Arts at the Waelderhaus
We are excited to announce our 2022 “Arts at the Waelderhaus” program lineup.
Please see details for our upcoming presentations below.
Reservations are strongly encouraged for each program. Please call Waelderhaus at 920-453-2851 or email Jen. Balge@kohler.com to reserve your spot. Admission is free.
Arts at the Waelderhaus 2022
Arts at the Waelderhaus brings free, cultural programming to Kohler’s "house in the woods.” Make a reservation today to enjoy outstanding performances in this historic building.
All Sunday performances begin at 2 p.m. “Arts at the Waelderhaus” is open to the public and free of charge. Reservations are strongly encouraged. Call 920-453-2851 or email Jen. Balge@kohler.com to reserve your seat.
Baron Kelly - CANCELLED
UW-Madison Professor of Theatre and Drama presents “From the Streets of New York to the Stages of the World: Being a Global Artist”After surviving growing up in a tough neighborhood in New York, Baron Kelly will discuss his career beginnings singing with the Metropolitan Opera to eventually becoming a four-time world traveled Fulbright Scholar bridging cultural divides as a cultural specialist for the United States.
Baron Kelly is a four-time Fulbright Scholar and has traveled extensively as a Cultural Specialist for the United States Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs teaching and lecturing on the theatre in Russia, Scandinavia, Africa, Europe, London, and Asia.
Teaching acting has led him to teaching and lecturing residencies in more than a dozen countries on five continents and in twenty American states, including London’s Central School of Speech and Drama, Moscow Art Theatre, Beijing Central Academy of Drama, National Theatre School of Finland, and National Theatre of Ghana.
Learn more about Kelly on his website: www.baronkelly.com.
Parks for All People*
Tuesday, April 26 at 6:00 p.m.
Learn about the the famed 19th-century author, public official, urban planner and founder of American landscape architecture whose vision of “parks for all people” helped shape American culture in our outdoor exhibit opening: “Frederick Law Olmsted: Landscapes for the Public Good”
The exhibit focuses on Olmsted’s life story, his major landscape commissions, and their relevance to contemporary society. Olmsted believed that the thoughtful design of parks and public spaces has positive social, environmental, economic, and health impacts on the people and communities around them.
Witnessing rapid growth and urbanization in America, Olmsted understood that the future of the natural world would be threatened without more public-spirited intervention. Olmsted’s foresight is best illustrated by the landscapes he designed, which would not mature until decades later. Hundreds of projects and landscapes designed by Olmsted and the Olmsted firm can still be enjoyed today: from New York’s Central Park to the Palos Verdes community in California.
Virginia Small*
Sunday, May 8 at 2:00 p.m.
Join us at the Waelderhaus as award-winning landscape journalist and photographer Virginia Small presents “Olmstedian Legacies in Wisconsin: Naturalistic Designed Landscapes that Endure”
Learn about the remarkably beautiful landscapes designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and his sons for numerous Wisconsin locations. The Olmsted firm's projects include planning and development of major parks in Milwaukee, master planning and design for the Town of Kohler, and designed landscapes in Lake Geneva. Frederick Law Olmsted is considered the "father of American parks." He and his two sons were among the most influential landscape architects and urban planners in American history. Their legacies remain relevant and inspiring. This slide-illustrated program showcases their visionary and inclusive approaches and their extant landscapes. It is presented as part of the year-long international celebration of the 200th anniversary of Olmsted's birth.
Virginia Small is an award-winning journalist and photographer who has researched, written and presented about landscapes for 25 years. The Wisconsin Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects honored her in 2019 with its "Visibility Award." After working as a journalist and communications professional on the East Coast, she returned to her hometown of Milwaukee, where she writes extensively for national and local outlets about cultural and historic landscapes and environmental topics. The author of Great Gardens of the Berkshires, she recently contributed a chapter about Olmsted's legacies for The Milwaukee River Greenway: A Wealth of Nature in the Heart of the City.
Marta McDowell and Tour of Riverbend*
Sunday, May 22 at 2:00 p.m- Lecture at Waelderhaus – 2 p.m.
- Garden tour and optional high tea at Riverbend – 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
- Reservations Required
Marta McDowell, author and landscape history and horticulture instructor at New York Botanical Garden, presents “Frederick Law Olmsted: Parks, Estates, Campuses, and Communities.” McDowell’s presentation will take place at Waelderhaus with a tour of Riverbend’s gardens and the first floor to follow.
For an additional fee of $20, guests can enjoy high tea at Riverbend, which will include an assortment of tea sandwiches, seasonal berries, assorted pastries, hot and iced tea and lemonade. To make reservations for high tea, please secure your spot here. Spots are limited for the high tea. Reservations will be taken on a first come, first served basis.
Transportation from the Waelderhaus to Riverbend is not provided.
“Frederick Law Olmsted: Parks, Estates, Campuses, and Communities”
A look at the life and legacy of the individual who coined the term “landscape architect.” While most famous for his public parks, Olmsted’s commissions included the Biltmore Estate, the World’s Columbian Exposition, and campuses ranging from Stanford to Amherst. For a century, Olmsted and his sons dominated the profession and left a lasting mark on the landscape and psyche of America.
Marta McDowell teaches landscape history and horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden and consults for private clients and public gardens. Her latest book is Unearthing The Secret Garden, about the inspiration for the classic children's book. Timber Press also published Emily Dickinson's Gardening Life, The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder, New York Times-bestselling All the Presidents' Gardens, and Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life, now in its seventh printing. Marta's new book about garden themes in murder mysteries, is due out from Timber Press in 2024. She was the 2019 recipient of the Garden Club of America's Sarah Chapman Francis Medal for outstanding literary achievement.
Leo Viglietti
Sunday, June 12 at 2 p.m.FlutistRuth DeYoung Kohler (RDK) 2020 Scholarship recipient Leo Viglietti brings an afternoon of music. Kohler Foundation’s RDK scholarship award recognizes artistic vision, creativity, technical mastery, and dedication to a career in the arts.
Leo Viglietti, of Sheboygan North High School graduating class of 2020, studies flute with Professor Amy Porter at the University of Michigan. He won 3rd place in the 2019 Wisconsin Flute Festival Young Artist Competition and earned a spot in the MYSO Senior Symphony Honors Recital.
Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra Brass Quintet
Sunday, June 26 at 2 p.m.Concert on the Lawn - Brass QuintentEnjoy the harmonic joy of the versatile combination of a brass quintet from the Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra—the longest continually active orchestra in Wisconsin! Bring chairs and blankets for a comfortable experience of extraordinary music.
Honeygoats
Sunday, July 24 at 2 p.m.Concert on the Lawn - Bluegrass BandJoin the Honeygoats on the front lawn of the Waelderhaus, Sunday, July 24th at 2:00 p.m. for an outdoor concert! This bluegrass band, made up of 5 guys and their mutual love for diverse music, will perform in the great outdoors—right in front of the Waelderhaus. Bring chairs and blankets to sit on if you want to kick back and enjoy the show!
The Honeygoats came together in 2016 over their mutual love for the inspiring aspect of radically different styles of music. Be it carefully crafted songwriting, blinding solos, belting vocals, an infectious groove or just raw energy; these are the things that matter to The Honeygoats. Audience members may recognize music from Bill Monroe to Waylon Jennings to Led Zeppelin; a diverse range and energy are what the Honeygoats strive to share with their audiences. A concert for all audiences. ‘Goat on!
Olmstedian Legacies in Kohler Walking Tour of Kohler*
Sunday, September 11 at 2:00 p.m.Presented by Virginia Small and Angela MillerBrief slide presentation at Waelderhaus followed by a walking tour of the Village of Kohler highlighting the work of the Olmsted Brothers.
The walking tour will begin and end at the Waelderhaus
Mr. Chair
Sunday, October 2 at 2 p.m.A Contemporary Fusion EnsembleMr. Chair looks like a jazz ensemble, enchants like a string quartet, and electrifies like a rock band, all while delighting listeners with their fresh and original sound. Drawing on influences in jazz, electronics, prog rock, classical music and beyond, Mr. Chair is a contemporary fusion ensemble performing new and cinematic music. We were recently honored to win the Wisconsin Area Music Industry’s 2021 Jazz Artist of the Year and will be releasing our sophomore album this fall (along with a short opera with Philipina vocalist Leslie Damaso, a re-working of Stravinsky's Pulcinella ballet suite, and a cinematic hip-hop album with Atlanta-based artist DeQuadray).
Judy Stock - CANCELLED
Sunday, October 9 at 2 p.m.Folk musicianJudy Stock has been a performing musician for over forty years. Born in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, she has lived in New Orleans; Sheboygan, Wisconsin; Dallas/Fort Worth; Ithaca, NY and is now living in her hometown of Manitowoc, Wisconsin. In all her performances with children and adults she plays a variety of instruments. Early literacy is brought into all of her performances and classes for preschoolers. Judy is committed to keeping folk music and folk instruments alive in the hearts and minds of children and adults.
*Olmsted 200: Celebrating Parks for All the People
A century ago, Kohler Co.’s president hired the Olmsted Brothers, landscape architects from the firm that designed New York City’s Central Park, to help create a fifty-year plan for the Village of Kohler, Riverbend, and the parks and performance spaces that make up this garden community at a factory gate. Join us as we celebrate and preserve that vision today!
Olmsted 200 is a national campaign honoring the visionary founder of American landscape architecture, Frederick Law Olmsted. Please join the Kohler Foundation and the National Association for Olmsted Parks, partners, friends and the public as we explore Olmsted’s living legacy. The celebration, known as Olmsted 200, is national and local, empowering cities, parks, local organizations of every kind and individuals around the country to be creative in how they engage the values and vision of Olmsted.
For more information visit the Olmsted 200 Website.
