Events Calendar

May 2, 2025 - 2:00pm - 4:00pm

Slow Growing Panel

Free

Artist-in-residence Yevgeniya Kaganovich and her Collaborators, Lisa Moline, Lane Hall, Katharine Beutner, and Jim Charles, will discuss the outcomes of the speculative projects undertaken by the Slow Growing in the Time of Trees Collaboratory. Katharine Beutner will read work produced during the Collaboratory.

This event is organized by Slow Growing in the Time of Trees, a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee C21-sponsored collaboratory formed to cultivate an interdisciplinary creative space that examines the long duration of tree-time in the face of human and non-human interventions. It is part of their Slow Knowing program series.

More About Yevgeniya Kaganovich and Slow Growing in the Time of Trees

Artist-in-residence Yevgeniya Kaganovich is a Belarus-born, Milwaukee-based artist, whose hybrid practice encompasses jewelry and metalsmithing, sculpture and installation. Yevgeniya received an MFA from the State University of New York at New Paltz and a BFA in Metal/Jewelry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Yevgeniya has been an active art practitioner since 1992, exhibiting her work nationally and internationally. Her work has received numerous awards and has been published widely. Yevgeniya’s interest in craft scholarship and pedagogy lead her to undertake curatorial projects, panel and symposium organizing, and other contributions to contemporary craft discourse. Yevgeniya has worked as a Designer/Goldsmith at Peggie Robinson Designs, Studio of Handcrafted Jewelry in Evanston, Illinois and has taught Metalsmithing at Chicago State University, Chicago, Illinois, and Lill Street Studios, Chicago Illinois. Currently Yevgeniya is a Professor in the Department of Art and Design, Peck School of the Arts, at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, heading a thriving Jewelry and Metalsmithing Area with a graduate and undergraduate programs.

In 2019, Kaganovich planted trees on the Lynden grounds for her tree intuits chair residency project. They have continued to grow in and out of the shape of chairs ever since. Slow Growing in the Time of Trees considers and contextualizes the time and materiality of the trees themselves, as well as the trees in relation to the human and non-human species that come into contact and engage in transformations with them. It focuses on the aesthetic possibilities of intermixing human and nonhuman processes in complex webs of entanglement inherent in durational processes. Throughout the growing season, Kaganovich and her collaborators will create speculative forms out of reused plastic bags and cardboard, inoculate grain and straw medium with three varieties of oyster mushroom spores, and situate the forms in and around the trees on the grounds of Lynden Sculpture Garden, documenting the ways in which these cultivated fruiting bodies develop and distort Kaganovich’s fabricated forms.

C21 is the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee College of Letters & Sciences Center for 21st Century Studies. C21 believes that the complex challenges we face in the 21st century are best met through collaborations across areas of expertise and experience, and that the humanities are a vital part of addressing these challenges. Collaboratory funding is an opportunity to bring together teams of scholars across disciplines, across university and community partnerships, and across emerging and established scholars (students / staff / faculty) to inspire the generation of new ideas.

May 6, 2025 - 10:30am - 11:30am

IMG_8975

2025 Winter/Spring Session (January 28-May 27) No class February 4th & 11th: 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. Register online now. In the event of inclement weather, sessions move indoors.

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

May 7, 2025 - 10:00am - 12:00pm

IMG_1717
Fee: Free.
Registration: Advance registration encouraged. Click here to register online. Work days are weather dependent. If you have registered in advance, we will contact you if we are cancelling due to inclement weather.

The Lynden land team is kicking off 2025 by launching a new series of Wednesday Work Days, a weekly volunteer opportunity on the grounds. Whether you are looking for a few hours of volunteer work or want a weekly activity that keeps you outside, you are welcome to join us on Wednesday mornings from 10 am to 12 noon. Projects vary from season to season; for the next few months, you will work alongside land staff to pull herbaceous invasive species in our natural areas, as well as help accomplish other projects around the grounds to enhance biodiversity and take care of the native flora and fauna. No experience is necessary, though you are encouraged to bring your favorite gardening gloves and digging tools if you have them. Water, snacks, and additional tools will be provided.

Land Stewardship at Lynden
The Lynden Sculpture Garden is transforming its natural habitats and formal landscapes into sustainable and diverse ecosystems that highlight their natural beauty. Our 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. With a small land staff, volunteer help is essential to the evolution and restoration of the Lynden grounds.

You may also like:
The Ecology and Management of Invasive Species
Garden Work Days 2025

May 9, 2025 - 6:30pm - 8:00pm

SummerSoundBaths

Fee: $30/$25 members
Registration: Advance registration required. To register click here.

Join artist-in-residence Jenna Knapp and collaborator Sevan Sevan Arabajian-Ries for May’s Full Moon in Scorpio. This full moon honors the cycles of release and rebirth and invites us to shed old skins, feel what’s ready to move, and return to what’s true. Under the light of the full moon, take some time out of your week to pause and take notice of all that you’re currently holding, healing, and transforming. Relax into a healing sound bath and sunset candle-lit labyrinth walk.

Sound baths are an ancient form of healing and deep meditation; they include various ambient sounds and frequencies playing in a space where you can hear and experience their vibrations moving through you. Everyone’s experience will be different; unique as you are, and according to what is needed most at the time. Your sound facilitator for the evening will be Milwaukee’s own Sevan Arabajian-Ries, musician, ritualist, spiritual guide, and relational counselor.

The outdoor sound bath lasts approximately 45-60 minutes. We recommend arriving 15 minutes ahead of time to give yourself time to set up and prepare. Please bring something to rest on and to cover yourself with (if you think you’ll want that) for the duration, and dress appropriately for the weather. The labyrinth walk takes place on a hill so please consider comfortable footwear as well. A little insect repellent may be in order, too. Candles are provided and you are invited to bring your own. If it is too cold or raining, we will move the sound bath indoors.

May 10, 2025 - 9:00am - 12:00pm

BegBonsaiPhoto_2021

Fee: $80/$75 for Lynden members/$50 for MBS members. Fee includes a bonsai tree, a pot, and a one-year individual membership in the Milwaukee Bonsai Society (for non-members).

Registration: Space is limited; advance registration required. Click here to register or register by phone at 414-446-8794.

Bonsai is living sculpture. Unlike traditional sculpture however, it changes from day to day, season to season, and year to year. Because it is never finished, it celebrates all of nature: its cycles, its harshness, its resilience, and its balance. Bonsai is for people who enjoy art, nature, trees, gardening, and sculpture. It combines the principles of design with the science of horticulture.

In this hands-on workshop, members of the Milwaukee Bonsai Society will teach you the basic techniques of styling a juniper bonsai tree. We will also discuss proper care of your bonsai. As a new member of the Milwaukee Bonsai Society, you will have access to knowledgeable members to help you care for your tree after the workshop.

If you wish to document your tree’s progress, bring your camera. Bring an apron or wear appropriate clothing, and bring snacks/beverages, if you like.

May 10, 2025 - 10:00am - 4:00pm

LSG_PineShari

FREE

World Bonsai Day was created in 2010 to honor the memory of bonsai master Saburo Kato. World Bonsai Day is for sharing the peaceful, living art of bonsai and advancing international friendship and goodwill throughout the world. We celebrate World Bonsai Day by re-opening the Bonsai Exhibit at Lynden and offering a Bonsai for Beginners workshop from 9 am-12 pm.

Following the opening, the Bonsai Pavilion, which houses the collection of the Milwaukee Bonsai Foundation, will be open to the public Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 10 am-4 pm, and by appointment, from May to October.

May 11, 2025 - 10:00am - 11:30am

credit to Elizabeth Wix

Fee: $10/$5 members. Advance registration available but not required. Click here to register.

Join poet and Wisconsin Master Naturalist volunteer Chuck Stebelton on the second Sunday of each month to bird by eye and ear with a focus on the life histories of wild birds. 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 and field guides if you have them; no previous birding experience required.

Click here to listen to Chuck Stebelton discuss his 'spark bird,' the Northern Flicker, on WUWM.

About Chuck Stebelton

Chuck Stebelton is author most recently of One Hundred Patterns & Three Heuristics (Green Gallery Press, 2023). His previous poetry collections include An Apostle Island (Oxeye Press, 2021), The Platformist (Cultural Society, 2012), and Circulation Flowers (Tougher Disguises, 2005). He currently serves as Project Manager at Woodland Pattern Book Center, a nonprofit literary arts organization in Milwaukee. As a Wisconsin Master Naturalist volunteer, he has led workshops and field trips for nonprofit organizations and conservancy groups including Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters; Milwaukee Public Library; Woodland Pattern Book Center; Friends of Lorine Niedecker; and Lynden Sculpture Garden. He recently completed an ARTservancy artist residency with River Revitalization Foundation and has held residencies at Lynden Sculpture Garden in 2011, 2014, and from 2018 to 2024.

May 13, 2025 - 10:30am - 11:30am

IMG_8975

2025 Winter/Spring Session (January 28-May 27) No class February 4th & 11th: 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. Register online now. In the event of inclement weather, sessions move indoors.

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

May 14, 2025 - 10:00am - 12:00pm

IMG_1717
Fee: Free.
Registration: Advance registration encouraged. Click here to register online. Work days are weather dependent. If you have registered in advance, we will contact you if we are cancelling due to inclement weather.

The Lynden land team is kicking off 2025 by launching a new series of Wednesday Work Days, a weekly volunteer opportunity on the grounds. Whether you are looking for a few hours of volunteer work or want a weekly activity that keeps you outside, you are welcome to join us on Wednesday mornings from 10 am to 12 noon. Projects vary from season to season; for the next few months, you will work alongside land staff to pull herbaceous invasive species in our natural areas, as well as help accomplish other projects around the grounds to enhance biodiversity and take care of the native flora and fauna. No experience is necessary, though you are encouraged to bring your favorite gardening gloves and digging tools if you have them. Water, snacks, and additional tools will be provided.

Land Stewardship at Lynden
The Lynden Sculpture Garden is transforming its natural habitats and formal landscapes into sustainable and diverse ecosystems that highlight their natural beauty. Our 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. With a small land staff, volunteer help is essential to the evolution and restoration of the Lynden grounds.

You may also like:
The Ecology and Management of Invasive Species
Garden Work Days 2025

May 17, 2025 - 10:00am - 4:00pm

Photo: Molly Rosenblum/Sam LaStrapes/Kodah

Visitors must adhere to our visitor guidelines.

Bring your canine friends for an afternoon of romping in the garden.

May 17, 2025 - 11:00am - 4:00pm

GreenWood Gatherings

Sessions:
Saturday, March 15, 2025 - 11 am-4 pm – Sharpening Strop (indoors)
Saturday, May 17, 2025 - 11 am-4 pm – Wood Fasteners

Fee: $15/$10 members. You are welcome to attend for the entire day, or for a portion, but registration is required. Add a Mora Knife for $35

Registration: Space is limited; advance registration required. Register online or by phone at 414-446-8794.

Join us for the winter/spring session of Lynden’s Greenwood Gathering, an open-ended carving event where both new and returning participants can bring their current or finished carving projects to share with fellow woodcarvers. Gather around the campfire to carve, exchange ideas, share techniques, and draw inspiration from each other’s work. The gatherings will include occasional themed demonstrations and relevant garden tours.

Enjoy a day in Lynden’s back acres to carve, share, and connect. We’ll take a break from carving to eat lunch (please pack your own) and make tea from foraged plants. Dress for the outdoors and consider bringing sunscreen and bug repellent. While we’ll provide some green wood for starting new projects, please bring your own carving tools (Mora knives will be available for purchase, or order yours, above). We have tree stumps around the fire for seating, but if you prefer something more comfortable seat, bring a camp chair. Suitable for ages 16 and up.

You might also be interested in:
Spoon Carving – Sloyd Workshop

May 20, 2025 - 10:30am - 11:30am

IMG_8975

2025 Winter/Spring Session (January 28-May 27) No class February 4th & 11th: 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. Register online now. In the event of inclement weather, sessions move indoors.

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

May 21, 2025 - 10:00am - 12:00pm

IMG_1717
Fee: Free.
Registration: Advance registration encouraged. Click here to register online. Work days are weather dependent. If you have registered in advance, we will contact you if we are cancelling due to inclement weather.

The Lynden land team is kicking off 2025 by launching a new series of Wednesday Work Days, a weekly volunteer opportunity on the grounds. Whether you are looking for a few hours of volunteer work or want a weekly activity that keeps you outside, you are welcome to join us on Wednesday mornings from 10 am to 12 noon. Projects vary from season to season; for the next few months, you will work alongside land staff to pull herbaceous invasive species in our natural areas, as well as help accomplish other projects around the grounds to enhance biodiversity and take care of the native flora and fauna. No experience is necessary, though you are encouraged to bring your favorite gardening gloves and digging tools if you have them. Water, snacks, and additional tools will be provided.

Land Stewardship at Lynden
The Lynden Sculpture Garden is transforming its natural habitats and formal landscapes into sustainable and diverse ecosystems that highlight their natural beauty. Our 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. With a small land staff, volunteer help is essential to the evolution and restoration of the Lynden grounds.

You may also like:
The Ecology and Management of Invasive Species
Garden Work Days 2025

May 22, 2025 - 10:00am - 12:00pm

GardenWorkDays2025
Fee: Free.
Registration: Advance registration encouraged. Click here to register online. Work days are weather-dependent. If you have registered in advance, we will contact you if we are cancelling due to inclement weather.

Lynden’s monthly Garden Work Days resume in April with the annual spring cleaning of the formal garden. Whether you are looking for a few hours of volunteer work or want a regular activity that keeps your hands in the soil, you are welcome to join us once a month on Thursday mornings from 10 am to 12 noon. Projects vary from month to month as you get to know Lynden’s specialized garden spaces: see the full list below. No experience necessary. Volunteers are encouraged to bring their favorite gardening gloves and digging tools (if you have them)! Water, snacks, and additional tools will be provided.

Looking for more outdoor volunteer opportunities at Lynden? Join us for our weekly Wednesday Work Days

Land Stewardship at Lynden

The Lynden Sculpture Garden is transforming its natural habitats and formal landscapes into sustainable and diverse ecosystems that highlight their natural beauty. Our 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 [link to volunteer page] and learning [link to workshops page] opportunities, from removing invasive species to planting new trees and plugs, weeding, pruning, collecting, and spreading seeds. With a small land staff, volunteer help is essential to the evolution and restoration of the Lynden grounds.

Schedule

April 24
Join us for the first formal gardens work day of 2025. Aside from the cheerfully blooming bulbs and budding trees, there is not yet much color in the gardens. However, this is a critical time of year for gardening. On this work day, we will enjoy some fresh spring air while clearing away last year's stems and fallen leaves that served as shelter and protection for sleeping insects, critters, and soil microorganisms over the winter. We will prep the gardens for fresh plantings and give re-emerging plants the sunlight and space they need to grow.

May 22
In May, we will assist artist-in-residence Kim Khaira with seeding and spring cleanup in her tinctorial garden (a garden of plants that can be used in natural dyeing). Work alongside Khaira and the land team to continue with the removal of any remaining invasive species, as well as spreading seed for new dye plants to grow. Khaira will introduce the native plants she has chosen for the garden, including the significance of the seeds chosen, and talk about their many uses beyond their role in natural dyes.

June 26, 10 am-12 pm
Now that the fragrant lilac bloom has ended, it's time to prune all the dried-up buds. Pruning spent lilac buds helps promote the growth of more flowers next year. Spend a couple of hours in the formal gardens with us sprucing up the lilacs and learning about blending native and non-native plants to enhance the beauty and pollinator value of the aesthetic gardens here at the Lynden.

July 24, 10 am-12 pm
Upon your arrival at the Lynden Sculpture Garden, you are greeted by a picturesque waterfall and formally landscaped hill, home to an array of unique shade-loving perennial species, evergreens, and shrubs. Waterfall Hill has undergone many changes as we work to incorporate this small ecology into the larger Lynden landscape and to create a design that serves as an introduction to the tranquillity and the excitement that unfolds across the grounds. One month into summer, we are knee-deep in peak growing season and could use your help keeping Waterfall Hill tidy.

August 21, 10 am-12 pm
On the western edge of Lynden’s formal gardens, leading up to and embracing The Bremen Town Musicians, is our annual display garden. This traditionally styled garden plays with symmetry, structure, and color using annually grown plant species—species that don’t survive the Wisconsin winter--and it changes each year. Annuals play an important role in feeding pollinating insects because they bloom throughout the growing season. This is also a garden that accentuates a sculptural focal point, making an impact on visitors. In addition to acknowledging that flowers play an important role in pollination and visual engagement, we also like to understand and encourage the many functional uses of the plant communities we engage with. As we weed, prune, and deadhead the annual garden, we will be collecting the plant detritus to create floral teas or bath soaks to take home.

September 25
The stone path leading up to the patio is nestled between an evolving native shade garden and a sprawling beech tree that is more than 100 years old. In the spring we introduced 10 new species to this garden to expand plant diversity for the other living species we host at the Lynden and multi season visual appeal for a healthier and more beautiful environment for all. Now in September, we will be removing thistles and dandelions and sprucing up this welcoming walkway. We will also let you in on our continued plans for this area.

October 23, 10 am-12 pm
In October, we prepare the formal gardens for winter: a final round of pulling thistles and dandelions, pruning trees and shrubs, and responding to the ways plants have evolved, spread, or struggled in their current locations. The majority of the dormant plants will stay in place throughout the season, or as long as possible. The hollow stems benefit overwintering insects, seed heads provide food for birds, the plant skeletons house garden critters, and we are able to enjoy some extra color in winter’s palette. We will also sow the annual bed with a cover crop of rye, oats, peas, and radish to reintroduce nutrients, protect the soil from harsh winter winds, and avoid compaction by encouraging root growth. Join us on what is sure to be a beautiful day in the gardens.

November 13, 10 am-12 pm
In November, we shield the soil from the harsh winter conditions by spreading fallen leaves and tucking in all the bare spots within the gardens. This leaf mulch—which we will till into the ground next spring before planting--will protect the top layers of soil, reintroduce nutrients, and boost fertility for next season’s barrage of flowers. Join us for one last garden work day as we say goodnight to the gardens until spring, jump in crisp piles of leaves, and enjoy the musty scents of autumn.

May 22, 2025 - 7:00pm - 8:00pm

Solito_HOMEBookDiscussion2025

Fee: Free.
Registration: This discussion takes place via Zoom; advance registration required. Click here to register. Click here to see all individual dates.

The Lynden/HOME Refugee Steering Committee book discussion group, moderated by Lynden’s Kim Khaira, is for those interested in firsthand accounts of displacement. We consider works of non-fiction and fiction, including autobiographical and semi-autobiographical works, by writers who have faced or are facing forced displacement as refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants. Where stories of persecution, historical trauma, and loss of livelihood are effortlessly conveyed by storytellers, journalists, and humanitarians who search out or stumble upon the lives of refugees, we seek out the words of those to whom these stories belong: the narrators who are the closest to their own stories, and the stories of their people, friends, family and, of course, refugees. Newcomers always welcome!

October 2024-January 2025: My American Dream: A Journey from Fascism to Freedom by Barbara Sommer Feigin. Through the posthumous discovery of her father's secret journal, Feigin is able to begin her chronological story with her parents’ escape from Nazi Germany. Only a toddler at the time of their departure, Feigin pieces together her family’s early history. She then shifts to her own story, a tale of growing up in America and her subsequent struggles as she embarked on a corporate career in New York City in the 1960s, rising to become a top executive in the advertising field.

February 2025-April 2025: Aednan: An Epic, by Linnea Axelsson. This novel-in-verse by a Sámi-Swedish writer was originally published in Swedish and Northern Sámi in 2018, with the English translation following in 2024. Axelsson's “stories within stories” discuss the loss of land of Indigenous Sàmi people from northern Scandinavia and the cultural displacement that crosses generations and borders.

May 2025-August 2025: Solito, by Javier Zamora. This new memoir, Solito, narrates the immigration story of Zamora in 1999 when he was a nine-year-old child travelling from La Herradura, El Salvador, through Guatemala, Mexico, and the Sonoran Desert to be reunited with his parents in the US.

May 23, 2025 - 10:30am - 1:00pm

SpringFlowers

Fee: Free.
Registration: Advance registration encouraged. Click here to register online. Work days are weather dependent. If you have registered in advance, we will contact you if we are cancelling due to inclement weather.

Join the Lynden land team as we plant nearly 500 native plants into the river birch berms in the parking lot of the sculpture garden. These plants will help the structural integrity of the berms and the long-term health of the trees as the root systems grow, spread, and support the microbiomes of the plants. No experience necessary. Volunteers are encouraged to bring their favorite gardening gloves and digging tools (if you have them). Water, snacks, and additional tools will be provided. Sign up for one day or two!

Land Stewardship at Lynden

The Lynden Sculpture Garden is transforming its natural habitats and formal landscapes into sustainable and diverse ecosystems that highlight their natural beauty. Our 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. With a small land staff, volunteer help is essential to the evolution and restoration of the Lynden grounds.

You may also like:
Wednesday Work Days
2025 Garden Work Days

May 24, 2025 - 10:30am - 1:00pm

SpringFlowers

Fee: Free.
Registration: Advance registration encouraged. Click here to register online. Work days are weather dependent. If you have registered in advance, we will contact you if we are cancelling due to inclement weather.

Join the Lynden land team as we plant nearly 500 native plants into the river birch berms in the parking lot of the sculpture garden. These plants will help the structural integrity of the berms and the long-term health of the trees as the root systems grow, spread, and support the microbiomes of the plants. No experience necessary. Volunteers are encouraged to bring their favorite gardening gloves and digging tools (if you have them). Water, snacks, and additional tools will be provided. Sign up for one day or two!

Land Stewardship at Lynden

The Lynden Sculpture Garden is transforming its natural habitats and formal landscapes into sustainable and diverse ecosystems that highlight their natural beauty. Our 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. With a small land staff, volunteer help is essential to the evolution and restoration of the Lynden grounds.

You may also like:
Wednesday Work Days
2025 Garden Work Days

May 27, 2025 - 10:30am - 11:30am

IMG_8975

2025 Winter/Spring Session (January 28-May 27) No class February 4th & 11th: 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. Register online now. In the event of inclement weather, sessions move indoors.

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

May 28, 2025 - 10:00am - 12:00pm

IMG_1717
Fee: Free.
Registration: Advance registration encouraged. Click here to register online. Work days are weather dependent. If you have registered in advance, we will contact you if we are cancelling due to inclement weather.

The Lynden land team is kicking off 2025 by launching a new series of Wednesday Work Days, a weekly volunteer opportunity on the grounds. Whether you are looking for a few hours of volunteer work or want a weekly activity that keeps you outside, you are welcome to join us on Wednesday mornings from 10 am to 12 noon. Projects vary from season to season; for the next few months, you will work alongside land staff to pull herbaceous invasive species in our natural areas, as well as help accomplish other projects around the grounds to enhance biodiversity and take care of the native flora and fauna. No experience is necessary, though you are encouraged to bring your favorite gardening gloves and digging tools if you have them. Water, snacks, and additional tools will be provided.

Land Stewardship at Lynden
The Lynden Sculpture Garden is transforming its natural habitats and formal landscapes into sustainable and diverse ecosystems that highlight their natural beauty. Our 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. With a small land staff, volunteer help is essential to the evolution and restoration of the Lynden grounds.

You may also like:
The Ecology and Management of Invasive Species
Garden Work Days 2025

May 31, 2025 - 10:00am - 1:00pm

Fee: $58 / $50 members
Registration: Space is limited; advance registration required. Register online or by phone at 414-446-8794. Register here.

BotanicalGelliPrint

Learn to make botanical prints using the gelli process. Gelli printing is a fun and accessible form of monoprinting that uses flexible, gelatin-like plates to create colorful prints. In this session, you’ll be introduced to the basics of gelli plate printmaking, using grasses, leaves, blossoms, and other items collected outdoors at Lynden. You’ll experiment with techniques that play with texture, layering, and composition to create botanical prints. This workshop is ideal for beginners or anyone looking to expand their creative practice. All materials are included.

May 31, 2025 - 3:00pm

Credit: Sonja Thomsen
(detail) awakening &, 2025, latex print on vinyl, variable dimensions

Free and open to the public.
Closing reception: Sunday, May 31, 2025, 2-5 pm, with panel conversation at 3 pm

On Sunday, May 31, 2025, the artist will be joined by Meg Jackson Fox, Dana Feitler Director of the Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago, for an informal conversation and closing reception. Thomsen and Fox will discuss the exhibition and their ongoing research on Larsen Archer. The reception is from 2 to 5 pm, and the conversation begins at 3 pm.

For more information on the exhibition and the artist click here.


©2025 Lynden Sculpture Garden