn, one of the most persistent and prolific plant species that competes against diverse plant ecosystems. Buckthorn has characteristics that allow it to outcompete other plant species; it grows and matures much faster than other plants and rapidly colonizes, leaving little time or room for the growth of anything else. In November, we will be on the eastern side of the grounds, tending the understory of our, within the understory of our paper birch island by manually removing buckthorn using the “cut-stump” method. This will clear the area and relieve competition for future native plantings.