Blogs Field Guide

The FlatPak Reopens on May 5

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On Saturday, May 5 the FlatPak House will begin hosting public hours. The space will be available as an orientation center for the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, Walker Art Center, and Open Field on Saturdays from 10am-4pm and Sundays from 12pm-4pm. Come and chat with a Walker staff member or simply put your feet up, read a [...]

On Saturday, May 5 the FlatPak House will begin hosting public hours. The space will be available as an orientation center for the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, Walker Art Center, and Open Field on Saturdays from 10am-4pm and Sundays from 12pm-4pm. Come and chat with a Walker staff member or simply put your feet up, read a book, or take a cat nap (dreaming about art and prefab architecture of course). Public hours will continue through September. You may see the space animated at different moments throughout the summer, as it’s a popular spot for Open Field and Free First Saturday programming.

FlatPak (interior)

A cozy, green couch for lounging in the FlatPak on those hotter days.

 

The FlatPak House is located near the northwest corner of the Cowles Conservatory.

 

Phenology Report: Know Your Grackle Vernacular

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There’s such a flurry of spring phenomena that it can be tricky picking a focus. But bird behavior is as good a place to start as anywhere. Morning visitors to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden will witness the heavy air traffic of Common Grackles frequenting the muddy low waters near Spoonbridge and Cherry. Watch the video [...]

Common Grackles, still from YouTube video by NovaScotiaNature

There’s such a flurry of spring phenomena that it can be tricky picking a focus. But bird behavior is as good a place to start as anywhere. Morning visitors to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden will witness the heavy air traffic of Common Grackles frequenting the muddy low waters near Spoonbridge and Cherry. Watch the video below and tell me that soggy clump of plant matter doesn’t look perfect for building a nest!

The grande allée’s arbor vitae and linden trees are abuzz with grackles calling and strutting. And if you’re lucky, you might witness a pair of Common Grackles performing a courtship dance!

In conjunction with Open Field, I’ll be posting a series of reports that examine Open Field and the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden through the lens of phenology. The lens of what now? Phenology refers to recurring life cycle stages, such as leafing and flowering, emergence of insects, and migration of birds. As an amateur naturalist and the Open Field Phenologist-in-Residence, it’s my privilege to observe, document, and share the sequence of natural events as it unfolds on the Walker campus.

If you’re interested in more local phenological phenomena, visit openphenology.blogspot.com. Or to learn more about the science of phenology, check out the National Phenology Network and the Minnesota Phenology Network.

April Free First Saturday

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by Emma Cohen When was the last time you saw an elephant on a surfboard? Or made teeth with your bare hands? If you don’t know the answers to these questions, you must have missed April Free First Saturday. Here’s what happened on that zany day of fun. The Textile Center created a dazzling hanging [...]

by Emma Cohen

When was the last time you saw an elephant on a surfboard? Or made teeth with your bare hands? If you don’t know the answers to these questions, you must have missed April Free First Saturday. Here’s what happened on that zany day of fun.

The Textile Center created a dazzling hanging garden in the Star Tribune Foundation Art Lab. Kids rolled, smushed, and played with wool fibers and soapy water to make leaves, flowers, bugs, and rocks out of felt. The colorful creations were sewn into a garden on a tie-dyed cloth that will be on display at the Textile center this fall.

Making Felt

The Finished Felt Garden

In Gallery 8, families showed off–and created–their toothy grins. Using modeling clay, paper, and markers, kids made replicas of their teeth and recalled memories of front teeth, cuspids, and molars. Children also made big gaping jaws that could open and close!

 

Making Teeth

Downstairs, the sounds of giggling trickled through the closed Cinema doors. Inside, Chris Monroe and Kevin Kling read their new collaborative book, Big Little Brother. We laughed and sang with Kevin, and he told us stories about his real-life brother on whom the book is based. (Like how people thought his brother was angry because he often clenched his fists, but really he was just clutching bits of donuts!)

Then they read Chris’s book Monkey with a Tool Belt and the Seaside Shenanigans. Kevin’s voices were so funny, Chris had to pause her storytelling because she was laughing too hard! Some kids asked why Chico the monkey had a gumball in his tool belt. Chris figured he could chew the gum and use the wad to plug up a hole in a pipe. “Don’t try that at home,” she said. “Only with supervision,” Kevin added mischievously.

And of course, Kevin and Chris chatted with Walker visitors and signed books after the readings.

Kevin Kling

 

Chris Monroe

We encourage you to read these wonderful picture books, and also to come explore the ideas of reality and fiction at our next Free First Saturday on May 5!

Phenology Report: It’s All about Appearances

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Many of us are especially aware of the natural world come spring, when new things show up every day. It’s apt, then, that the word “phenology” comes from the Greek word phaino, meaning to show or appear. Last week, my friend Rachel and I noticed little pink and yellow cones adorning the boughs of the [...]

Many of us are especially aware of the natural world come spring, when new things show up every day. It’s apt, then, that the word “phenology” comes from the Greek word phaino, meaning to show or appear. Last week, my friend Rachel and I noticed little pink and yellow cones adorning the boughs of the pine trees. I reached out and was taken by surprise by the appearance of pollen!

In conjunction with Open Field, I’ll be posting a series of reports that examine Open Field and the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden through the lens of phenology. The lens of what now? Phenology refers to recurring life cycle stages, such as leafing and flowering, emergence of insects, and migration of birds. As an amateur naturalist and the Open Field Phenologist-in-Residence, it’s my privilege to observe, document, and share the sequence of natural events as it unfolds on the Walker campus.

If you’re interested in more local phenological phenomena, visit openphenology.blogspot.com. Or to learn more about the science of phenology, check out the National Phenology Network and the Minnesota Phenology Network.

Look Out Summer! Open Field Is Online

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In anticipation of Open Field’s June 2nd grand opening, April begins with the launch of the Open Field 2012 website, a resource created with your summer in mind.  See what’s happening on the field, view an archive of past projects and  propose your own activity, if you so choose. Events to look forward to this [...]

In anticipation of Open Field’s June 2nd grand opening, April begins with the launch of the Open Field 2012 website, a resource created with your summer in mind.  See what’s happening on the field, view an archive of past projects and  propose your own activity, if you so choose.

Events to look forward to this summer include The Big String Thing; an over-sized exercise in string formations, a personal Post Office as envisioned by a local printmaker and much more.  With an eclectic mix of  Acoustic Campfire acts and Drawing Club hosts on Target Free Thursday Nights, your Thursdays will never be left wanting.

New on the field this year are Analog Tweets, Open Field’s Little Free Library, our very own Phenologist in Residence, and custom made Tool Kits available at the Tool Shed.  Also keep an eye out for our two Artist Residencies; ROLU and Kitchen Lab.

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Phenology Report: Hibernation is so over!

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In conjunction with Open Field, I’ll be posting a series of reports that examine Open Field and the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden through the lens of phenology. The lens of what now? Phenology refers to recurring life cycle stages, such as leafing and flowering, emergence of insects, and migration of birds. As the Open Field Phenologist-in-Residence, [...]

In conjunction with Open Field, I’ll be posting a series of reports that examine Open Field and the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden through the lens of phenology. The lens of what now? Phenology refers to recurring life cycle stages, such as leafing and flowering, emergence of insects, and migration of birds. As the Open Field Phenologist-in-Residence, it’s my privilege to observe, document, and share the sequence of natural events as it unfolds on the Walker campus.

Photo: Mnmazur, Wikimedia Commons

Hibernation is so over! For ground squirrels and people alike, we’re ready to emerge from our winter digs and stand up in the sun! On March 15, I saw my first 13-lined ground squirrel of the season. Unlike the ubiquitous gray squirrel, these smaller rodents hibernate during winter months. And now they appear to be emerging from their dens and burrows.

An attentive visitor to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden will recognize these animals, which are frequently seen standing upright and surveying their surroundings or scampering for shelter under the arbor vitae hedges. And since these animals eat insects, you could interpret their appearance as a cue to get close to the ground and look for six-legged crawlies.

If you’re interested in more local phenological phenomena, visit openphenology.blogspot.com. Or to learn more about the science of phenology, check out the National Phenology Network at usanpn.org.