The Lynden Sculpture Garden’s 12th Annual Winter Carnival, orchestrated by Some Fools, was a day-long buzz of chatter, laughter, and the crunch of boots through snow. Families came in droves to take part in various activities and workshops geared for all ages, all led by Milwaukee artists.
These hands-on activities are meant to encourage younger children and even adults to engage with the artistic and creative process in their everyday life. Some workshops invited participants to think about what they could use at home or find in nature to create and play. Sindie Ho’s kite-making workshop involved making beautiful kites out of found materials, and Ollie Scaffidi’s Rice Sack Heat Bag workshop taught valuable skills in creating something functional out of household items.
Other events throughout the day highlighted the introspection and reflection that comes with the creative process. Out There Series, an experimental performance series, provided a sound walk across the grounds followed by a writing workshop based on the sounds they heard, allowing participants to contemplate on the many sounds that make up their day-to-day experience. Similarly, Ophelia Hix’s interactive sculpture Ask and the Way Will Be Shown, invited a moment for reflection between the path of string-covered branches.
Lynden’s 12th Annual Winter Carnival introduced many families to their new favorite artists, as well as new ways of thinking about the artistic process. Through the now learned skills of resourcefulness and reflection that came alongside the programming, everyone took home a little something with them.
10 am – 11:45 am: Snow People Paper Dolls with Kierston Ghaznavi
Work alongside artist 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. This activity is designed as a drop-in and is open to all ages (young children may need parental assistance).
10 am – 11:45 am: Miniature Winter Tree Sculpture Workshop with Heather Eiden
Make a miniature winter tree with artist Heather Eiden by wrapping and braiding wires, then threading them with beads to create the effect of snow and ice.
12 pm – 1:45 pm: Winter-Themed Block Print and Sticker Workshop with Hunter Louis
Using EZ cut linoleum blocks and acrylic block printing ink, we will print our own winter-themed stickers. Use a pre-carved block or try your hand at carving your own.
12 pm – 1:45 pm: Mosaic Ornaments with Natalie Alicia
Choose from an array of treasures to ornament your very own memory jar with mosaic artist Natalie Alicia.
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).
2 pm – 3:45 pm: Rice Sack Heat Bag Workshop with Ollie Scaffidi
It’s winter and now’s the time to learn how to make your very own heat pad to take home. You’ll learn how to use common household materials to make your own microwavable heat warmers. These pads are customizable: you can use them for pain or cramp relief, an immunity boost, or to keep warm on a cold day. Choose from a variety of materials, including essential oils, to personalize your DIY heat pad. All ages welcome: alternative techniques will be available to make the project accessible and fun for everyone.
10 am – 4 pm: Lobby Screening – Xarion Latimore: Nature Boy
Xarion Latimore will screen “Nature Boy” in the lobby area, standing by to answer questions. “Nature Boy” is shot on 16mm film and explores the concepts of form and space.
10 am – 12 pm & 2 pm – 4 pm: Chair Making Demo with Lauren Newby
Gather by the bonfire to watch woodworker Lauren Newby split an ash log into long segments and process them into chair parts. Invariably some parts of the split tree will provide fuel for the fire, keeping everyone warm. Lauren processes rough pieces with hand tools on a shaving horse as she turns what looks like firewood into smooth, round legs. As the day progresses, small seats and stools will be made for guests to join in the conversation around the fire.
11 am – 1 pm: Make a Kite with Sindie Ho
Drop in and start working on a kite. The winter has held a great big blue sky shy and away and Sindie would like to repopulate it with a vivid hue and play--in spite of a possibly wet slushy gray. Using found branches and sticks, Sindie will provide a space to form bright blue kites with bells and ribbons.
12 pm – 2 pm: The Everyday Feminist: Inhabit Gratitude
As a thank you to all supporters of Lynden Sculpture Garden, The Everyday Feminist invites you to help create a work of ephemeral text art spelling out “thank you” in red millet seeds. These seeds will feed the wildlife in the sculpture garden (thank you) and highlight the connections between all things (thank you). You will receive a small bag of seeds to nourish wildlife in the spaces you inhabit.
12:30 pm – 2:30 pm: Message in a Bottle: An Interactive Writing Exercise with Carolann Grzybowski
Carolann invites people of all ages to a bottle ring toss with a twist. Each time you land a ring around a bottle, you get to write a fortune/insight for someone else and add it to a giant bottle board. As time goes on, these community fortunes/messages will accumulate, providing guidance for all of us.
1 pm – 3 pm: Out There Series: Sound Walk, Writing, Performance
Out There is an experimental performance series curating strange sounds in unique spaces. John and Elise will begin with a soundwalk, exploring the sonic environment on the Lynden grounds. The group may periodically stop to focus on specific “soundmarks” and engage in brief meditative exercises along the way. Milwaukee-based poet and leatherworker Annie Grizzle will follow up with a brief writing workshop (group sharing, collaborative writing) to reflect on the soundwalk experience. Out There will finish with a performance by Milwaukee musician Joe Kirschling, who creates hypnotic and textural electronic dance music under the name Ontonomy.
2 pm - 4 pm: Outdoor Felting
Workshop with Rylee Krumrei
Create a small mixed media tapestry by embedding dried plant material and small trinkets into a flat felt sheet using the technique of needle felting with loose wool. Wear your fingerless gloves!
10am - 4pm: Ask and the Way Will Be Shown with Ophelia Hix
To wrap around oneself and bind our paths together in the winding movement of life journey. This project looks to honor the land Lynden sits on and asks visitors to take their time in their exploration of the carnival. Amplifying the scape of nature, Ophelia will create an interactive sculptural installation in collaboration with one of Lynden’s trees. Using as much red yarn as humanly possible, they will weave a walkway through and around the tree, creating a portal to the carnival and the grounds and amplifying the space in between destinations. The artist invites visitors to activate the installation by wearing red. Play, be pensive, and dance through the walkway that presents itself as a maze but exists as a path.
10 am – 4pm: Held Hope with Margaret Griffin
Held Hope invites participants to playfully paint, draw, and write on large sheets of fabric, exploring themes of hope they are holding for 2024. What are you looking forward to in this new year? Are you celebrating friendships, family, work, school, personal projects? These collaboratively produced sheets will be attached to the framework of Lynden’s outdoor tent frame, forming a large, dimensional banner that showcases the hope being held in our community.
10 am – 4 pm: A Deeply Flawed Analogy: America Pastime Meets Rube Goldberg with Paul Druecke
Artist Paul Druecke invites visitors to the Winter Carnival to help construct A Deeply Flawed Analogy—a Rube Goldbergesque chain reaction made from leftover and discarded material. The project creates a large-scale Goldberg Machine complete with homespun catapult that launches bags of refuse toward targeted receptacles. We’ll be testing and reconfiguring the project throughout the day.
More information from this event can be found on the Lynden Sculpture Garden’s Website