Nature Hikes in May

Guided Bilingual Nature Hike at Lyons Woods

Join us for the kickoff event celebrating the upcoming season of nature hikes.  Intended to introduce our region’s Spanish speaking residents to our incredible system of preserves, the hike lasts one hour.  

Caminata Ecológica Bilingüe con Guía

Invitamos a toda la comunidad hispana a conocer y disfrutar nuestro increíble sistemas de reservas forestales a través de una caminata ecológica bilingüe con duración de una hora.

May Hikes:

9:00-10:00 a.m. Saturday, May 4 Lyons at Woods Forest Preserve 

6:00-7:00 p.m. Wednesday, May 22 at Route 60 Canoe Launch

Click here for more information and other dates.  Free.  No registration required.

Art Class

Saturdays
May 4 - June 8
1 - 4 p.m.

Botanical Art: Walk and Sketch Spring Wildflowers of Ryerson Woods

There is nothing quite like taking a stroll in the woods, discovering a wildflower, then sitting down and sketching it. In this field study and sketching class, instruction will be given in capturing botanical detail and characteristics. Students will be encouraged to use various media from pencil, pen and ink, colored pencil, to watercolor. The workshop is designed for students of all levels. A supply list will be sent.  Instruction provided by Derek Norman, artist and director, Midwest Center for Botanical Documentation.  Presented in partnership with the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Welcome Center. $312 (CBG and FRW members receive 20% discount). To register, contact Chicago Botanic Garden at 847.835.8261 or www.chicagobotanic.org/school.

Benefit Dinner and Keynote Address

Saturday
May 18
5:30 - 9 p.m.

SMITH NATURE SYMPOSIUM

Pieces of the Sky:  Spring Migration as Science and Magic

Keynote Speaker — Kenn Kaufman

Every spring season, extraordinary numbers of birds move northward across the face of North America. Their pathway spans the entire width of the continent, and even extends far offshore. Some of these birds travel many thousands of miles, and their numbers run into the billions. These little travelers perform remarkable feats of strength, endurance, and pinpoint accuracy in navigating across land and sea. And yet, most of the time, this vast parade goes completely unnoticed by most human beings.

After traveling the world to observe migratory birds, internationally renowned birder, conservationist and author Kenn Kaufman has spent the last eight spring seasons on the shores of Lake Erie, and he is now writing a book about the phenomenon of spring migration. In this program, heavily illustrated with pictures and maps, he will share some perspectives on these tiny migrants and their huge journeys.

The evening includes a reception, art exhibition, benefit dinner and silent auction.

Brushwood. $175 for reception and dinner, $90 Young Philanthropists (age 30 and younger) / students (with ID).

$25 ($20 FRW members) for keynote and dessert only. Registration required. 

Click above links to register online, or to register with discount pricing and sponsorships, call 847.968.3321.

Opening Art Reception

Saturday
May 18
5:30 - 7 p.m

Migration: Watercolors by Peggy Macnamara

In her new show, Peggy Macnamara visually depicts the story of migration.  A magical and mysterious natural phenomena - a bird's elegant, dangerous and exhausting travel between summer and winter homes - provides the subject of these works.  The epic flight of the hummingbird and the triumph of the Monarch butterfly are astounding subjects.  But what attracts Macnamara is how much is unknown.  These mass movements each spring and fall feel like a secret.  As artist-in-residence at the Field Museum for 25 years, Macnamara brings the science to life, making it approachable and compelling.  Migration reflects her collaboration with museum scientists stydying bird migration patterns.  With a philosophy that art and science go hand-in-hand, Macnamara's work illustrates complicated natural phenomena through exquisite compositions.

Brushwood.  Free.  No registration required.  Exhibition runs May 18 - June 30, 2013.

Nature Hikes in June

Bilingual Guided Nature Hikes 

Come enjoy bilingual nature hikes in area forest preserves. Intended to introduce our region’s Spanish speaking residents to our incredible system of preserves, each hike lasts one hour. 

Caminatas Ecológicas Bilingües con Guía 

Invitamos a toda la comunidad hispana a conocer y disfrutar nuestro increíble sistemas de reservas forestales a través de caminatas ecológicas bilingües con duración de una hora. 

June Hikes:

9:00-10:00 a.m. Saturday, May 4 at Lyons Woods Forest Preserve 

6:00-7:00 p.m. Wednesday, May 22 at Route 60 Canoe Launch 

9:00-11:00 a.m. Sunday, June 2 at Middlefork Savanna FP 

9:00-10:00 a.m. Saturday, June 8 at Sun Lake Forest Preserve 

5:00-6:00 p.m. Wednesday, June 19 at Greenbelt Forest Preserve

Click here for more information and other dates.  Free.  No registration required.

Art Class

Saturdays
June - August
10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Intensive Three Day Botanical Art Workshops

Painting botanicals with watercolor requires skillful control of water, paint and brush. Understanding paper is not an easily accomplished task. Colors and textures inherent to botanical art will be explored. Instructor Heeyoung Kim will perform demonstrations in order to make the painting process visually understood. Class includes some basic botany to enhance the accuracy of the painting. Bring a sack lunch. For the monthly themes and schedule, visit www.heeyoungkimbotanicalart.com. 

June 3, 5, 6 – Painting Leaf Textures 

July 8, 10, 11 – Painting Purple Flowers 

August 5, 7, 8 – Painting Red Flowers 

Brushwood. $225 per three session theme. Pre-registration required.  To register, contact Heeyoung Kim at info@prairieplantart.com or 847.903.7348. 

Art Class

Saturdays
June 1 - July 13
9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Vegetable Painting: Watercolor I

Discover the beauty of vegetables through botanical art. Accomplished artist and instructor Heeyoung Kim will teach basic watercolor techniques step-by-step. During this six week course, students will learn how to handle inks and paper properly, to observe their specimens closely, and finally to create beautiful vegetable portraits. Students will complete two painting projects.  No class June 29 or July 6. 

Brushwood. $300 ($240 FRW members). Click here to be notified when registration for this program becomes available.

Book Talk

Thursday
June 6
7 - 8:30 p.m

Ginkgo: The Tree that Time Forgot

with Sir Peter Crane

Perhaps the world's most distinctive tree, ginkgo has remained stubbornly unchanged for more than two hundred million years. A living link to the age of dinosaurs, it survived the great ice ages as a relic in China, but it earned its reprieve when people first found it useful about a thousand years ago. Today ginkgo is beloved for the elegance of its leaves, prized for its edible nuts, and revered for its longevity. Sir Peter Crane, Dean of the Yale School of Forestry, will share the rich and engaging story of a tree that people saved from extinction. Books will be available for purchase and signing.

Welcome Center. $20 ($10 FRW members). Click here to be notified when registration for this program becomes available.

Nature Hikes in July

Bilingual Guided Nature Hikes 

Come enjoy bilingual nature hikes in area forest preserves. Intended to introduce our region’s Spanish speaking residents to our incredible system of preserves, each hike lasts one hour. 

Caminatas Ecológicas Bilingües con Guía 

Invitamos a toda la comunidad hispana a conocer y disfrutar nuestro increíble sistemas de reservas forestales a través de caminatas ecológicas bilingües con duración de una hora. 

July Hikes:

9:00-10:00 a.m. Saturday, July 13 at Grant Woods Forest Preserve 

5:00-6:00 p.m. Wednesday, July 17 at Old School Forest Preserve 

Click here for more information and other dates.  Free.  No registration required.

Art Exhibition

Opening Reception:
Sunday
July 14
1 - 3 p.m.

waterCOLOR skySCAPE

Enjoy an exhibition of the recent works of everyOther, a bi-weekly watercolor group founded in 2011 by Phil Enquist, Pete Landon and Cynthia Winter. En plein air painting is the focus of this group of architects, artists and designers. Their brushes capture the landscape of Chicago and the colors of the sky. They follow the lake edge and the rivers, they paint from windows, they look up and they look down, they magnify the earth and expand the sky, they shift the horizon. The magic of pigment, paper, light and water creates new views of the Chicago region.  They have painted at Ryerson Woods, the Lily Pond, Lurie Garden, Ping Tom Park, Goose Island, Olive Park, Lincoln Park Conservatory. Subjects include river bridges, concrete edifices, steel and glass towers, old limestone, local brick, snow shadows, piers, lake birds, and prairie grass.  

Brushwood. Free. No registration required. Exhibition runs July 14 – August 30, 2013.

Art Class

Saturday
July 27
10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Beyond Green: Expressive Color in the Landscape

Bring some color into your landscape painting this summer! Working from the inspirational landscapes of Ryerson Woods, students will learn how painters from the Impressionist, Expressionist, and Fauvist movements thought about nature. Instructor Nina Weiss will provide a brief review of color and light to help students utilize techniques such as layering, optical mixture, broken brushstrokes, and glazing to break through the limitations of local color in representing the landscape. Ideas about compositions and gesture will be presented to help students learn to best compose and extract their vision from the landscape. Students will create small paintings in the medium of their choice, including gouache, acrylic and oil. Raindate: Sunday, July 28. Presented in partnership with North Shore Art League. 

Brushwood. $160. Registration required. To register, call North Shore Art League at 847.446.2870. 

Nature Hikes in August

Bilingual Guided Nature Hikes 

Come enjoy bilingual nature hikes in area forest preserves. Intended to introduce our region’s Spanish speaking residents to our incredible system of preserves, each hike lasts one hour. 

Caminatas Ecológicas Bilingües con Guía 

Invitamos a toda la comunidad hispana a conocer y disfrutar nuestro increíble sistemas de reservas forestales a través de caminatas ecológicas bilingües con duración de una hora. 

August Hikes:

5:00-6:00 p.m. Wednesday, August 7 at Captain Daniel Wright FP 

9:00-10:00 a.m. Saturday, August 10 at Fox River Forest Preserve

Click here for more information and other dates.  Free.  No registration required.

Film Festival

Saturday
August 17
6 - 9:30 p.m.

Film Festival in the Woods

It’s movie night under the stars at Ryerson Woods! Bring your picnic blanket or lawn chair to enjoy a variety of acclaimed short films inspired by nature. Grab dinner from one of the gourmet food trucks on site. Take part in a guided gallery tour of waterCOLOR skySCAPE, a group watercolor art exhibition.  Visit vendor and cultural partner booths before the films.   A musical performance by the Music Institute of Chicago will take place prior to the films. In case of rain, films will be shown in the Welcome Center.

Brushwood. FREE. No registration required.  7 p.m. gallery tour. 7:30 p.m. film screenings. 

Film Screening

Wednesday
August 21
7 - 9 p.m

Aventura Verde ― Green Adventure

A family-friendly movie in Spanish joins the Film Festival in the Woods this year. Bring the kids to view a selection from the Latino Film Festival, which features the work of promising Latin American filmmakers with a special emphasis on films that defy commonly held stereotypes about Hispanics and Latinos. Aventura Verde, a story full of magic, comedy and moments of reflection, will captivate kids and parents alike. Five children leave home one morning and have an unforgettable adventure. Without realizing it, their parents take part in the adventure but in a different and unexpected way. The children will give them a lesson they will never forget.  Enjoy music by the Music Institute of Chicago prior to the film. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Film will be shown in Spanish with English subtitles.  

Welcome Center. FREE. No registration required. 

Film Screening

Saturday
August 24
8:30 - 10 p.m.

Wall-E

The 2013 Film Festival in the Woods continues at the Park District of Highland Park’s Heller Nature Center with an evening of music, a bonfire and family fun. Bring the kids and blankets for the Pixar masterpiece Wall-E under the stars (indoors if it rains). Enjoy music by the Music Institute of Chicago prior to the film. Children must be accompanied by an adult. 

Heller Nature Center, 2821 Ridge Rd., Highland Park. FREE. No registration required.

Nature Hikes in September

Bilingual Guided Nature Hikes 

Come enjoy bilingual nature hikes in area forest preserves. Intended to introduce our region’s Spanish speaking residents to our incredible system of preserves, each hike lasts one hour. 

Caminatas Ecológicas Bilingües con Guía 

Invitamos a toda la comunidad hispana a conocer y disfrutar nuestro increíble sistemas de reservas forestales a través de caminatas ecológicas bilingües con duración de una hora. 

September Hikes:

9:00-10:00 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 14 at Independence Grove FP

Click here for more information and other dates.  Free.  No registration required.