WAUSAU, WISCONSIN: Gardening themes twine throughout summer art camps, an artist residency, Family Fest, and programs for all ages, complementing three botanical art exhibitions this summer at the Woodson Art Museum. Lush flowers and plant life fill the galleries where Botanicals: Environmental Expressions in Art, Rhythm of Life: Watercolors by Richard Bolingbroke, and Nature Observed: Wendy Brockman Watercolors remain on view through August 26.
Summer art camps for teens and adults feature artist-in-residence Wendy Brockman. Five, half-day sessions, Monday-Friday, July 16-20, for grades 6-8, 8 a.m.-Noon; and for grades 9-12 and adults, 1-5 p.m. are offered, and signups are still possible. Participants learn the art of observation and the artistry of botanical illustration in pencil, pastel, and watercolor. Fee: $110 for Museum members; $130 for non-members. Call 715-845-7010 to register.
Yoga returns to the sculpture garden with another Thursday-morning series and two evening options on August 2. Enjoy summer breezes while stretching and breathing amid the serene backdrop of art and nature. River Flow Yoga classes are offered 10-11 a.m., July 12, 19, 26, and August 2. $10 per class; four-class series $32. Evening classes are offered during Night Out @ the Woodson, Thursday, August 2, 5-6 p.m. and 6:15-7:15 p.m.; $10 per class. Inclement weather location: First Presbyterian Church, 406 Grant Street, Wausau. Dress comfortably and bring a mat and blanket. All skill levels welcome; register at vandalfsens.heather@mac.com or www.riverflowyoga.net.
Enjoy two Garden Delights Days on Saturdays, July 14 and August 11. Soak up sensory delights during a morning guided tour of Wausau’s Robert W. Monk Public Gardens, 9 a.m.-Noon, followed by a self-guided, art-filled afternoon at the Museum, Noon-5 p.m. Experience woods, flowers, and birds on the garden tour and then see artists’ botanical interpretations in the galleries.
Cellist and Wausau native Michael Andrews brings the South Beach Chamber Ensemble back to the Museum for two in-gallery concerts this summer. On Sunday, July 15, Noon-1 p.m., musicians Sarah Schreffler, Cindy Blandino, Dee Martz, Sara Usher, and Nancy Torrente join Michael to perform Villa-Lobos’ String Quartet no. 5, Schubert’s String Quintet in C Major, and Cuban-American composer and saxophonist Al Torrente’s String Quintet “Fantasia on Manicero.” The ensemble also performs on Friday, July 20, 7:30-9 p.m., at the Museum.
Sunday-afternoon SPARK! programs for individuals with memory loss invite social interactions with an accompanying friend or family member and discussions about gardens, flowers, and summertime fun, July 15 and August 19, 1-2:30 p.m. After the gallery experience, participants engage in an art activity. Call 715-845-7010 to register for these free, monthly programs.
Botanical artist Wendy Brockman offers a daylong workshop, Saturday, July 21, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Brockman teaches adults how to transfer their botanical drawings to watercolor paper and finesse color and texture with layers of dry brush watercolor. Fee: $40 fee for Museum members; $55 for non-members. Call 715-845-7010 to register.
Visitors join Brockman on Sunday, July 22, for a gallery walk, 1-2 p.m., and a gallery demonstration, 2:30-4:30 p.m. Funding for Brockman’s residency comes from a Community Arts Grant from the Community Foundation of North Central Wisconsin, with funds from the Wisconsin Arts Board, Community Foundation, and the B.A. & Esther Greenheck Foundation.
Toddlers, 18 months-4 years, gather for Toddler Tuesday programs, Tiptoe through Tulips, July 17, and Art in Bloom, August 21, 10:30 a.m.-Noon each month.
A noon-hour Art History 101 program on Wednesday, July 18, 12:15-1 p.m., focuses on American painter Georgia O’Keeffe and her upbringing on a Wisconsin dairy farm, presented by Museum educator Catie Anderson.
Littlest ones explore bumble-bee- and garden-themed, multisensory play in Art Park during Art Babies (birth-1 year) on Fridays, July 27 and August 24, 10:30-11:15 a.m., and during Art Time for Tots (1-4 years), on Thursdays, July 26 and August 23, 9:30-10:30 a.m. Call 715-845-7010 to register for these free programs.
During August’s Night Out @ the Woodson when the Museum stays open until 7:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month, adults gather for Art History 101 After Dark: Good Bugs, Bad Bugs, August 2, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Learn how to deter bad bugs by using organic gardening methods during a presentation by a UW-Marathon County biological sciences staff member and Monk Gardens volunteer who repeats the program on Wednesday, August 15, 12:15-1 p.m. All ages drop in for Hands-on Art, August 2, 5:30-7 p.m., to incorporate native seeds into handmade paper.
During Art Park Open Studio on Saturday, August 4, 1-3 p.m., all ages drop in to create seed mosaics with provided materials during this free program.
Flowers abound throughout the second-annual Family Fest, a weeklong art-making festival that encourages families to practice healthy habits together: movement, good nutrition, sun safety, and – of course – art! Drop by the sculpture garden August 14-21 during regular Museum hours to try something different each day: Tuesday, August 14, kite making; Wednesday, August 15, pounded leaf and flower prints; Thursday, August 16, garden markers; Friday, August 17, vegetable and botanical printing; Saturday, August 18, tissue paper flowers; Sunday, August 19, leaf and fern sun prints; Tuesday, August 21, art in bloom. Family Fest culminates on Tuesday, August 21 with a free family yoga class, led by River Flow Yoga, 5-6 p.m., for all ages; beginners are welcome. Bring a blanket and stay for family entertainment. Comedian and juggler Sean Emery delights the whole family with his circus skills, comedy, and showmanship, 6-7 p.m. The Museum’s Family Fest is sponsored by River Flow Yoga and Ministry Health Care and is part of a national initiative, Let’s Move! Museums & Gardens, launched by First Lady Michelle Obama and the Institute of Museum and Library Services to promote healthy choices and activities through interactive programs.
Individuals with vision impairments or blindness learn about botanical artwork and gardening tips and then decorate planters and re-pot plants during Art Beyond Sight, Saturday, August 18, 10:30 a.m.-Noon. A Monk Gardens volunteer and Museum educator Jayna Hintz lead this free program; call 715-845-7010 or email jhintz@lywam.org to register.
Youngsters, 5-12 years, learn about plant life from a Monk Gardens volunteer and create mobiles inspired by nature during a combined Little Masters/Young Artists program, Naturally Mobile, Thursday, August 23, 4:30-6 p.m. Call 715-845-7010 to register for this free program.
Botanicals, is presented courtesy of Alisa and Isaac M. Sutton, Brooklyn, NY. Rhythm of Life was organized through Katharine T. Carter & Associates. Nature Observed was organized by Woodson Art Museum curator of exhibitions Andy McGivern in cooperation with artist Wendy Brockman.
Woodson Art Museum
Hours: Tuesday – Friday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
First Thursday of each month 9:00 am – 7:30 pm
Saturday – Sunday Noon – 5:00 pm
Closed Monday and holidays
Admission: Always Free Admission
Phone: 715.845.7010
Fax: 715.845.7103
Email: museum@lywam.org
Location: Franklin and 12th Streets, Wausau, Wisconsin 54403-5007
(700 N. 12th Street)
Online: www.lywam.org
