Monday, June 17 – Sunday, June 23
June 18 Tuesday 10:30 a.m. – Noon
Toddler Tuesday Flora Fun
Toddlers, 18 months-4 years, and accompanying adults share hands-on art projects inspired by the plant life on view in “America’s Flora.” This free, monthly drop-in program includes a snack and story time.
June 19 Wednesday 12:15 – 1 p.m.
Art 101 Collection Conversation
Each artwork has a story, as does the journey to its permanent home in the museum’s collection. Artworks come from a variety of sources; curator of collections Jane Weinke will clarify the acquisition process and share the history of works included in “A Collection Medley.”

Friday – Sunday, June 21 – 23

The Wonders of Willow & Basketry
Bonnie Gale Artist Residency
Bonnie Gale, a New York-based artist and landscape designer who has used willow as her primary medium since the early 1980s, returns to lead programs a year after constructing her site-specific Living Willow Dreams – a seven- foot-tall, domed, willow structure – in the museum’s Sculpture Garden. An accomplished willow basketry artist, Bonnie’s programs weave together the themes of this summer’s botanical art exhibitions.
June 21 Friday 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Polish Bread Baskets
Teen & Adult Workshop
Bonnie guides participants in weaving willow rods into attractive and functional bread baskets, based on the Polish Tatzca basket. All levels of experience welcome. Fee: $55 for members; $70 for non-members; includes prepared materials and lunch. A list of supplies to bring will be provided. Call 715-845-7010 to register.

June 22 Saturday 1 – 2 p.m.

Willow Dreams
The Art of Bonnie Gale
Working with willow since 1983, Bonnie Gale’s living structures are rooted in traditional willow basketry. Join Bonnie as she presents images and stories documenting the progression of her career and her dreams for future work.
June 22 Saturday 2:30 – 6 p.m.
Garden Sphere Weaving
Teen & Adult Workshop
Create an attractive, random-weave garden sphere, measuring 15 inches in diameter, with guidance from Bonnie Gale. All levels of experience welcome. Fee: $45 for members; $60 for non-members. A small pre-woven base, prepared materials and weatherproofing information are included. A list of supplies to bring will be provided. Call 715-845-7010 to register.

June 23 Sunday  10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Pea Cage Trellis

Teen & Adult Workshop

With instruction from Bonnie, create a pea cage trellis – up to 5 feet tall – for climbing plants. Using jigs for support, participants work at tables to place, secure and weave pre-soaked willow rods, yielding striking sculptural designs for the garden. All levels of experience welcome. Fee: $75 for members; $90 for non-members; includes prepared materials and lunch. A list of supplies to bring will be provided. Call 715-845-7010 to register.

On View through August 25

“Botanical Art Worldwide: America’s Flora”
Spotlighting the ephemeral beauty and variety of plant life, “America’s Flora” is part of a global initiative focused on the manifold ways the lives of plants and people are intertwined. From the West Coast’s pioneer violet, the Southwest’s saguaro cactus and sunflowers spanning the Midwest to the Southeast’s iconic longleaf pine, “America’s

Flora” considers native plants. The variety of North American flora, both familiar and rare, is meticulously depicted in watercolor and other mediums. Curated by the American Society of Botanical Artists and the United States Botanic Garden, the exhibition is part of a worldwide project emphasizing the importance of conserving botanical diversity, increasing appreciation of the world’s plants, and linking people with plants via botanical art.

“Flora, Fauna, Font: Illustrating the Alphabet”

Kandis Vermeer Phillips’ illuminated alphabet showcases A to Z adorned with plants, mammals and insects. Phillips integrated extensive research into the history of medieval illuminated manuscripts into an alphabet primer for her granddaughter. She combined decorative letters with representations of flowers and creatures found in her garden and during family travels.

“In Touch with Art: Tactile Sculpture”

The Woodson Art Museum’s inaugural tactile art exhibition debuts with five avian sculptures, available on a “touch table” in the Decorative Arts Gallery. This touchable artwork installation – the first in an ongoing series – provides ready access to original artwork for visitors with low vision or blindness, also encouraging sighted visitors to experience a new way to “see” via the mind’s eye – visualizing artwork though touch.

A commitment to providing accessible and compelling art experiences for all inspired the tactile art exhibition with guidance from tactile sculpture Ann Cunningham. Beginning March 2, explore touchable sculpture and the power of hands-on appreciation.
On view through February 2020
“A Collection Medley”
While an avian theme unites artworks created between 1875 and 2018, the mediums and points of view will surprise and delight.

On view through August 2019

Regal Bearing” Bird Portraiture

“Regal Bearing” applies the tenets of portraiture to more than 60 artworks from the museum’s collection. As with human portraits, the artists represented captured the essence of their subjects using a variety of formats, including a focus on single birds without backgrounds, as well as the inclusion of habitat or attributes that help to characterize a species or place it in context.
“Sharing the Shoreline”
Discover the beauty of shorebirds – sanderlings, stilts, turnstones, whimbrels, yellowlegs and others – through sculptures and works on paper from the collection.

The Woodson is at 700 N. 12th St., Wausau. For more information, visit lywam.org.