Lynden works with artists, educators, students, and communities to create, support, and share experiences at the intersection of art, nature, and culture. Operating as a laboratory, we continually re-imagine Lynden's landscape, collection, and place in the community through exhibitions, performances, residencies, and hands-on education programs.

According to artist Daniel Minter, “by sharing space, you make it larger.” Since opening to the public in 2010, we have made our space larger by developing programs in collaboration with those we serve, focusing on place-based K-12 education; CALL & RESPONSE, an artist-driven initiative that celebrates the radical Black imagination as a means to re-examine the past and imagine a better future; and HOME​, a space of leading, coming together, and celebrating refugees through art, food, and performance. 

Artists are at the center of all we do. In addition to hiring, exhibiting, presenting, and collaborating with artists, we provide direct support for local artists through the constellation of programs that make up the Mary L. Nohl Fellowship. This includes the Fellowship for Individual Artists,  the Suitcase Export Award for artists taking work outside the local area, and the Ruth Arts Mary L. Nohl Alumni Award for former Nohl Fellows.

Each June, we begin our celebrations of World Refugee Day (June 20) with a program and children’s art exhibit at Milwaukee’s City Hall and a community celebration at Lynden (June 22) organized in partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families – Bureau of Refugee Resettlement. Our theme for 2025 is Walking Together, Weaving the World. For more information on HOME 2025, our 7th annual World Refugee Day Celebration: https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/home-2025