Join us in May for a variety of events! And sign up for Franconia’s newsletter for reminders about upcoming happenings, classes, markets, and more!
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🔮 Thetawave is coming up this Saturday, May 23!
✨ These free sound healing sessions are a monthly opportunity to retune and allow our brains and bodies to simply be present. No registration required–simply show up ready to tune in!
WHERE: Driscoll Education Center at Franconia Sculpture Park
WHEN: Saturday, May 23, 7:30—9:00 p.m., doors open at 7:00
WHAT: Thetawave is a sound healing jam session. With sound bowls from Jackie Briggs, percussion from Jak Ospera, contrabassoon from Alex Legeros, lap steel guitar from Adam Rosenthal, and Theremin from Thomas Putzier, we acknowledge that sound is fundamental to life, and vibration defines reality as we know it. These sessions give space for our brains and bodies to retune, sense vibration, and create presence in the immediate now of live improvised performances.
🧠 DID YOU KNOW? Theta waves are a type of brain wave with a frequency of about 3.5–8 Hz that are associated with deep relaxation, creativity, intuition, and memory formation.
Franconia’s 50-acre outdoor museum is constantly being reshaped by new installations. On the blog, learn about all of last year's additions (and restorations!) including these works from our 2025 Mid-Career, Emerging, and Visiting Artists. Read the full post at the link in bio!
Slide 1:
Morgan Lugo @morganlugosculpture
Time is of the Essence, 2025
Stainless steel, acrylic
Slide 2:
Will Jewett @liveoakstudios
Temporal Moment, 2025
Baltic birch plywood, stainless steel, wire rope, hardware
Slide 3:
Shan Wu & Drew Cavicchi @shanwuwuwu
Afterimage, 2025
Gobo projector, motor, electronics, reclaimed pole
Slide 4:
Fanni Somogyi @fanni_somogyi
Pleasure in the Confusion of Boundaries II, 2025
Painted steel, electroformed copper
Slide 5:
Marvin Touré @marvintoure
U.A.V. 7845 and Kwaku’s /ɡrās/ 2025
Mud, wood, concrete, steel
Have you ever seen a freshly burned prairie? Franconia’s 43 acres of restored native prairie recently had a much-needed refresh thanks to the folks at @theprairieenthusiasts ! We burn our prairie every few years to encourage new growth, knock back invasive plants that can block light from native plants in the spring, and keep the whole ecosystem healthy and thriving.
Stop by this season to see the freshly burned patches and new growth that’s already springing up! Summer hours have just started and the Commons building is now open 7 days/week!!
Post features sculptures by @rachelfrankfrank@lanzilloart@peter.lundberg@mvdierks
Videos by @tomafomka and @contracase
#franconiasculpturepark #publicart #nativeprairie
🌿 Time for our last spring cleaning day!!
Join us at the park this Sunday, May 17, for park clean-up, including some landscaping help, invasive parsnip removal, and prairie maintenance!
🧦 No need to RSVP, just show up in clothing suitable for yardwork (socks and shoes, long pants and long sleeves, and sun protection!). Gloves provided.
When: Sunday, May 17, from 1:00–4:00 p.m.
Where: Meet up inside Franconia Commons before heading outside!
Head out to Franconia for ✏️Sketching in Nature🪶 on Saturday, May 16!
In this workshop, natural science illustrator and artist Vera Ming Wong will guide techniques for capturing gesture, shapes, and forms of native plants in a restored prairie while gaining insight into the characters and ecological niches of various species.
Materials provided, but you’re welcome to bring your own favorites!
Date: Saturday, May 16, 2026 1:00–4:00 p.m.
Location: Driscoll Education Center at Franconia Sculpture Park
Cost: $80, sliding scale available
Register at the link in bio
/franconia/workshops
On Saturday, April 18, Dreams of Freedom—Michael Richards: Are You Down? featured a live podcast recording of Black Market Reads, a tour of Michael Richards’s Are You Down? sculpture at Franconia, and a handbuilding pottery experience with Mudluk Pottery.
The live podcast recording, featuring host Lissa Jones in dialogue with curator Esther Callahan, authors Alex Fialho, and Melissa Levin, and including a reading by Richard’s cousin Dawn Dale, was a powerful reflection on Richards’ work, legacy, and the ongoing responsibility of storytelling.
Listeners can find the episode in both audio and video formats at the link in bio! The hosts have also included bonus “Go Deeper” content to extend the conversation.
Photos by @brentsnyderphotos@theblkcollectors@mudluk_pottery@melissalev@alexfialho_@cara_the_org@mocanomi
This Sunday, May 3, is the first Art & Farmers Market of 2026 from 10:00am–2:00pm!
Kick off spring by enjoying a wide variety of treasures and treats from local artists, artisans, farmers, makers, and now … music!
🎶 Folk artist Thea Ennen accompanies this week’s event, the first in a summer-long market series organized by @woody_mcbride .
🎨🍯 Art & Farmers Markets will take place at Franconia on the first Sunday of each month, from May through October.
🌿 Time for some spring cleaning!!
Join us at the park this Saturday, May 2, for park clean-up, including some landscaping help, invasive parsnip removal, and prairie maintenance!
🧦 No need to RSVP, just show up in clothing suitable for yardwork (socks and shoes, long pants and long sleeves, and sun protection!). Gloves provided.
When: Saturday May 2, from 1:00–4:00 p.m.
Where: Meet up inside Franconia Commons before heading outside!
Today is Give Big Valleys! That means it’s a great day to give 🌟 BIG 🌟 to Franconia!
This 24-hour online giving event brings together nonprofits, donors, businesses, and community members across Burnett, Dunn, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, and St. Croix counties in Western Wisconsin.
Franconia is nestled in the St. Croix River Valley of Minnesota, where our 50-acre outdoor museum hosts an active artist residency program and a schedule of more than 60 public programs each year.
If you’ve visited, you know how special this place is! Give big today to support Franconia in our neck of the woods.
/organization/Franconiasculpturepark
🎈 Every day at Franconia feels like a party, but today is extra special: it’s International Sculpture Day! 🥳 #ISDay
To help us celebrate, share in the comments what your favorite sculpture at Franconia is!?
We’ll go first: All of them! 😉
