Poet and naturalist Kristen Lindquist will be with us at the Gilley on Nov. 15 to teach an introductory haiku workshop. She’ll share a brief history of this intriguing art form, which originated in Japan more than 500 years ago and evolved as a nature poem. Kristen will share what makes a poem a haiku (it’s probably not what you think), and how haiku are written today in the United States. Then she will guide students through writing their own haiku.

Mattie Rose Templeton is inspired by the natural world, and through art she explores our connection to nature, including the undeniable fragility that is found there. Her goal is to produce art that moves the viewer beyond the piece itself, and into a place of storytelling. “Art has always been a way to record history through visual storytelling,” she says.

Using an “old-fashioned” ink well, with variously sized nibs, Mattie Rose works with texture and line, often avoiding the use of color, because she finds the contrast of black and white more dramatic. She adds a conceptual quality to her art with geometric shapes and patterns layered into an otherwise realistic piece.

Mattie Rose will be at the Wendell Gilley Museum in person to share her storytelling as the museum’s People-Nature-Art presenter for December on Tuesday, Dec. 2. There will be a 6 p.m. artist’s reception followed by her presentation at 7 p.m. which will happen in person and simultaneously livecast. Both in-person and online attendance is free, but registration is required at www.wendellgilleymuseum.org/calendar.

Use carving tools and wood-burning to create an owl ornament this December in a  workshop at the Wendell Gilley Museum. The class is suitable for beginners but carvers of all levels are welcome. Participants will start with a pre-cut wooden blank, then shape and woodburn it. Students must be at least 12 years old.

The workshop will be offered twice: Saturday, Dec. 6 from noon to 3pm, and Thursday, Dec. 11 from 5:30 to 8:30 pm. It will be led by Lynda Millar, who teaches woodburning, carving and papercutting at the Gilley. The cost is $32 for Museum members, and $39 for non-members.  Class size is limited. 

Gather as a community and enjoy the creative spirit of MDI at the Wendell Gilley Museum for the Museum's annual Community Open House & Art Show on Sunday, Dec. 14, from 1 to 4pm. 

Admission is free and light refreshments will be served.

We will have a special one-day-only exhibit of art created at the Gilley in 2024, everything from bird drawings by third-graders to bird carvings by long-time carvers.

Free and open to all. No registration required; just drop by!