January 2005

•   Closed -New Year’s Day  January  1, Saturday

• Bolz Conservatory Exhibit: Coffee Culture     January 8 – March 25
  Has any other beverage made such a global impact as coffee?  The exhibit Coffee Culture at the Bolz Conservatory, takes on two aspects of culture; how coffee is grown and processed and the role it plays in human culture.  Visit Olbrich’s Bolz Conservatory and learn more about how this plant has made such a huge impact on civilizations around the world.  What does a coffee tree look like?  What are the impacts of this plant on world economy and the rain forest?  How does coffee go from seed to coffee cup?  Come learn the answers to these questions and immerse yourself in interactive activities designed for the whole family.  Whether coffee is part of your daily regimen or not, come enjoy the rain forest and learn something new about how one tree affects so many lives on a global basis. For more information call 608-246-4550.

• Art Exhibit:  A Celebration of Nature: Ongoing: December 12, 2004 – March 6, 2005  Sundays 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
  Watercolor artwork by members of the Madison Watercolor Society will be displayed in the Evjue Commons. The exhibit will contain both abstract and realist work that express the different vision each artist has when painting botanical matter.  Admission to the exhibit is free.  For more information call 608-246-4550.

• Winter Concert Series: Harmonious Wail  January 2  Sunday  2 – 3 p.m.
  Warm your winter day with a concert in the Evjue Commons. Series sponsored by the Olbrich Botanical Society.  The January 2 concert will feature Harmonious Wail, a gypsy swing band. Suggested $1 donation.  Concerts are every Sunday at 2 p.m., January 2 – March 27.  For more information, call 608-246-4550.  

• Informal Coffee Tasting  January 8  Saturday  1- 3 p.m.
  Try a variety of different coffees from around the world, provided by Just Coffee, fair trade coffee.  Informal tasting in the Foyer.  Free.

• Winter Concert Series: The Red Birds    January 9  Sunday  2 – 3 p.m.
  Warm your winter day with a concert in the Evjue Commons. Series sponsored by the Olbrich Botanical Society. The January 9 concert features The Red Birds, an old time fiddle music band. Suggested $1 donation.  Concerts are every Sunday at 2 p.m., January 2 – March 27.  For more information, call 608-246-4550.  

• Winter Concert Series: Chris Powers January 16  Sunday  2 – 3 p.m.
  Warm your winter day with a concert in the Evjue Commons. Series sponsored by the Olbrich Botanical Society.  Chris Powers is a long-time Madison favorite on the mandolin. Suggested $1 donation.  Concerts are every Sunday at 2 p.m., January 2 – March 27.  For more information, call 608-246-4550.  

• Children of the Rainforest:  Thai Classical Dance Group January 22  Saturday 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
  A talented group of performers to teach families the symbolism of Thai dance.  The Children of the Rainforest series offers performances for families to celebrate cultural differences in rainforest regions around the world, and is generously sponsored by William and Joyce Wartmann. The Alyo African Dance and Drumming group from Chicago returns to Olbrich with high-energy dance and rhythm.  This group of children and teens will perform their program called “Woza,” a Zulu expression meaning “Come On!”  Alyo recently performed this program at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. Performances are at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Tickets are available at the door for $3 for adults, $2 for children 12 and under, and free to ages 2 and under.  Come out for some international fun!  For more information, call 608-246-4550.

• Winter Concert Series: The Dang-Its  January 23  Sunday  2 – 3 p.m.
  Warm your winter day with a concert in the Evjue Commons. Series sponsored by the Olbrich Botanical Society.  The Dang-Its are a five-piece honkytonk band. Suggested $1 donation.  Concerts are every Sunday at 2 p.m., January 2 – March 27.  For more information call 608-246-4550.  

• Coffee Talk & Tasting  January 29  Saturday 1 – 3 p.m.
  Learn about how to taste the subtle flavors in different coffees, coffee history, coffee roasting, and fair trade issues for small coffee growers around the world.  Taste a variety of coffees.  Presentations and tasting by Matthew Carlson of Dancing Grounds and Matt Earley of Just Coffee.  Admission to the Conservatory to see the Coffee Culture exhibit included.  $5 members/$7 nonmembers.  Registration required, call 608-246-4550.

• Winter Concert Series: Steve Waugh  January 30  Sunday  2 – 3 p.m.
  Warm your winter day with a concert in the Evjue Commons. Series sponsored by the Olbrich Botanical Society.  Steve Waugh plays the classical guitar. Series sponsored by the Olbrich Botanical Society. Suggested $1 donation.  Concerts are every Sunday at 2 p.m., January 2 – March 27.  For more information, call 608-246-4550.  

• Gardens of Thailand Tour   January 31 – February 11          
  Olbrich Botanical Society sponsors a 12-day guided tour to see the exotic gardens of Thailand. Olbrich’s Director of Horticulture Jeff Epping leads the tour with stays in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, and a special visit to see the mountain flowers in Chiang Rai.  Reservations for this trip will close November 15, 2004.  For more information, call the Development Office at 608-246-4583.  

• Art on Site: Photographs on Display  Ongoing: January and February
  Art on Site Photographs by Mike Paggie are on display through February 18 at Olbrich Botanical Gardens. The large format digital prints show site-specific art installations included in Art on Site: Madison Museum of Contemporary Art at Olbrich Botanical Gardens. Paggie, who is on staff at the museum, photographed the art installations throughout the summer and fall of 2004. Several of the installations will remain in place throughout the winter, providing an interesting contrast to the warm-weather views shown in Paggie's photographs.

• Art on Site: The Madison Museum of Contemporary Art at Olbrich Botanical Gardens   Ongoing: January - March  9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily
  Olbrich Botanical Gardens and the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art present Art on Site, an exciting exhibit of site specific art in Olbrich’s outdoor gardens. Artists installing exhibits include: Darwin Nordin and Rebecca Watson, from Seattle, Washington, who have created a large-scale fence on the north side of the Great Lawn; Milwaukee artist Roy Staab who has installed a design made from willow reeds in the pond by the Discovery Dock; and Madison’s Brenda Baker displaying her story poles in the Perennial Garden. Gary Lang, from Ojai, California, has translated his colorful circular painting into annual flowers on the lawn next to the Lussier Terrace; John Ready created oversized charms made from everyday discarded items to hang from trees along Starkweather Creek. Exhibits will stay on display through fall and winter, depending on weather conditions. The exhibit is free.

• Bolz Conservatory Exhibit:  Patterns & Textures   Ongoing:  Tuesday, September 7 – Sunday, January 2, 2005
  Olbrich Botanical Society will use the Bolz Conservatory to present Patterns and Textures, an interpretive exhibit that explains how plant patterns and textures link directly to their form and function.  Find out why some leaves are soft and fuzzy while others are smooth and glossy.  Discover how plants and animals evolve and adapt simultaneously such that the patterns and textures benefit both or protect the plant from the animal.  The exhibit will also include a “touch and feel” station that further demonstrates the reasons plants take on different forms, colors, and textures and two activities for children on the Musician’s Terrace.  Admission to the Conservatory is $1.  Children 5 and under are free.  Admission is free on Wednesday and Saturday mornings from 10 a.m. to noon.  Admission is free to Olbrich Botanical Society members.  For more information, call 608-246-4550.