Kenosha Public Museums

Upcoming Events

Kenosha Public Museums offer many cultural and educational activities throughout the year.

Bird Day

Saturday, May 11, 2013; 10am-2pm

In celebration of International Migratory Bird Day and Celebrate Urban Birds, learn about the birds who are with us year-round, seasonally, and just passing through.

View "Bird Fair" booths of vendors and environmental organizations featuring bird-watching and bird-friendly landscaping information and products. Experience the excitement of live raptors! At 11am, see Ed Foster's raptors and Northern Illinois Raptors at 1pm.

Listen to presentations about birds and their habitats:

10:30 am "Blue Birds" presented by Hoy Audubon Chapter
Noon "Planting for the Winged Ones - Native Gardens to Sustain Native Birds" presented by Nan Calvert of Wild Ones
12:45pm "Chiwaukee Prairie Birds" presented by members of Chiwaukee Prairie Preservation Fund

 

Participate in family crafts to design your own bird and make a whirling bird, and participate in a bird observation study.

Wisconsin Museums Week

May 12-18, 2013

International Museum Day

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Support your Museums during Wisconsin Museums Week and on International Museum Day where there is always something new to learn, exciting to see, and fun to do.

Sunday Funday

Sunday Fundays are drop-in programs for adults with children. Free family activities are offered at the Kenosha Public Museum and the Dinosaur Discovery Museum. Sponsored by the Friends of the Museums.

See the exhibit "Art and the Animal" and then create your own animal art. Make an animal mask, create animals from your hand print, and play a "How Animals Move" game.

American Wildlife Art

Sunday, May 19, 2013; 2pm

Dr. David Wagner explains how aesthetic idioms and imagery of American wildlife art evolved. Its ecological ideologies changed with changing circumstances and ideas about animals and their habitats. Artists and entrepreneurs developed and influenced the market for wildlife art. Artists, collectors, conservationists, students, and educators - anyone who already enjoys wildlife art or who is learning about it - will be fascinated by this presentation. Be sure to visit the "Art and the Animal" exhibit before or after the presentation.

Woolly Lemon Art Market

Thursdays only - June 6 - August 29, 2013; 5pm-8pm

Visit with Lemon Street Gallery artists at the Kenosha Public Museum. Buy one-of-a-kind art from sme of the area's finest artists.

Design-Your-Own-Tour" Wednesdays - Guided Tours of the Kenosha Public Museum

Wednesdays, June 12-August 28, 2013; 1pm

Want to learn more about the "big ugly fish," The Schaefer mammoth, the totem pole, or some other object or exhibit at the Kenosha Public Museum? Join us each Wednesday at 1pm for free guided highlight tours. You pick the exhibits and objects on the tour and volunteers and staff share their insights. Reservations are not required.

Gateway Rose Society Annual Rose Show

Saturday, June 22, 2013; 1-4pm

Join us for the annual rose show! This show is free and open to the public.

Annual Train Extravaganza

Saturday, June 29, 2013; 10am-5pm; Kenosha Public Museum and Civil War Museum
Sunday, June 30, 2012; Noon-4pm; Kenosha Public Museum and Civil War Museum

Visit the annual train extravaganza and see all makes and all models. On view at the Kenosha Public Museum and the Civil War Museum.

Sponsored by the G-Scalers Model Train Club.

Celebrate America

Thursday, July 4, 2013; Kenosha Public Museum and Civil War Museum

The Kenosha Public Museum and Civil War Museum will be open 1pm-5pm. Participate in special craft activities 1:30-4:30pm. Make a patriotic pinwheel at the Kenosha Public Museum and a flag fan at the Civil War Museum.

Experience Watercolors!

Saturday, July 6, 2013; 10am-2pm

Members of the Transparent Watercolor Society will be in the West Gallery painting amongst the paintings. You can experience watercolors, too, on the Mezzanine where paints, paper, brushes, and objects to arrange your own still life await you.

Museum Crawl

Friday, July 12, 2013; 6-10pm

Join us for a progressive party at the Museums! We'll have gourmet snacks, microbrews and wine, amazing entertainment, and goodie bags.

6pm Pick up your wristband and goodie bag at the Kenosha Public Museum east entrance or at the Dinosaur Discovery Museum.
6-7:30pm Dinosaur Discovery Museum: Food and beverages by Franks Diner, music by Rosie Beane
7-8:30pm Civil War Museum: Food and beverages by Kaiser's Pizza & Pub; entertainment by Four Comedians and a Mic.
8-10pm Kenosha Public Museum: Food and beverages by Captain Mike's Beer & Burger Bar; music by Matt Meyer


Exhibits, galleries, and gift shops will be open! Crazy games and prizes at each Museum! Park in the Kenosha Public Museum or Civil War Museum parking lots and take the streetcar to the Dinosaur Discovery Museum. Get a free ride back with your wristband anytime before 8pm. Tickets are limited to the first 150 people. For tickets, call the Museum at 262-653-4140. $25 FOM/$30 non-members. (Must be 21 years or older and present a photo I.D.)

16th Annual Pike River Rendezvous

Saturday, August 4, 2013; 9am-5pm; Simmons Island, free parking in Kennedy Park
Sunday, August 5, 2013; 9am-4pm; Simmons Island, free parking in Kennedy Park

Step back to the time when Native Americans and fur traders gathered to exchange goods and services and to celebrate! Talk with more than 300 reenactors at a rendezvous. There will be craft and trades demonstrations throughout the camp; musical entertainment and juggling; pirate battles on the beach; and hands-on games, activities, and entertainment for young and old alike.

Don't miss the fun for kids at the Laughing Fox Tavern and Family Activities Area: play period games, do period chores, make a beaded necklace, create a corn husk doll. Period foods, snacks, and "souvenirs" available from vendors.

Pick up a schedule at any of the entrances. Take the horse-drawn wagon shuttle service from Kennedy Park to the event. Here's an event map.

Be sure to visit the Kenosha Public Museum, Dinosaur Discovery Museum, and Civil War Museum as part of your visit to the Rendezvous.

49th Annual Art Fair

Sunday, July 21, 2013; 10am-5pm - NEW LOCATION AT THE MUSEUMS CAMPUS
FIRST AVENUE AND 56TH STREET

Indoor and outdoor fine arts and crafts booths, music, food, kids' art tent, and free admission.

Call for Artists: Here is the application. Application deadline is May 1, 2013. To get on the Art Fair mailing list or for more information, call the Kenosha Public Museum at 262-653-4140.

Peter V. Bianchi Artists Studio

The Kenosha Public Museum is pleased to host guest artists in the Artists Studio. Artists are invited into the studio to demonstrate and share their artistic expertise. Museum visitors can watch as the work of art evolves and interact with the artists in an informal setting. The Artists Studio is located in the South Gallery on the second floor of the Museum. Demonstrations are free and open to the public. Drop in anytime during the announced hours.

Here is the upcoming schedule (subject to change without notice):

Date Time Artist Medium
MAY
7 10am-1pm Marie Johnston Basketry
9 10am-2pm Dave Watling Acrylics
14 9am-2pm Tom Clark Mosaics
17 9am-Noon Wendy Niemann Mixed Media
18 10am-2pm Denny Bell Woodcarving
19 1pm-3pm Cyndi Jara-Almonte Weaving
23 10am-2pm Dave Watling Acrylics
26 12:30-4:30pm Ralph Ziegler Woodcarving
JUNE
4 10am-1pm Marie Johnston Basketry
6 10am-2pm Dave Watling Acrylics
9 1pm-3pm Cyndi Jara-Almonte Weaving
12 12:30-3:30pm Kathryn Comstock Pen & Ink
15 10am-2pm Denny Bell Woodcarving
20 10am-2pm Dave Watling Acrylics
21 9am-Noon Wendy Niemann Mixed Media
30 12:30-4:30pm Ralph Ziegler Woodcarving
JULY
2 10am-1pm Marie Johnston Basketry
12 9am-Noon Wendy Niemann Mixed Media
20 10am-2pm Denny Bell Woodcarving
21 1pm-3pm Cyndi Jara-Almonte Weaving
28 12:30-4:30pm Ralph Ziegler Woodcarving
AUGUST
17 10am-2pm Denny Bell Woodcarving
18 1pm-3pm Cyndi Jara-Almonte Weaving
25 12:30-4:30pm Ralph Ziegler Woodcarving

 

2013 Travelogues

 

The 2013 season has ended! See you again in the fall.

We're looking for a sponsor partner for 2013-14! Call 262-653-4140 for details.

A travelogue is a professional 90-minute presentation shown on a big screen with one intermission. It documents interesting places around the world, describing art, music, architecture, culture, and history from a first-person perspective. Travelogues are produced in the enhanced digital format and narrated live by the filmmaker.

Travelogues open the world for people of all ages, enhancing student classroom experiences, and enabling adults to relive (or plan for) vacations and business trips around the world.

Fridays, 7pm; Doors open at 6:15pm
Reuther High School Auditorium, 58th Street and Sheridan Road
Admission is free, and seating is unreserved.

Travelogues are sponsored by the Kenosha Public Museums and supported in part by grants from Kenosha News.

> Travelogue Patron Form

Kenosha Festival of Cartooning Mini-Fest

Saturday, November 2, 2013

A one-day event featuring MAD magazine caricaturist Tom Richmond and internationally syndicated crtoonist John Hambrock. Cartooning and caricature workshops and an evening receptions. We'll have more details here in the fall!

Painting Watercolors Without Guessing - Watercolor Workshop with Joe Fettingis, NWS

Thursday, Friday, Saturday, November 14-16, 2013; 9:30am-4pm

Class #0620213403, $180 ($155 FOM)

Learn how to work with values, how to mix colors, how to control moisture, and how to compose a painting. Each student receives a photo and a drawing to get started. There are 5-6 short demonstrations each day focused on problem-solving with plenty of time to paint. Fettingis works one-on-one with each student. "My goal is for every student to go home with more knowledge than when they came in. After teaching watercolors over 30 years all over the U.S. and Canada, I have realized the "must" things each student needs to know to be able to paint successfully." This workshop is not for new students to watercolors. Some watercolor painting experience is required.

Fettingis is a signature member of the National Watercolor Society and has been published in American Artist, Palette Talk, and International Artist magazines. He has been featured in the books Splash 6, Painting Color, and Best of Watercolors 2. He regularly lectures, demonstrates, and conducts workshops nationally and in Canada. A supply list is available on his website at www.jfettingis.com.